Don Delaney (January 3, 1936 – February 16, 2011) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach, who served as head coach and general manager of the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

in the early 1980s.

Early life

Delaney was born on January 3, 1936, in

South Euclid, Ohio South Euclid is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner-ring suburb of Cleveland located on the city's east side. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,883. History The land currently comprising South Euclid was p ...

. He was a lifelong resident of

Willoughby, Ohio Willoughby is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along the Chagrin River. The population was 23,959 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropol ...

. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

Career

Delaney began his coaching career in 1960 at North High School in Eastlake, Ohio. In 1964 he moved to Kirtland High School in

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and the site of ...

. He then moved to the college ranks with Lakeland Community College. In 1974 he was named Greater Cleveland college coach of the year by ''

The Plain Dealer ''The Plain Dealer'' is the major newspaper of Cleveland, Ohio; it is a major national newspaper. In the fall of 2019, it ranked 23rd in U.S. newspaper circulation, a significant drop since March 2013, when its circulation ranked 17th daily an ...

'' after leading Lakeland to its third consecutive 20-win season. In 1977 he became head coach of Dyke College. He also coached a professional softball team owned by Ted Stepien, who also owned the Cleveland Cavaliers. On June 4, 1980, he was named general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although Delaney held the title of general manager, most personnel decisions were made by Stepien and player personnel director Bill Musselman. On March 13, 1981, he took over as interim head coach after Stepien removed Musselman. On March 29, 1981, owner Ted Stepien announced that Delaney would coach the team the following season. On December 3, 1981, Stepien removed Delaney as head coach, but retained him as general manager. Delaney compiled a 7–19 record over the 1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons. He served as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers during the 1983–84 season.

Later life

After leaving the Cavaliers, Delaney owned a bar in

Mentor, Ohio Mentor ( ) is the largest city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 47,450 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Mentor was first settled in 1797. In 1876, James A. Garfield purchased a home in ...

. He suffered a stroke in 2001 and was in poor health until his death on February 16, 2011, at the age of 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delaney, Don 1936 births 2011 deaths Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Cleveland Cavaliers executives NBA general managers Kent State University alumni High school basketball coaches in Ohio Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States People from Willoughby, Ohio Sportspeople from Lake County, Ohio