Frank Layden
| Frank Layden | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 5, 1932 Brooklyn, New York |
| Occupation | NCAA collegiate and NBA coach and General Manager |
| Years active | 1956–1988 as coach, 1978–present as Utah Jazz team president and GM |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara |
| Children | 2 sons Scott and Mike, daughter Katie |
| Awards |
NBA J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award NBA Coach of the Year (1984) NBA Executive of the Year (1984) |
Frank Layden (born January 5, 1932)[1] is a retired American basketball coach and executive of the National Basketball Association's Utah Jazz.
Coaching career
In addition to his coaching at the professional level, Layden coached at Adelphi Suffolk College and
is also a former head coach and player of his alma mater Niagara University's basketball team. Layden coached Niagara to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1970, with the help of Calvin Murphy. In 1976 he was hired to be an assistant coach with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks joining former Niagara teammate Hubie Brown. In 1979 he was hired to be the General Manager of the then New Orleans Jazz, and became the head coach of the Jazz (now in Salt Lake City) in 1981, replacing Tom Nissalke. He coached the Jazz for the next seven and a half years. He was instrumental in drafting and signing franchise mainstays John Stockton and Karl Malone to the club. He retired from coaching during the 1988–1989 season, moving into the team's front office and was replaced as coach by his assistant, Jerry Sloan.
In 1984, Layden was awarded the NBA's Coach of the Year. That same season, he also won the NBA's Executive of the Year and the NBA's J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Awards. (He and Joe O'Toole are the only non-players in NBA history to win the award).
Head coaching record
| Legend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win-loss % | |
| Post season | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 1981–82 | 62 | 17 | 45 | .274 | 6th in Midwest | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Utah | 1982–83 | 82 | 30 | 52 | .366 | 5th in Midwest | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Utah | 1983–84 | 82 | 45 | 37 | .549 | 1st in Midwest | 11 | 5 | 6 | .455 | Lost in Conf. Semifinals |
| Utah | 1984–85 | 82 | 41 | 41 | .500 | 4th in Midwest | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 | Lost in Conf. Semifinals |
| Utah | 1985–86 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .573 | 4th in Midwest | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost in First round |
| Utah | 1986–87 | 82 | 44 | 38 | .537 | 2nd in Midwest | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost in First round |
| Utah | 1987–88 | 82 | 47 | 35 | .573 | 3rd in Midwest | 11 | 6 | 5 | .545 | Lost in Conf. Semifinals |
| Utah | 1988–89 | 17 | 11 | 6 | .780 | (resigned) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Career | 571 | 277 | 294 | .485 | 41 | 18 | 23 | .439 |
Retirement
Layden retired from coaching the Jazz in 1989 to serve full-time as the franchise team president and general manager, hiring former NBA player and then Jazz assistant Jerry Sloan as the new head coach. During this time, Layden participated with Marv Albert in a video published by Sports Illustrated called Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers, as well as a sequel to that a year later. Layden once served briefly as a consultant for the New York Knicks, where his son Scott Layden served as general manager for a time. He continues to live with his wife, Barbara, in Salt Lake City. Layden was the head coach of the Utah Starzz WNBA team from 1998 through 1999.