Hall of Fame basketball coach John Chaney, a zone defense innovator who led Temple to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, died at the age of 89 on Friday.
Temple University men's basketball confirmed his death after a short illness.
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Many people from the sports world paid tribute to Chaney.
"John Chaney was a great coach, but he was so much more. For generations of Temple University students, he was a wise counselor, a dedicated teacher, an icon of success, and a passionate leader who always led by example and with conviction," Temple president Richard M. Englert said in a statement. "I am also honored to say he was a dear friend."
“Coach Chaney was like a father to me. He taught not just me, but all of his players more than just how to succeed in basketball,” Aaron McKie, former Temple star and current coach said. “He taught us life lessons to make us better inpiduals off the court. I owe so much to him. He made me the man I am today.”
Moreover, Kentucky coach John Calipari expressed his deep grief over the legendary coach’s death, despite their public disputes.
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“Coach Chaney and I fought every game we competed – as everyone knows, sometimes literally – but in the end he was my friend,” Calipari wrote on Twitter. “Throughout my career, we would talk about basketball and life. I will miss those talks and I will my friend. Rest in peace, Coach!”
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“The late John Chaney will always be remembered in Dayton for this story,” David Jablonski, writer for Dayton Daily News, said in a tweet, attached to an article from 2/28/2002 when Chaney called Dayton “the sticks” and the next time he was in town the student section was in flannel.
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On his part, 42nd President of the United States Bill Clinton took to Twitter, mourning the coach’s death.
“John Chaney was a brilliant man and a great coach,” Clinton tweeted. “He got the most out of his players because he believed in them as students, athletes, and inpiduals, and they knew he would always have their backs. RIP to a true legend.”
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Chaney won the Henry Iba Award, given to the Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association, back-to-back in 1987 and 1988.
"Many of my players came from environments where people said they couldn't do it," he told The Athletic in 2019. "I came from an era where it could end before being fulfilled. You have to move into a better place, in our minds and for our future. So many of them were able to change who they were.”
“ They ended up being what Temple's statement has always been. Young acres of diamonds, right from the neighborhood, being told they could have the same kind of opportunity as everyone else."
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