Frank Layden, larger than life Utah Jazz coach, passes away at 93

SALT LAKE CITY — Legendary Utah Jazz head coach Frank Layden has passed away at the age of 93.

Members close to the situation confirmed the news of Layden’s passing to KSL Sports. ABC4’s Wesley Ruff first reported the story on social media.

 

Layden spent seven and a half seasons as head coach of the Jazz between 1981 and 1989. The coach amassed 277 wins in 571 games, ranking third-most amongst wins by coaches in Jazz history.

Layden was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1984 and remains the only coach in Jazz history to earn that honor. He was named Executive of the Year in the same season.

Frank Layden before the Jazz

Born in Brookyln, New York on January 5, 1932, Layden began coaching at Seton Hall, Long Island High, where he led the team to a county championship.

The New York native was then hired by his alma mater, Niagara University, where he coached the team from 1968 to 1976.

Led by future Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy, Layden and the Purple Eagles snapped a streak of six consecutive losing seasons, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 1970.

In 1976, Layden made him jump to the NBA, leaving Niagara to join Hubie Brown’s staff with the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hawks qualified for back-to-back playoff appearances in 1978 and 1979 with Layden on the bench before he was hired by the New Orleans Jazz to serve as the team’s general manager.

Layden joins the Jazz

After firing head coach Tom Nissalke midway through the 1981-82 season, Jazz owner Sam Battistone asked Layden to take over the role, while still running the team’s front office.

The Jazz went 17-45 under Layden in his first campaign, but saw a 13-win increase in his first full year on the bench.

In Layden’s second season as the team’s coach, he led the Jazz to their first-ever playoff appearances, winning the Midwest Division with a record of 45-37.

Over the coach’s six full seasons in Utah, the Jazz only failed to qualify for the postseason once and won three opening-round playoff series.

Related: Thurl Bailey and Frank Layden Remember First Jazz Playoff Run

Just 17 games into the 1988-89 season, Layden stepped away from coaching, handing the reins to future Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan, while staying on as the team’s president and general manager.

Under his watchful eye, the Jazz hit on several key draft picks, including Rookie of the Year Darrell Griffith in 1980, Mark Eaton in 1982, Thurl Bailey in 1983, John Stockton in 1984, and Karl Malone in 1985.

The team retired the No. 1 in 1989 in honor of Layden’s run as head coach.

In 1998 and 1999, Layden was the head coach of the Utah Starzz in the WNBA.

Layden’s personal life

Throughout the 1980s, Layden was one of the most beloved figures in the NBA.

The coach’s quick wit, sideline antics, and entertaining approach to the profession led him to star alongside Marv Albert in NBA specials “Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers” and its sequel, “The All-New Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers.”

Layden married his wife Barbara in 1957, and the couple remained in Utah after his coaching career.

Son Scott Layden worked as an assistant coach and in the front office for the Jazz before being named general manager of the New York Knicks.

Frank Layden is a member of the Utah Boys & Girls Club Hall of Fame, the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, the Niagara Falls Sports Hall of Fame, the Utah Sports Hall of Fame, and the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.

Layden was named the 2019 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award winner.

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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops, on Instagram @BensHoops, or on BlueSky.