Daniel J. Lynch (1916–1981) was the former athletic director and basketball coach at St. Francis College. Lynch was also a noted public speaker, regularly addressing civic and sports groups. Lynch was often referred to as, ''The Smiling Irishman''.

Biography

Daniel Lynch graduated from St. Francis College in 1938. He played on the College's basketball team from 1934–1938 and was the team's Captain. Lynch then went on to become the basketball head coach at his Alma Mater from 1948–1969. In 1964 he was appointed as the Athletic Director of St. Francis College, a post he held for eleven years, until 1975. One of Lynch's sons, Daniel Lynch Jr., also attended St. Francis College and is a graduate of the 1970 class. Lynch was one of the original proponents of the

Three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

St. Francis College

Lynch holds the St. Francis College record for most wins by a coach. During his tenure the Terriers men's basketball program experienced their best seasons. The greatest of which, was the 1955–56 season. The Terriers compiled a 21–4 record, were ranked as high as 13th nationally and upset

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. Appro ...

to reach the NIT semi-finals before they were defeated. From 1948 to 1952 the Terriers participated in 4 National Catholic Invitational Tournaments (NCIT). The NCIT was a premier post-season tournament at that time. The Terriers went to the NCIT finals three consecutive times and won the Championship in 1951. Lynch's 1950–51 squad defeated the

Seattle University Redhawks Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of ...

93–79 in the Championship game. From 1953 to 1969, Lynch guided the Terriers to 3 NIT appearances and 3 Conference Regular Season Championships. Lynch coached many great players like Al Innis and Jim Luisi and during his tenure had 7 players drafted by the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball 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 in the United St ...

. Lynch was also a large supporter of the Terriers having their own basketball court. Prior to building the Generoso Pope Athletic Complex in 1971, the Terriers for 21 seasons did not have a home court of their own. They played at the 14th Regiment Armory, the

69th Regiment Armory __NOTOC__ The 69th Regiment Armory is a historic National Guard armory building located at 68 Lexington Avenue between East 25th and 26th Streets in the Rose Hill section of Manhattan, New York City. The building began construction in 1904 an ...

, and at times the Bishop Ford High School gymnasium.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Daniel St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers men's basketball coaches St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers men's basketball players St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers athletic directors 1916 births 1981 deaths