John Patrick "Jack" Rohan (August 25, 1931 – August 9, 2004) was an American college

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 ...

player and coach. The

Bellerose, Queens Bellerose is a middle class neighborhood on the eastern edge of the New York City borough of Queens, along the border of Queens and Nassau County, Long Island. It is adjacent to Bellerose Village and Bellerose Terrace in Nassau County, from wh ...

native was men's head basketball coach at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

between 1962 and 1974, and returned in 1991 to coach until 1995. He is the most successful coach in Columbia basketball history. Rohan was also a full professor and chairman of the department of physical education. Rohan attended Columbia from 1949 to 1953, and was a member of the famous 1950/51 team under coach

Lou Rossini Lucio "Lou" Rossini (April 24, 1921 – October 21, 2005) was an American college basketball coach. He compiled a 357–256 record in almost 20 years of coaching, most notably with New York University (NYU). In Rossini's first year as head coach ...

that went undefeated through its regular season, winning all 22 of its games and capturing the Ivy League title with a 12–0 mark. Rohan earned a bachelor's degree in history from Columbia in 1953 and a master's from

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties and ...

, in 1957. From 1955 through 1958, he served variously as the varsity golf and freshman basketball coach at Columbia and the freshman basketball coach at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. In 1962 he became head coach at Columbia. Rohan was selected national Coach of the Year for the 1967–68 season after leading Columbia to the Ivy League championship. That team, one of the best in Columbia history, compiled a 23–5 record and finished the season ranked sixth in the nation. It was led by

Jim McMillian James M. McMillian (March 11, 1948 – May 16, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball at Columbia University. He led Columbia to a three ...

and

Dave Newmark David L. "Dave" Newmark (born September 11, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Newmark is Jewish, and graduated from Lincoln High School in New York City. He was a high school All-A ...

, both of whom played professional basketball, and Heyward Dotson, an NBA and ABA draftee. Rohan announced on February 18, 1974 his resignation as coach at season's end to become the tenured chair of the university's

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...

department. He was succeeded by

Tom Penders Thomas Vincent Penders (born May 23, 1945) is an American retired college basketball coach, who last coached from 2004 through 2010 at the University of Houston. He is from Stratford, Connecticut and has a 649–437 career record. As a college ath ...

two months later on April 18. He became the school's golf coach in 1976, but remained active in basketball as a much-sought-after basketball camp lecturer and clinician, broadcaster, and writer. In 1990 Rohan agreed to once again become head coach of the Lions. He coached for five years, leading the team to a 43–87 record, including a 16–10 record and second-place finish in the Ivy League in 1992–93. When he left the head coach's position, shortly after the conclusion of the 1995 season, he had compiled an overall record of 198–247. His games coached (445) and his victories both stand as Columbia career records. Rohan died on August 9, 2004, aged 72, in a nursing home in

South Yarmouth, Massachusetts South Yarmouth is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,092 at the 2010 census, the most of the three CDPs in Yarmouth. It i ...

, of complications from

Guillain–Barré syndrome Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. Typically, both sides of the body are involved, and the initial symptoms are changes in sensation or pain often ...

. He had been stricken with the disease since July 2003. Litsky, Frank
"Jack Rohan, Former Coach of Columbia Basketball, Dies at 72"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', September 11, 2004. Accessed February 3, 2020. "John Patrick Rohan was born Aug. 25, 1931, in the Floral Park section of Queens, and was raised in Bellerose."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rohan, Jack 1931 births 2004 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York City Columbia Lions men's basketball coaches Columbia Lions men's basketball players Sportspeople from Queens, New York Teachers College, Columbia University alumni