Jack Leaman (December 22, 1932 – March 6, 2004) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach, best known as the head coach of the

UMass Minutemen basketball The UMass Minutemen basketball team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. They play their home games in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. The Minutemen cur ...

team from 1966 to 1979. He would become the school's all-time winningest coach, compiling an overall record of 217–126. His teams won 8

Yankee Conference The Yankee Conference was a collegiate sports conference in the eastern United States. From 1947 to 1976, it sponsored competition in many sports, but was a American football, football-only league from mid-1976 until its dissolution in 1996. It is ...

titles and earned 6 trips to the National Invitational Tournament. A 2-time New England Coach of the Year, he was inducted into the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977, the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988, and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. Some of the players he coached during his tenure include

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

Rick Pitino Richard Andrew Pitino (born September 18, 1952) is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona College. He was also the head coach of Greece's senior national team. He has been the head coach of several teams in NCAA ...

, and Al Skinner. In all, he coached 22 All-Yankee Conference selections during his coaching career. Leaman also served as a radio color commentator for UMass men's basketball for 10 seasons beginning in 1994, and served as head coach for the

UMass Minutewomen basketball The Massachusetts Minutewomen basketball team, also known as the UMass Minutewomen, represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I women's college basketball. They play their home games in the Will ...

team for the 1986–87 season. The basketball court at the

Mullins Center The William D. Mullins Memorial Center, also known as the Mullins Center, is a 9,493-seat multi-purpose arena (10,500 for 360 concerts), located on the campus of the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Mullins Center is th ...

is named in his honor. Born in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in 1932, Leaman graduated from

Cambridge Rindge and Latin School The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, also known as CRLS or "Rindge," is a public high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. It is a part of the Cambridge Public School District. In 1977, two separate schools, the Rindge Technical ...

in 1951. After 2 years in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

, and after receiving an honorable discharge, Leaman earned both a bachelor's and master's degree from

. He led the BU basketball team in both scoring and assists during his 3-year playing career. As senior captain in 1959, he led the Terriers to an overall record of 20–7, culminating with a trip to the NCAA East Regional Final. His number 10 was retired by Boston University in 2008. Leaman was appointed UMass assistant basketball coach in 1961 under head coach Matthew Zunic, who had coached him as a player at BU. Leaman continued as an assistant under Johnny Orr until he was promoted to head coach for the 1966-67 season.

Head coaching record

Men's basketball

Women's basketball

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leaman, Jack 1932 births 2004 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Massachusetts Basketball players from Boston Boston University Terriers men's basketball players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Sportspeople from Boston UMass Minutemen basketball coaches UMass Minutewomen basketball coaches Guards (basketball)