PHILADELPHIA (AP/ KYW Newsradio) — La Salle’s Fran Dunphy, who has won more than 600 games and made 17 NCAA Tournament appearances in 33 seasons as coach at three of Philadelphia’s Big 5 schools, said Thursday he would retire at the end of the season.
The 76-year-old Dunphy will become special assistant to the president at La Salle. He will be honored as part of the Explorers’ game against Duquesne on Feb. 26.
Dunphy is ingrained in the Philadelphia hoops scene like few others. He played basketball at Philly high schools and went to games at the Palestra as a kid. He was co-captain under Tom Gola at La Salle and earned a master’s degree at Villanova.
Known as “Mr. Big 5,” his 623 wins are most by a coach in the history of the association of Philly schools that have played for city bragging rights since 1955.
“I will forever be thankful to La Salle as well as all my fellow coaches and players that I’ve been fortunate to work with throughout my coaching career,” Dunphy said. “I am looking forward to finishing this season strong with our team, and as I embark on the next chapter of my life. I could not be happier to stay at La Salle and work with President Allen, (athletic director) Ash Puri and this great University that I call home.”
Dunphy’s first head coaching job was at Penn, where he won 310 games and 10 Ivy League titles and went to nine NCAA tournaments from 1989-2006. The Quakers won 48 straight Ivy League games from 1992-96, and his 1993-94 team went 25-3, was ranked as high as No. 24 and defeated Nebraska in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
He won 270 games and six regular-season or conference tournament championships and went to eight NCAA tournaments in 13 years at Temple.
He was out of coaching for three seasons before he returned to La Salle, his alma mater, in 2022. His first two teams had losing records, and this season the Explorers are 12-15 overall and 14th in the 15-team Atlantic 10 at 4-10.
Dunphy is a member of the Philadelphia Big 5, La Salle Athletics, Penn Athletics and Philadelphia Sports Writers Halls of Fame.
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“I don’t know that there’s another person that could coach three different Big 5 teams. I mean, they’re very, very different schools,” said La Salle play-by-play broadcaster Kale Beers.
He said the fact that Penn, Temple and La Salle all enlisted Dunphy’s services speaks to the coach’s character.
“Dunph is the real deal, man,” he said. “He’s just a good person that cares about others, that puts everybody else above himself, and has a genuine compassion for everyone around him. … I’m not exaggerating a bit when I say I wanna be more like him.”
Beers is not alone. Former Philadelphia Daily News college basketball writer Mike Kern said Dunphy’s players often replicated the coach’s identity.
“His teams always represented the program, the school, him, and themselves in the proper manner,” he said. “Anybody could go to Fran if they needed something, if they needed help — whatever. And he would figure out a way to help. And he didn’t want any spotlight for that.”
“Fran’s impact on the sport of college basketball and the Atlantic 10 is immeasurable, with over 600 wins, including nearly 200 at an A-10 school,” Atlantic 10 commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade added. “He is an ambassador for this sport, whose professionalism and leadership will be felt by student-athletes, coaches, and administrators for years to come.”