Mayor Jim Kenney honored Philadelphia basketball legend, Fran Dunphy, at City Hall Monday, May 13th. Dunphy got his childhood start in Grays Ferry and later moved to Southwest Philadelphia. He was joined by City Representative Sheila Hess, Dunphy’s colleagues and family including his brother Dennis Dunphy and new Temple University basketball coach Aaron McKie. The recognition event was a celebration of the former Penn and Temple coach’s career accomplishments. Mayor Kenney praised Dunphy whose teams at Penn and Temple universities have made the NCAA Tournament 16 times, from 1993 through 2018. Dunphy started at Penn in 1989 and later replaced John Chaney at Temple in 2006. He has won 580 games, the highest ever in the Big 5, over 30 years and is one of the most popular coaches in modern-college history. The civic-minded Dunphy, who attended Malvern Prep and La Salle University, is a Philadelphia treasure. His stellar coaching career began at United States Military Academy at West Point in 1971. He also coached at his alma mater, Malvern Prep, before re-joining the college ranks on La Salle University’s coaching staff in 1979. Later, he landed an assistant coaching position at the University of Maryland. In 17 seasons at Penn, he won 310 games, an unprecedented 48 straight Ivy League games, and four league titles, from 1992 through 1996. He captured 10 Ivy League titles. In 13 seasons at Temple, Dunphy secured five conference titles and eight NCAA Tournament bids. His teams produced several NBA players including Matt Maloney and Lavoy Allen. This year, he was named as the recipient of the Gene Bartow Award and the John Wanamaker Athletic Awards — two prestigious annual sports and community -achievement honors. This month (May), he was recognized by Philadelphia City Council and also received a Temple University honorary degree.

 

FRANTASTIC FACTS …A STELLAR CAREER….By the Numbers

On the Court…

  • Fran Dunphy was one of 25 active coaches with 500 or more wins and is just the fifth coach to win 200 games at two different schools.
  • His 580-325 career record spanning 30 years includes 18 20-win seasons, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 conference championships, eight Big 5 titles and one NIT trip.
  • As one of the nation’s most respected coaches, Dunphy coached eight Conference Players of the Year, three Conference Rookies of the Year, five perfect Conference seasons and 56 All-Conference honorees.
  • The 1970 La Salle graduate is the most successful coach record-wise in Philadelphia Big 5 history.
  • The Philadelphia native began his college experience as a player at La Salle in 1967 and  later served as an assistant coach at his alma mater. His coaching career began at West Point in 1971. He would go on to coach at his alma mater, Malvern Prep, before joining the La Salle coaching staff in 1979.
  • Dunphy spent five seasons as an assistant at the University of Maryland before embarking on a second stint at La Salle. After three seasons with the Explorers, he became an assistant at Penn. One year later, he was named as the Penn Quakers head coach.
  • He spent 17 seasons at Penn, winning 310 games, an unprecedented 48 straight Ivy League games and four league titles, from 1992 through 1996.  He won 10 Ivy League titles.
  • In his 13 seasons at Temple, Dunphy won five conference titles and led the Owls to eight NCAA Tournament appearances. His teams were 270-162, and captured 10 post-season tournaments. In his final (2018-2019) season, Temple was 23-10.

OFF OF THE COURT…

  • Dunphy was the recipient of the 2019 Gene Bartow Award, which recognizes outstanding basketball and community achievements.
  • Dunphy also will receive the John Wanamaker Athletic Award on June 11 for his community and sports contributions during 2019.
  •  Fran is civic-minded and devotes his time to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Philadelphia’s Board of Directors, and his Penn and Temple teams have participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program each year.
  • Dunphy and his wife are part of Coaches vs. Cancer, an initiative with the National Association of Basketball Coaches, that has helped raise $6.3 million for cancer research and patient programs for the American Cancer Society.
  • He also is a member of the Philadelphia Catholic Youth Organization (C.Y.O.) Hall of Fame.

Photos from the event can be found here.