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Jim Lynam

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Jim Lynam
Personal information
Born (1941-09-15) September 15, 1941 (age 83)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolWest Catholic (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
CollegeSaint Joseph’s (1960–1963)
Career history
As coach:
1968–1970Fairfield University
1973–1978American University
1978–1981Saint Joseph’s University
1981–1984Portland Trail Blazers (assistant)
1983–1985San Diego Clippers
1985–1988Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
1988–1992Philadelphia 76ers
1994–1997Washington Bullets
1998–2000New Jersey Nets (assistant)
2001–2005Portland Trail Blazers (assistant)
2005–2010Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:
  • 2× East Regional All-Tournament Selection
  • Big 5 MVP (1963)

James Francis Lynam (born September 15, 1941) is an American former college and professional basketball coach. He coached at the college level for Fairfield University from 1968 to 1970, American University from 1973 to 1978, and St. Joseph's University from 1978 to 1981. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), Lynam coached the San Diego Clippers/Los Angeles Clippers from 1983 to 1985, the Philadelphia 76ers from 1987 to 1992, and the Washington Bullets from 1995 to 97. Lynam compiled a 158–118 record at the college level, and 328–392 in the NBA. He was also Philadelphia's general manager from 1992 to 1994.

Playing Career

After graduating from West Catholic High School, he went to Saint Joseph’s University. With the Hawks, he was a three-year starter. In 1961, Lynam was a key player on a Hawks team that advanced to the 1961 Final Four. The Hawks defeated Utah in a four-overtime game for third place. Lynam won the team MVP award after Jack Egan was expelled for his participation in the 1961 point shaving scandal.[1]

Lynam played with the Hawks until 1963. That year, he was named the MVP of the Big 5 in his senior year.[2]

Coaching Career

He began his coaching career with the Fairfield Stags in 1968 where he coached two years. In 1973, he took the reins at American University in 1973, where he coached for five years. He coached the Eagles to one finals appearance in the East Coast Conference tournament.

In 1978, he returned to his alma mater. He coached St. Joseph's to an upset victory over #1 ranked DePaul by a score of 49–48 in the second round of the 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. In their opening game his 9th seeded Hawks topped #8th seed Creighton 59-57. They would win their third tournament game over #5 seed Boston College 42-41 before falling to the National Champion, Indiana at a game on their home floor in Bloomington. Had they won that game Lynam's Hawks would have been in the Final Four at The Spectrum in their home town of Philadelphia.

Lynam has also served as an assistant coach for several teams, most notably the Sixers and the Portland Trail Blazers, the latter for head coach Maurice Cheeks. When Cheeks was hired as Philadelphia's coach for the 2005–06 season, Lynam was named an assistant. During the preseason, however, he was forced to leave the team due to an undisclosed medical condition. In January, 2006, Lynam retired from coaching. However, on September 29, 2006 it was announced that Lynam, along with NBA hall of famer Moses Malone would be rejoining the 76ers as an assistant coach.[3] In July 2010, The Oregonian reported that Lynam was among candidates for an assistant coaching job in Portland.[4]

On January 24, 2011, the Minnesota Timberwolves announced that Lynam would be joining the club as a part-time basketball operations consultant, evaluating pro personnel on the Wolves roster and throughout the NBA.[5]

Starting in the 2011–12 season, Lynam serves as a pre-game and post-game analyst for the Philadelphia 76ers on NBC Sports Philadelphia.[6]

Personal

Lynam's daughter, Dei, is a former anchor/reporter for NBC Sports Philadelphia for the Sixers. She once served as a sideline reporter for 76ers telecasts. Now she helps call the 76ers G-League team, the Delaware Blue Coats games. He is also a grandfather to eight grandchildren. Lynam is known for his distinct Philadelphia accent.[7]

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Fairfield (Independent) (1968–1970)
1968–69 Fairfield 10–16
1969–70 Fairfield 13–13 –
Fairfield: 23–29 –
American (East Coast Conference) (1973–1978)
1973–74 American 16–10 –
1974–75 American 16–10 –
1975–76 American 9–16 –
1976–77 American 13–13 –
1977–78 American 16–12 –
American: 70–61 –
Saint Joseph's (East Coast Conference) (1978–1981)
1978–79 Saint Joseph's 19–11 11–3 2nd NIT First Round
1979–80 Saint Joseph's 21–9 10–1 1st NIT First Round
1980–81 Saint Joseph's 25–8 9–2 T–2nd NCAA Elite Eight
Saint Joseph's: 65–28 30–6
Total: 158–118

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

NBA

Legend
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
SDC 1983–84 82 30 52 .366 6th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
LAC 1984–85 61 22 39 .361 (fired) — — — — —
PHI 1987–88 39 16 23 .410 4th in Atlantic — — — — Missed Playoffs
PHI 1988–89 82 46 36 .561 2nd in Atlantic 3 0 3 .000 Lost in First Round
PHI 1989–90 82 53 29 .646 1st in Atlantic 10 4 6 .400 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
PHI 1990–91 82 44 38 .537 2nd in Atlantic 8 4 4 .500 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
PHI 1991–92 82 35 47 .427 5th in Atlantic — — — — Missed Playoffs
WSH 1994–95 82 21 61 .256 7th in Atlantic — — — — Missed Playoffs
WSH 1995–96 82 39 43 .476 4th in Atlantic — — — — Missed Playoffs
WSH 1996–97 46 22 24 .478 (fired) — — — — —
Career 720 328 392 .456 21 8 13 .381

References

  1. ^ "A Forgotten Classic and the Complicated Legacy of the 1961 St. Joe's Hawks". Vice News. 2016-04-04.
  2. ^ "Jim Lynam Biography". Saint Joseph’s University. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ [3]
  6. ^ [4]
  7. ^ [5]
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