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Heartbroken Dan Hurley Struggles to Utter a Word About His Deceased Brother

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt De Lima | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 2:35 PM ET

Among the accolades and national championships, UConn men's college basketball head coach Dan Hurley has endured hardship in his life, particularly at a young age.

Having rarely opened up about a death in his family--an old wound--Hurley discussed the difficulties and took a moment to remember his young brother, who passed away when the coach was just five years old, during an interview with Esquire.

"Holy (expletive). It’s crazy that it’s taking me this long, huh? When your whole life is this,” Hurley said as he gestured to his office surroundings filled with trophies and awards.

“The death of my—we had a younger brother, who was born after me and before my youngest sister, Melissa. Sean, who died very young. The third Hurley brother, who didn’t make it. I was little. But I remember. Probably five years old, I mighta been.”

When asked about the worst thing that happened to him that had nothing to do with basketball, Hurley took that moment to reflect on his brother.

The 52-year-old coach was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. Hall of Fame high school coach Bob Hurley Sr. and Christine Hurley are his parents.

He also has two siblings, Bobby and Melissa. Bobby Hurley is widely known for playing with the Duke Blue Devils and is the current head coach of Arizona State's college basketball.

Dan Hurley has coached the UConn Huskies since 2018. In 2024, he was the Naismith Coach of the Year after leading the program to its second consecutive national championship.

In his seven seasons with the Huskies, Hurley is 165-69 (.705). In this year's tournament, UConn was eliminated in the second round by the eventual national champions, the Florida Gators.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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