Jack McKinney (basketball)
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Kansas City Kings | July 13, 1935
Career highlights and awards | |
As assistant coach: | |
Career coaching record | |
NBA | 136–215 (.387) |
College | 163–83 (.663) |
John Paul McKinney (July 13, 1935 – September 25, 2018)
Early life
John Paul McKinney was born on July 13, 1935, in Chester, Pennsylvania, to Paul McKinney, a police detective, and Jen McMahon, a homemaker.[2] He attended St. James High in Chester, where he played basketball under coach Jack Ramsay. He graduated in 1953.[3][4]
College career
McKinney went to college at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He played three seasons for the Hawks, who were also coached by Dr. Jack Ramsay, and led the team to the Big 5's inaugural title and the school's first ever postseason in the 1956 National Invitation Tournament (NIT).[3] He was also a member of their track and field team.[4]
Coaching career
St. James High School (1959–1960)
McKinney coached one season at St. James in 1959–60, leading them to a 17–11 record.[3]
Saint Joseph's High School (1960–1965)
McKinney coached five years at his alma mater St. Joseph's as an assistant under Ramsay.
Philadelphia Textile (1965–1966)
McKinney was the head coach at
Saint Joseph's (1966–1974)
McKinney returned to St. Joe's in 1966, replacing the departed Ramsay as head coach.
Milwaukee Bucks (1974–1976)
McKinney was an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 1974 to 1976.
Portland Trail Blazers (1976–1979)
McKinney was an assistant coach with the
Los Angeles Lakers (1979)
McKinney received his first NBA head coaching job in
On November 8, 1979, the Lakers were 9–4 after 13 games, when McKinney suffered a near fatal head injury after falling while bicycling.[2] Assistant coach Paul Westhead, who also worked under McKinney at St. Joseph's, was named the interim head coach.[12] However, the length of the recovery and lingering doubts about the complete return of McKinney's mental faculties, combined with the team's level of success under Westhead, ultimately meant that McKinney would never get the chance to return to the job. Westhead continued to use McKinney's offense, a creative and spontaneous offense that came to be known as Showtime,[12][13][14] and the team finished the season with a record of 60–22.[2] The Lakers advanced to that year's NBA Finals, when McKinney was fired mid-series on May 13, 1980.[15][16] The Lakers won the series for their first of five NBA titles in nine seasons, and hired Westhead to permanently replace McKinney.[17]
Pat Riley, who replaced Westhead as Lakers coach, won four titles with the team and became the coach most synonymous with the Showtime Lakers.[2][18] However, Norm Nixon credited McKinney with creating Showtime. "That should never be forgotten," said Nixon.[19] According to Riley, McKinney "might have won five or six titles for the Lakers in the '80s" were it not for his accident.[2] McKinney was deferential. "I just put in some ideas that were accepted, and the rest was up to Paul and Pat and some great players," he said.[2]
Indiana Pacers (1980–1984)
McKinney joined the
Kansas City Kings (1984)
McKinney was soon hired as the head coach of the Kansas City Kings, but resigned from the position on November 18, 1984, after the team started with a 1–8 record in the
Post-playing career
After he left coaching, McKinney relocated back to his native Pennsylvania with his family. He worked as a sales representative for a major sporting goods company, while also filling in at times as a color analyst for the Philadelphia 76ers broadcasts. He said he got offers to come back to coaching, but never took any of them. Eventually, he and his wife would retire to Florida.
In 2005, McKinney co-authored a book about his experiences at Saint Joseph's, and donated 10 percent of its proceeds to the school.[3]
Personal life
McKinney died on September 25, 2018, at a hospice in Bonita Springs, Florida, at the age of 83.[2]
McKinney was portrayed by Tracy Letts in the HBO documentary series Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.
Head coaching record
College
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Philadelphia Textile Rams () (1965–1966)
| |||||||||
1965–66 | Philadelphia Textile | 21–6 | NCAA College Division Second Round | ||||||
Philadelphia Textile: | 21–6 | ||||||||
Saint Joseph's Hawks (Middle Atlantic Conference) (1966–1974) | |||||||||
1966–67 | Saint Joseph's | 16–10 | 4–1 | ||||||
1967–68 | Saint Joseph's | 17–9 | 3–2 | ||||||
1968–69 | Saint Joseph's | 17–11 | 3–2 | NCAA University Division First Round | |||||
1969–70 | Saint Joseph's | 13–12 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
1970–71 | Saint Joseph's | 19–9 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA University Division First Round | ||||
1971–72 | Saint Joseph's | 16–9 | 5–1 | 2nd | |||||
1972–73 | Saint Joseph's | 22–6 | 6–0 | 1st | NCAA University Division First Round | ||||
1973–74 | Saint Joseph's | 19–11 | 5–1 | T–1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
Saint Joseph's: | 142–77 | 37–7 | |||||||
Total: | 163–83 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
NBA
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Los Angeles | 1979–80 | 14 | 10 | 4 | .714 | 1st in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Replaced by Paul Westhead |
Indiana | 1980–81 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 3rd in Central | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost in first round |
Indiana | 1981–82 | 82 | 35 | 47 | .427 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Indiana | 1982–83 | 82 | 20 | 62 | .244 | 6th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Indiana | 1983–84 | 82 | 26 | 56 | .317 | 6th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Kansas City | 1984–85 | 9 | 1 | 8 | .111 | (resigned) | — | — | — | — | — |
Career | 351 | 136 | 215 | .387 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 |
Publications
- Jack McKinney with Robert Gordon, Jack McKinney's Tales from the Saint Joseph's Hardwood: The Hawk will Never Die, Sports Publishing (2005) ISBN 1-58261-929-8
References
- ^ A Biographical Directory of Professional Basketball Coaches
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Sandomir, Richard (September 26, 2018). "Jack McKinney, N.B.A. Coach Trailed by a 'What if?' Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Toohey, Terry (September 26, 2018). "St. James and Saint Joseph's great Jack McKinney dead at 83". The Delaware County Daily Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9781613218532. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
Jack graduated from St. James High School in 1953 and had played under Ramsey.
- ISBN 9781582619293. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ Spiewak, Pete (January 18, 2010). "GAME DAY FEATURE: Jack McKinney". SJU Athletic Communications. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^
- ^ Medina, Mark (August 13, 2010). "Lakers owner Jerry Buss sets the standard for winning". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013.
- ISBN 0-02-029591-X.
- ^ Helin, Kurt (March 5, 2014). "The Extra Pass: Talking "Showtime" Lakers with author Jeff Pearlman". Pro Basketball Talk. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ISBN 9780471469292. Retrieved September 29, 2018.
- ^ a b c Elderkin, Phil (April 8, 1980). "The no-name who's making his name with the Lakers". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ Markazi, Arash (July 28, 2008). "Methods to the madness". SI.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ Ostler, Springer 1988, pp. 110–11, 144–5.
- ^ Galluzo, Steve (February 12, 2011). "Jack McKinney". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ Elliot, Helene (February 9, 2012). "Jack McKinney's bike ride changed Lakers' history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
- ^ Feldman, Dan (September 26, 2018). "Former Lakers, Pacers coach Jack McKinney dies at age 83". Pro Basketball Talk. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ^ a b c "The Los Angeles Lakers' 80s Dynasty: Excerpt From Jeff Pearlman's Showtime". Parade. March 8, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
- ISBN 9781617499067.
- ^ Mike Littwin (14 January 1985). "THE RISE & FALL OF JACK MC KINNEY : Since That Terrible Day in 1979 When He Took a Spill on His Bicycle, Life Has Turned into a Roller Coaster of Highs and Lows for the Ex-Laker, Ex-Pacer, Ex-King Coach and Current-King Scout". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
- ^ Juliano, Joe (September 26, 2018). "Jack McKinney remembered as a gentleman and 'a terrific basketball coach'". philly.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
External links
- NBA stats at Basketball-Reference.com
- College coaching stats at Sports-Reference.com
- College playing stats at Sports-Reference.com