Lucio "Lou" Rossini (April 24, 1921 – October 21, 2005) 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. He compiled a 357–256 record in almost 20 years of coaching, most notably with

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 ...

(NYU). In Rossini's first year as head coach with

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 ...

, he guided them to a 21–1 record and an appearance in the 1951 NCAA basketball tournament. After Columbia, Rossini coached at NYU, leading them to three NCAA tournament appearances and four

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 ...

(NIT) bids in 13 seasons. Rossini last coached in the NCAA for St. Francis College in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, from 1975 to 1979, and had a 55–48 record. He also coached the Puerto Rican national team in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and the Qatar national team in the 1980s. Two of his best players at NYU were Happy Hairston and Barry Kramer, who starred on the 1963 and 1964 teams. Hairston and Kramer advanced to professional careers. He also coached Puerto Rico's national team at the

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 ...

and 1968 Olympics. Rossini died at his home in the Sewell section of

Mantua Township, New Jersey Mantua Township (pronounced man-CHEW-uh) is a township in Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 15,235, an increase of 18 (+0.1%) from the 2010 census count of 15, ...

, aged 84. The cause of death was

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

Head coaching record

References

1921 births 2005 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American people of Italian descent Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York City Columbia Lions men's basketball coaches Columbia Lions men's basketball players Deaths from dementia in New Jersey Deaths from Alzheimer's disease New York University faculty NYU Violets men's basketball coaches People from Mantua Township, New Jersey Sportspeople from the Bronx St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers men's basketball coaches St. John's Red Storm men's basketball players {{1920s-US-basketball-bio-stub

Head coaching record

See also

References