Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...
. He led the
Detroit Pistons to two consecutive
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...
(NBA)
championships
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...
and
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
—during the team's "Bad Boys" era—and the
1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team
The 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the "Dream Team", was the first American Olympic team to feature active professional players from the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team has been described by some jou ...
("The Dream Team") to the gold medal at the
1992 Summer Olympics.
[
Daly is a two-time ]Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...
inductee, being inducted in 1994 for his individual coaching career, and in 2010 was posthumously inducted as the head coach of the "Dream Team". The Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award is named after him.
Early life
Born in Kane, Pennsylvania, to Earl and Geraldine Daly on July 20, 1930, Daly attended Kane Area High School. He matriculated at St. Bonaventure University for one year before transferring to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania (Bloomsburg, BU or Bloom) is a campus of Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and it is located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE). The ...
, where he graduated in 1952.[''Official NBA Register''. 2003–04 Edition. St. Louis, MO: The Sporting News, 2003.] After serving two years in the military, he began his basketball coaching career in 1955 at Punxsutawney Area High School in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania
Punxsutawney (; Lenape: '
)
is a borough in southern Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. Punxsutawney is known globally for its annual Groundhog Day celebration held each February 2, during which thousands of attendees and international media outle ...
.[
]
College career
After compiling a 111–70 record in eight seasons at Punxsutawney High School, Daly moved on to the college level in 1963 as an assistant coach under Vic Bubas at Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...
. During his six seasons at Duke, the Blue Devils won the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...
championship and advanced to the Final Four, both in 1964 and 1966. Daly then replaced Bob Cousy as head coach at Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...
in 1969. The Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...
recorded an 11–13 record in Daly's first year at the school, and improved to 15–11 in 1971.
Daly became the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
in 1971, succeeding Dick Harter
Richard Alvin Harter (October 14, 1930 – March 12, 2012) was an American basketball coach who served as both a head and assistant coach in both the NBA and NCAA.
Early life
Born in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, Harter attended the Universit ...
. Penn won 20 or more games and captured the Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight school ...
title in each of its first four seasons with Daly at the helm.[University of Pennsylvania 2008–09 Men's Basketball Media Guide.](_blank)
The most successful campaign was his first in 1972, when the Quakers recorded a 25–3 record overall (13–1 in their conference), and advanced to the NCAA East Regional Final, eventually losing to North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. An additional significant success for Daly was in 1979, when all five starters on Pennsylvania's Final Four team had initially been recruited by Daly. His overall record after six seasons at Penn was 125–38 (74–10 within the Ivy League).
NBA and national team career
In 1978, Daly joined the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach. During the 1981 season, the Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central ...
hired him as the third head coach that season, but he was fired with a 9–32 record before the season ended. He then returned to the 76ers as a broadcaster until he was hired in 1983 by the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons, a franchise that had not recorded back-to-back winning seasons since the mid-1950s, made the NBA playoffs each year Daly was head coach (1983–1992), and reached the NBA finals three times, winning two consecutive NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. While serving as the Pistons coach, Daly was also a color commentator for TBS's NBA Playoff coverage.
Daly was named head coach of the U.S. Dream Team that won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics, before moving his NBA career onto the New Jersey Nets for the 1992–93 season. Daly stayed with the Nets for two seasons, before resigning over frustration over the immaturity of some of the players on his team.
Daly again took up a role as color commentator for TNT's NBA coverage during the mid-1990s. Daly rejected an offer to coach the New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
over the summer of 1995 after deciding he was not ready for the NBA coaching grind. He would return to coaching with the Orlando Magic at the beginning of the 1997–98 season. Daly stayed two seasons with the Magic and then retired permanently.
Death
Daly was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March 2009 and died on May 9, 2009, at the age of 78. He is buried at Riverside Memorial Park in Tequesta, Florida.
Head coaching record
College
NBA
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 41, , 9, , 32, , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , —
, style="text-align:center;", —
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 49, , 33, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
, , 5, , 2, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in first round
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 46, , 36, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Central, , 9, , 5, , 4, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Semifinals
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 46, , 36, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Central, , 4, , 1, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in first round
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 52, , 30, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Central, , 15, , 10, , 5, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Finals Conference Finals may refer to:
* NBA Conference Finals, National Basketball Association
* NHL Conference Finals, National Hockey League
* KHL Conference Finals The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and We ...
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 54, , 28, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 23, , 14, , 9, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...
, - style="background:#FDE910;"
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 63, , 19, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 17, , 15, , 2, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Won NBA Championship
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...
, - style="background:#FDE910;"
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 59, , 23, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 20, , 15, , 5, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Won NBA Championship
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is a ...
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 50, , 32, , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Central, , 15, , 7, , 8, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conference Finals Conference Finals may refer to:
* NBA Conference Finals, National Basketball Association
* NHL Conference Finals, National Hockey League
* KHL Conference Finals The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) Conference Finals are the Eastern Conference and We ...
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 48, , 34, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Central, , 5, , 2, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in first round
, -
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 43, , 39, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, , 5, , 2, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in first round
, -
, style="text-align:left;", New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delawa ...
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 45, , 37, , , , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Atlantic, , 4, , 1, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in first round
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Orlando
, style="text-align:left;",
, 82, , 41, , 41, , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , —
, style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs
, -
, style="text-align:left;", Orlando
, style="text-align:left;",
, 50, , 33, , 17, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic, , 4, , 1, , 3, ,
, style="text-align:center;", Lost in first round
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 1,075, , 638, , 437, , , , , , 126, , 75, , 51, , , ,
See also
*Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, presid ...
* List of FIBA AmeriCup winning head coaches
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daly, Chuck
1930 births
2009 deaths
American men's basketball coaches
American Olympic coaches
Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania
Basketball players from Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg Huskies men's basketball players
Boston College Eagles men's basketball coaches
Deaths from cancer in Florida
Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches
College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
Deaths from pancreatic cancer
Detroit Pistons head coaches
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball coaches
FIBA Hall of Fame inductees
High school basketball coaches in Pennsylvania
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
National Basketball Association broadcasters
National Basketball Association championship-winning head coaches
New Jersey Nets head coaches
Orlando Magic head coaches
Penn Quakers men's basketball coaches
People from Elk County, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches
St. Bonaventure Bonnies men's basketball players
United States men's national basketball team coaches
American men's basketball players