- Joe Mullaney
Joseph A. Mullaney (
November 17 1925 –March 8 2000 ) was a successful Americanbasketball player and coach.Biography
Mullaney was born at in
Long Island ,New York . After graduating fromChaminade High School in Mineola he playedcollege basketball at Holy Cross and withBob Cousy was on the team that won the 1947 NCAA Championship. He played briefly for theBoston Celtics of theNational Basketball Association .College coaching career
After college, Mullaney was with the
FBI before returning to basketball as coach atNorwich University inVermont .Mullaney became head basketball coach at
Providence College in 1955. He coached the Friars from that time until 1969. He returned to Providence as head coach in 1981 and remained there until 1985. Mullaney won 319 games in his 18 seasons at Providence, losing 164 for a career winning percentage there of .660. Mullaney won the 1961 and 1963National Invitation Tournament championships at Providence. Mullaney also took the Friars to the NIT four other times and into the NCAA tournament three times. His assistant and protégé at Providence,Dave Gavitt , went on to be a successful coach of the Friars in his own right, taking them to the 1973 Final Four and eventually providing the catalyst to the founding of theBig East Conference .Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers
Mullaney left Providence in 1969 to coach the
Los Angeles Lakers of theNational Basketball Association , succeeding Butch van Breda Kolff who took the Lakers to the NBA Finals that year, losing 4 games to 3 to theBoston Celtics .In the 1969-70 season the Lakers overcame several injury problems and finished 46-36, first in the Western Division.
Wilt Chamberlain was lost to injury early in the season andElgin Baylor was also lost to injury later; both returned in time for the playoffs. The Lakers were the NBA runner up that year. They defeated thePhoenix Suns in the division semifinals and Atlanta in the division finals. The Lakers lost a tight NBA Championship series 4 games to 3 to theNew York Knicks . [http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mullajo01c.html Joe Mullaney Coaching Record - Basketball-Reference.com ] ]In the 1970-71 season the Lakers finished 48-34, first in the new Pacific Division. The Lakers defeated the
Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinal but lost to theMilwaukee Bucks in the Western Conference Finals.ABA coaching years
In 1971 Mullaney became the fifth coach of the
Kentucky Colonels of theAmerican Basketball Association , succeeding Frank Ramsey in 1971. Mullaney coached the Colonels for two seasons beforeBabe McCarthy succeeded him for the 1973-74 season. [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Kentucky-Colonels.html Remember the ABA: Kentucky Colonels ] ]In the 1971-72 season the talent-laden Colonels finished with a remarkable record of 68-16, the best ever record in the history of the ABA, finishing first in the Eastern Division. Incredibly, the Colonels lost the 1972 Eastern Division Semifinals to the 44-40 New York Nets, 4 games to 2. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1972Playoffs.html Remember the ABA: 1971-72 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results ] ] Mullaney coached the East team to a 142-115 win in the ABA All Star game that season.
In the 1972-73 season the Colonels finished 56-28, good for second place in the Eastern Division. The Colonels beat the
Virginia Squires 4 games to 1 in the Eastern Division Semifinals, beat theCarolina Cougars 4 games to 3 in the Eastern Division Finals, and lost the American Basketball Association Championship 4 games to 3 to the Indiana Pacers. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1973Playoffs.html Remember the ABA: 1972-73 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results ] ]After the 1972-73 season Mullaney left the Colonels to coach the
Utah Stars . [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Utah-Stars.html Remember the ABA: Utah Stars ] ] Mullaney was replaced in Kentucky byBabe McCarthy . Oddly, McCarthy and Mullaney both were named co-ABA Coach of the Year for the 1974-75 season. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAStatistics/Awards.html Remember the ABA: Year-to-Year Postseason Awards ] ]In the 1973-74 season Mullaney coached the
Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association to a 51-33 record, finishing first in the Western Division. The Stars defeated theSan Diego Conquistadors 4 games to 2 in the 1974 Western Division Semifinals and theIndiana Pacers 4 games to 3 in the 1974 Western Division Finals but lost in the 1974 ABA Championship to theNew York Nets 4 games to 1. Mullaney coached the West team in the1974 ABA All-Star Game , losing to the McCarthy-coached East squad 128-112. Mullaney was replaced as coach of the Stars by Morris "Bucky" Buckwalter after that single season in Utah. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1974Playoffs.html Remember the ABA: 1973-74 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results ] ]During the 1974-75 season Mullaney coached the
Memphis Sounds of the American Basketball Association. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Memphis-Sounds.html Remember the ABA: Memphis Sounds ] ] The Sounds finished with a record of 27-57 and in fourth place in the Eastern Division. [http://www.remembertheaba.com/PlayoffPages/1975Playoffs.html Remember the ABA: 1974-75 Regular Season Standings and Playoff Results ] ] Their season was ended by Mullaney's old team, theKentucky Colonels , en route to the Colonels' 1975 ABA Championship. [http://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/mullajo01c.html [At the start of the 1975-1976 season Mullaney was the coach of the
Baltimore Claws but the team folded after a few preseason exhibition games and before the start of the regular season. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Baltimore-Claws.html Remember the ABA: Baltimore Claws ] ]In December 1975 Mullaney became coach of the
Spirits of St. Louis . Mullaney took the helm in St. Louis in midseason after the team opened with a record of 20 wins and 27 losses under coachRod Thorn . Mullaney was the final coach of the Spirits of St. Louis, as at the end of the 1975-1976 season the Spirits, along with the Kentucky Colonels, were the only two ABA teams that did not join the NBA in the ABA-NBA merger. [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Spirits-of-St-Louis.html Remember the ABA: Spirits of St. Louis ] ]Post ABA career
After the 1975-76 season Mullaney coached the
Buffalo Braves of theNational Basketball Association . Mullaney was brought on board by the Braves' new owner,John Y. Brown Jr. , who had previously had an ownership interest in Mullaney's old team, theKentucky Colonels . DespiteAdrian Dantley earning Rookie of the Year the Braves finished in fourth place at 30-52.Mullaney coached in
Italy and then forBrown University from 1978 through 1981 before returning toProvidence College to coach the program from 1981 to 1985.Mullaney died of
cancer inProvidence, Rhode Island onMarch 8 2000 , aged 74. He is buried inEast Greenwich, Rhode Island .References
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