When Fran Dunphy’s successful college basketball career wrapped up 55 years ago, he had no idea where his life might take him next. The former guard played the sport his entire life and eventually played for La Salle from 1967-70. 

When Dunphy took off his shoes for the last time he decided to dip his toe into coaching in 1971. He traveled to West Point, New York, where he served as an assistant coach at the United States Military Academy before the opportunity to go back to his roots came knocking on his door.

The athletic director at Malvern Preparatory School, Dunphy’s high school alma mater, reached out to offer him the basketball head coaching position in 1977. Dunphy left Malvern Prep after three seasons to join his former teammate Lefty Ervin’s coaching staff at La Salle. 

Forty-six years later, and Dunphy never left the City of Brotherly Love. Instead, he became the Big 5’s winningest coach while at three different Philadelphia schools.

On Feb. 20, the current La Salle head coach announced he will retire following the 2024-25 season. While his coaching career comes to an end, Dunphy’s impact goes far beyond the hardwood. 

“He just happens to be a basketball coach,” said Colgate head coach Matt Langel, who played under Dunphy at Penn and coached with him at both Penn and Temple. “What he really is, is a guy who cares deeply about people and helping others. Basketball just happens to be the forum that has given him that opportunity.”

– Matt Langel, Head Coach at Colgate University

GETTING STARTED

Dunphy grew up like any other Philadelphia kid; ingrained into the city’s sports culture. He took interest in the Eagles, Phillies and the then-Philadelphia Warriors in the early 50’s. Eventually, he explored his passion for basketball in southwest Philadelphia while playing in the local Police Athletic League. 

But his most impressionable introduction to basketball was in games he didn’t play in.

Every winter, Philadelphia’s Division I basketball teams faced off at the University of Pennsylvania’s illustrious venue, The Palestra. Dunphy was there every year to watch Temple, Penn, St. Joseph’s, La Salle and Villanova play each other for bragging rights in the city.

“It was just awesome,” Dunphy said. “Then the games were all on Wednesday night, Friday night or Saturday night. You spent a number of days during the course of the winter at The Palestra watching games. It was just absolutely awesome. I still think it’s part of the fabric of Philadelphia sports.”

A couple decades later, Dunphy found himself coaching on the sidelines of the court he once watched the college stars of his day play on.

Penn hired Dunphy as an assistant coach in 1988 under then head coach Tom Schneider for a single season. In 1989, Schneider resigned to coach at Loyola, leaving a void open in the Quakers’ head coaching position. 

Despite wanting the job, Dunphy wasn’t sure if he was good enough to land it. 

“I had no idea if I could get the job or not. I just wanted it,” Dunphy said. “[I] told somebody that I did and I just outlasted other people. Some people dropped out. Some people got a better job. They finally came back to me, knowing that I wanted the job.”

Dunphy went from someone Penn reluctantly hired to the Quakers’ all-time leader in wins by racking up 310 victories in his 17 seasons at The Palestra, a record he holds to this day. He led the Quakers to 10 Ivy League titles and nine NCAA tournament appearances. 

The Big 5 legend’s reputation grew as he became increasingly known for expecting the most out of his players.

“He said it to me when he was recruiting me,” Langel said. “Then again when I graduated. ‘When you come here, I’m not going to be your best friend, I’m your coach. There’s going to be times when you don’t agree with me or what we’re doing, or you may not even like me and that’s okay.’

FOLLOWING A LEGEND

While Dunphy was creating his legacy at Penn, John Chaney was doing the same as Temple’s head coach. Chaney turned the Owls into the powerhouse of the Atlantic-10 Conference for three decades, pumping out stars like Mark Macon, Eddie Jones and Aaron Mckie.

Chaney won 516 games during his time on North Broad Street and took the Owls dancing 17 times. However, Temple had missed the NCAA Tournament four consecutive seasons by the time 2006 rolled around – leading to Chaney’s retirement.

Dunphy was tapped as the replacement, a daunting task for the Quakers’ coach. Temple’s remaining players were hesitant of a new leader coming in, but one thing was certain — they viewed Dunphy as a winner. It didn’t take long to realize that the two coaches weren’t very different and the Owls were quickly bought in.

“Both of them are extremely, extremely smart basketball minds,” said former Temple guard and current assistant coach Chris Clark. “They were more similar than they were different. I think their styles in terms of how they coached was different, but they were very similar. Both of them were very hard-nosed and tough. They got the best out of you.”

Despite coming to Temple with a winning record, the trend didn’t continue instantly. The Owls struggled in the 2006-07 season with just 12 wins, the least since the 1975-76 season. 

The lack of success ate at Dunphy, who felt the pressure of filling Chaney’s shoes.

“Nobody puts more pressure on you than you put on yourself to be successful,” Dunphy said. “Anybody else could go to work one day and make a mistake and nobody’s talking about it. If you make a mistake in the coaching profession, everybody knows about it and everybody’s got their opinions.”

– Fran Dunphy

Dunphy didn’t have to worry for much longer. He guided Temple to an A-10 championship in his second season which kickstarted six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

Winning became the standard during his time in North Philadelphia. Dunphy built a winning culture and it carried through each era. Players like Dionte Christmas, Mark Tyndale and Lavoy Allen passed the mantle to Ryan Brooks and Khalif Wyatt and the cycle continued.

“We already knew what the mission was,” Christmas said. “It wasn’t really a lot of celebration, it was like, ‘let’s get to it.’ That was the leaders that we had, that’s what made us a really good team. That’s why the guys under us, like Louis Guzman and then Ryan Brooks, you see how those guys led. They led the same way. It just kind of trickled down. We just said it was like the new beginning of a culture.”

Temple was a consistent participant in the big dance during Dunphy’s 13-year stint, only missing the cut five times. However, Temple won just two games and never advanced past the first weekend. Dunphy’s not one for regrets, but that’s the one thing he says he wishes could have gone differently.

“You hope that you have some success going to the tournament is one thing, winning is another,” Dunphy said. “We didn’t do that much once we got into the tournament, so I always have second thoughts about that. I wish we had been more successful in the regular season. I wish we had been more successful in the NCAA Tournament, but that’s what happened.”

LIFE COACH

Although his accomplishments on the court are lengthy, Dunphy’s biggest successes were the relationships he made off the court. 

“It’s not just a four year thing with coach,” said former Temple guard Shizz Alston Jr. “It’s for life. No matter what you know, what happens in your professional career, whether you can play basketball or not. He’s always gonna look out for you.”

Dunphy was known for being a man of few words who was hard on his players, but there was an unwavering support behind it. He forged bonds with players that traveled even after their playing days ended. Whether it was bringing players like Clark, Langel or Shawn Trice to his staff or encouraging Christmas to get his degree, the coach still kept tabs on whoever stepped on a court under his watch.

“He was always saying, [basketball is] just a tool to open up doors for you,” Christmas said. “He’s always preached that. That’s why he was so adamant about me getting my degree, because he knew at one point the basketball is going to stop bouncing and you have to have something to fall back on.”

Dunphy did everything he could for his players and his team wanted to return the favor. That was fully displayed when the Owls were matched up against No. 25 Central Florida in Dunphy’s final game at The Liacouras Center.

The team locked in when it mattered most with a chance to give their coach one final home win. Temple picked up a 67-62 win, which not only gave Dunphy a victory but virtually clinched a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“It was special, man,” Alston said. “Everything was for him. Every night, I would go out there and do what I had to do. I didn’t want to lose because I wanted him to go on the highest note, because that’s what he deserved.”

– Former Temple guard Shizz Alston Jr.

RETURN TO THE BIG 5

Dunphy retired from Temple’s coaching position in 2019 and spent the next two years completing side quests. He served as Temple’s interim athletic director, was on the NIT selection committee and picked up his grandson from school.

Getting back into coaching was the last thing he ever expected.

However, that thought was thrown out the window when his alma mater asked him to be their head coach in 2022. The answer would have been a simple no if it was any other school, but La Salle lured Dunphy out of retirement for three more seasons.

“It’s because it gave what it gave me,” Dunphy said. “I love the place. It was important to me to try to give back, to try to help the institution. The way they asked me to do it was through coaching basketball, so I wanted to put every effort into being as good as we could be.”

La Salle didn’t have the same amount of success that Temple or Penn saw, but Dunphy will continue to give back to the university. Although he’s retiring from coaching, he’ll still be around the La Salle community, transitioning into a special assistant for the president with a lifetime contract.

Basketball will always run through Dunphy’s veins, so people will still find him at a nearby court. He will spend his time watching high school, college and pro hoops, including Cristo Rey High School, where Christmas is an assistant coach.

Being out of the game now, the hope among his peers is that the Big 5’s all-time winningest coach gets all the praise he deserves. He earned respect from the people he interacted with and became a role model for many of the players that he coached.

In fact, it’s earned him a nickname: The G.O.A.T.

“He’s done it at three different schools in the Big 5,” Christmas said. “Who’s done that? He’s won championships at Penn. He’s won multiple championships at Temple. What else can you say, he’s The G.O.A.T. Every time I see him, I’m in awe like ‘I actually had a chance to play with this guy.’ I want everybody to give him his flowers while he’s still here, because he deserves it.”