Jim Phelan
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Jim Phelan (born March 19, 1929 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) was a collegiate basketball coach. Jim was a 1951 graduate of La Salle University and played one season for the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA. He was famous for wearing a bow tie on the sidelines.
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[edit] Coaching career
Jim coached his entire career at Mount Saint Mary's University. He led the Mountaineers to the 1962 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship. When he retired in 2003, after coaching for 49 years, he amassed 830 wins in over 1,300 games in all divisions. He has the most coaching victories of any coach not in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
He got his 800th win in the NorthEast Conference Championship Game on March 1, 1999. He became just the 4th coach in NCAA history to get 800 career wins.On January 19, 1998, he became just the 2nd coach in NCAA history to coach in 1200 career games. Only Clarence Gaines (1,275 games) has coached in more games than he has.
[edit] Coaching Highlights
- 830 wins(4th most all time)
- 1321 games coached(most all time)
- 5 Final Fours
- 16 NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances
- 2 Championship games coached
- 1962 NCAA Division II Champions
- 1962 National Coach of the Year
In 2001, the Phelan fund was created as a tribute to Jim Phelan, by having his name in perpetuity associated with Mount Saint Mary's basketball program.
[edit] Prominent Players Coached
Jim is well known for some great players that he's coached. Some notable players he's coached include Fred Carter, Jack Sullivan, and Jon O'Reily.
[edit] Personal Information
Phelan and his wife, Dottie, reside near campus. They are the parents of five grown children: Jim, Lynne, Carol, Larry and Bobby. They have ten grandchildren: James, Kate and Mary Robinson; Jack, Conor and Maureen Marsh; and Kelsey, Erin, Molly and Lukas Phelan.
