John Francis Dee, Jr. (September 12, 1923 – April 24, 1999) was head

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 ...

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

from 1953 to 1956 and the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

from

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

Alabama Crimson Tide

Dee had a coaching record of 68–25 in his time at Alabama. In 1956, the Crimson Tide stunned

Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. He is ranked seventh in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching at the Univ ...

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

with a 101–77 win with a team nicknamed the "Rocket 8".

Jerry Harper Jerry "Moose" Harper (August 4, 1934 – September 16, 2001) was an American basketball player best known for his collegiate career at the University of Alabama between 1952 and 1956. Harper, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, was and played the ...

was Dee's best player during his tenure at Alabama. The 1955–1956 team finished 21–3 overall and 14–0 in the SEC and attained the Tide's highest ranking ever at #4. However, due to all five starters having played as freshmen, they were all ruled as ineligible and the team was banned from participating in the

1956 NCAA basketball tournament The 1956 NCAA basketball tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA college basketball. It began on March 12, 1956, and ended with the championship game on March 24 on North ...

. The team would subsequently not become eligible for the NCAA tournament again until

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, when the NCAA began allowing two teams from each conference in the tournament

NIBL

Dee Coached the Denver-Chicago Truckers of the AAU

National Industrial Basketball League The National Industrial Basketball League was founded in 1947 to enable U.S. mill workers a chance to compete in basketball. The league was founded by the industrial teams (teams sponsored by the large companies and made up of their employees) be ...

from 1956–1961.

Notre Dame

During Dee's seven seasons at the helm of Notre Dame Basketball (1964–1971), he compiled a record of 116 wins and 80 losses. Dee led the Fighting Irish to four NCAA tournament appearances and one berth in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

. Dee culminated his coaching career at Notre Dame with four straight 20-win seasons, at the time the longest such streak in school history.

Personal

Dee was also an attorney who, following his career coaching at Notre Dame returned to his practice in Denver where he concentrated in Oil and Gas transactions.

References

1923 births 1999 deaths Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball coaches American men's basketball coaches Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Players of American football from Des Moines, Iowa Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball coaches Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players Sportspeople from Des Moines, Iowa American men's basketball players Basketball players from Des Moines, Iowa {{1920s-US-basketball-bio-stub