Chuck Daly

Chuck Daly

Charles Jerome "Chuck" Daly (July 20, 1930 - May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He is famous for coaching the Detroit Pistons for nine years, winning consecutive NBA championships in 1989 and 1990, and for coaching the gold medal-winning basketball Dream Team in the 1992 Summer Olympics. During his 14-year NBA career, Daly also coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on May 9, 1994.

The Detroit Pistons, a club that had never recorded back-to-back winning seasons, hired Chuck Daly in 1983. The Pistons got into the playoffs every year he was there and reached the NBA finals three years in a row, winning two consecutive championships, in 1989 and 1990. Daly, who retired from coaching the first time, after the 1993-94 season with the New Jersey Nets, coached a total of 14 NBA seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, New Jersey Nets and Orlando Magic. He compiled a 564-379 (.598) career record, 13th best among all coaches and ninth best by percentage. On the combined NBA/ABA victory list, Daly's 564 wins places him 17th all-time. His 74-48 playoff record, which includes back-to-back NBA championships ranks fourth best in NBA history by wins and eighth best by percentage (.607). He is the only Hall of Fame coach to win both an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal. In the strictest sense, Chuck Daly is a player's coach. His success at all levels of competition has been built around taking diverse personalities and creating a harmonious, successful team. Daly had started his coaching career at Punxsutawney High School, the home of the famous ground hog Phil, in Pennsylvania. He was a high school coach for seven years, then became an assistant at Duke University. He spent two years as head coach at Boston College, before going to the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. Daly guided Penn to four Ivy League championships and two second-place finishes in six years. He compiled a 151-62 record in eight college seasons, including four straight 20-win seasons at Penn. He died Saturday morning in Jupiter, Fla., with his family by his side, the Pistons said. The team announced in March the Hall of Fame coach was being treated for pancreatic cancer.

In 1978, Daly joined the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers as an assistant coach. During the 1981 season, he was hired as head coach by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but was fired before the season ended. He then returned to the 76ers as a broadcaster until he was hired in 83' by the Pistons. He gained worldwide notoriety as coach of the famed Olympic Dream Team, but long before Barcelona and the gold medal, Daly had established himself as one of the game's premier coaches. Daly was coach of the U. S. "Dream Team" that swept to an easy gold medal at the 1992 Olympics. He had resigned from the Detroit job and was hired by the NBA's New Jersey Nets that fall. After two seasons with the Nets, Daly retired. However, he returned to coaching in 1997 with the Orlando Magic. Daly spent two more seasons in Orlando before retiring permanently at the end of the 1998-99 season.

Daly died of pancreatic cancer on May 9, 2009. He had been diagnosed with the disease the previous March.

Honors

Coached back to back NBA championship teams One of only 7 coaches to win back-to-back NBA championships. Elected to the NBA Hall of Fame Coached a total of 14 NBA seasons Pistons registered five 50-plus win seasons Won three Central Division titles Winning record is 13th best among all coaches and ninth best by percentage Playoff record is fourth best in NBA history by wins and eighth best by percentage 14 year NBA coaching career Coached U.S. to Olympic gold medal (1992) with the first "Dream Team" Only Hall of Fame coach to win both an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal Compiled a 151-62 record in eight college seasons Guided Penn to four Ivy League championships Four straight 20-win seasons at Penn

Coaching record

Year	Team	Season Record	Playoff record
1981–82	Cleveland	9–32	None
1983–84	Detroit	49-33	2–3
1984–85	Detroit	46-36	5-4
1985–86	Detroit	46-36	1–3
1986–87	Detroit	52-30	10-5
1987–88	Detroit	54-28	14-9
1988–89	Detroit	63-19	15–2*
1989–90	Detroit	59-23	15–5*
1990–91	Detroit	50-32	7–8
1991–92	Detroit	48-34	2–3
1992–93	New Jersey	43-39	2–3
1993–94	New Jersey	45-37	1–3
1997–98	Orlando	41–41	None
1998–99	Orlando	33-17	1–3
Total	14 seasons	638-437	76-51

(* Won NBA championship.)

External links

• Detroit Pistons History: 1983–1986
• Chuck Daly Chat Transcript

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