SPRINGFIELD, MASS. – The Basketball Hall of Fame Family celebrates the life and mourns the passing of legendary Temple University coach John Chaney. John Chaney, enshrined as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, has passed away at the age of 89.
“Coach Chaney was a dedicated coach, who will also be remembered as a teacher of life’s lessons,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “For more than 25 years he led Temple University with great success on the hardwood, but his legacy will be the values he instilled in his players and the impact he had on countless lives in the basketball community. While we’ll miss him greatly, we also celebrate his life well lived.”
John Chaney was celebrated for his success on the court, but also for the values he instilled in his players: discipline, teamwork, commitment, excellence, and execution. Chaney’s teams, first at Cheyney State in Cheyney, PA where he won the 1978 NCAA Division II national championship, and later at Temple University in Philadelphia, played hard-nosed basketball, reminiscent of Chaney’s playing days at Bethune-Cookman College in Florida. His match-up zone defense helped his teams reach the postseason 26 times in his career. Upon revitalizing Temple’s program in 1982, Chaney coached the Owls to five NCAA regional finals and 17 NCAA tournaments. In 1987 and 1988 Temple, put together back-to-back 30-win seasons. Chaney won 516 games in all with the Owls, a record at Temple University.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.