Francis Patrick Layden (born January 5, 1932, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

) is an American former

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 and executive of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

as well as former head coach of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. The league comprises 13 teams (scheduled to expand to 15 in 2026). The WNBA is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan. The WNBA w ...

's Utah Starzz.

College career

Layden attended Niagara from 1950 to 1953.

Coaching career

In addition to his coaching at the professional level, Layden coached at Seton Hall High School and at Adelphi Suffolk College.

Niagara (1968–1976)

Layden coached at his alma mater,

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in the census-designated place Niagara University, New York, in the town of Lewiston near Niagara Falls. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and ...

, from 1968 to 1976. Layden coached Niagara to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1970, with the help of Calvin Murphy.

Atlanta Hawks (1976–1979)

In 1976, Layden was hired to be an assistant coach with the NBA's

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

joining former Niagara teammate

Hubie Brown Hubert Jude Brown (born September 25, 1933) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and analyst. Brown is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, the honors separated by 26 years. Brown was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Bas ...

Utah Jazz (1981–1988)

In 1979, Layden 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 Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

) 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 John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...

and

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

to the club. He retired from coaching during the 1988–1989 NBA season, with the team at an 11–6 record and leading the Midwest Division, citing "pressure" and a general burnout from coaching. moving into the team's front office and was replaced as coach by his assistant,

Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan (March 28, 1942 – May 22, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) before beginning a 30-year coaching career, 23 of which were spent ...

. "I had a guy come up to me and say 'hit me, hit me', I'm a lawyer'. I think America takes all sports too seriously" Layden said after resigning. "Sometimes in the NBA, you feel like a dog. You age seven years in one. The pressure in the NBA is intense. It's time to have my time." In his final game, Layden was ejected by referee Earl Strom after getting into a shouting match with

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

guard Darrell Walker. 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.) Layden joined the

Utah Eagles The Utah Eagles were a basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). They played their games in Taylorsville, Utah, and although they started play in the 2006-2007 season, they folded mid-season. 2006–2007 season The Utah Eag ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

in October 2006 as an honorary

assistant coach An athletic coach is a person coaching in sport, involved in the direction, instruction, and training of a sports team or athlete. History The original sense of the word ''Coach'' is that of a Coach (carriage), horse-drawn carriage, deriving ul ...

Utah Starzz (1998–1999)

Layden was the head coach of the Utah Starzz

team from 1998 through 1999 before quitting so he could "enjoy life." Layden would a few months later quit as team president of the Jazz for the very same reasons. Layden was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in the Basketball and Professional Sports Categories with the Class of 1990.

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

as the new head coach. During this time, Layden participated with

Marv Albert Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American former sportscaster. Honored for his work by the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he was also know ...

in a video published by ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

'' 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 The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

, where his son Scott Layden served as general manager for a time. He continues to live with his wife, Barbara, in

Coaching philosophy

Layden during his coaching days was known for his lighthearted approach to the game as well as to himself. Often he mocked his own weight and looks and was known for giving one-liners to the media before and after games such as "I don't jog because I want to be sick when I die" and "I once got on a scale to have my fortune read and it said 'come back again alone.'"''Prudential at the Half'' halftime of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Playoff between the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

and

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

, in a report by Bill Raftery presented by

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

. Layden was once over 300 pounds but slimmed down in the summer of 1986, losing over 85 pounds for health reasons. Even after he lost weight he still made himself the butt of jokes, especially about weight and food. He was once fined $1,000 during a game in 1986 for making a satirical wave goodbye and exit after getting ejected. Once in a road game against the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, there was a halftime contest where a young fan won a halftime shooting contest. Layden pulled the kid aside and jokingly asked him if he was interested in helping out the Jazz, who were down by 25 points at the time. Layden then tried sneaking him onto the court with four other Jazz players and got the fan on the court before the referees realized what was going on and stopped play. In a 1985 game against the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

, with the Jazz down by a sizable deficit, Layden left the game while it was still ongoing and returned to the team's hotel across from The Forum, visiting the sandwich shop to order a sandwich and chili. During the 1987 playoff series against the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

, Layden arrived to the arena in full

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer who performed in films and vaudeville on television, radio, and the stage. He is considered one of America's greatest comed ...

nose, glasses, and mustache getup and did a comedy bit with Warriors coach

George Karl George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, he became an assistant with the team before being appointed as a head coach ...

to try to make things more lighthearted after the previous game featured tension-filled moments and fighting among players. It was because of his personality that he was often used as a presenter for displaying the lighthearted moments in the NBA as well as in sports, hosting specials for video and on television, including two NBA blooper tapes that he co-hosted along with

Head coaching record

NBA

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Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

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References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Frank Layden (as NBA coach)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Layden, Frank 1932 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York City Fort Hamilton High School alumni NBA broadcasters New Orleans Jazz executives Niagara Purple Eagles athletic directors Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball coaches Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball players San Antonio Stars coaches Sports coaches from Brooklyn Utah Jazz executives Utah Jazz head coaches Utah Starzz coaches 20th-century American sportsmen