Former Knicks Consultant Frank Layden Dies at 93

His first head coaching job came at his alma mater of Niagara University in Lewiston (1968-76), notably guiding the team to its first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament berth in 1970. With the Purple Eagles, Layden oversaw the collegiate career of future Hall-of-Famer Calvin Murphy,

"Frank had the unique ability to be larger than life yet able to care for those in his circle on a personal level," Niagara associate vice president for athletics Simon Gray said in a statement from the Purple Eagles' athletic department..  "Although it has been 70 years since he graduated, I am confident that Niagara was on his mind at some point of every day since.  He consistently checked in with his alma mater and showed his love for Monteagle Ridge in a myriad of ways. We will miss him dearly."

Prior to his return to New York, Frank Layden was known as one of the most colorful characters in the NBA, often engaging in the basketball comedy that made him a beloved figure in Jazz history.

For example, Layden became infamous among Los Angeles Lakers fans for leaving a game at The Forum early, abandoning his post on the Utah sideline in a one-sided 1985 game to return to his hotel to get a sandwich. Layden would later host the "Dazzling Dunks and Basketball Bloopers" compilation series released by Sports Illustrated alongside longtime Knicks broadcaster Marv Albert.

"I'm not like my dad," Scott Layden, then with the Knicks, said of his father in a 2002 column from Mitch Lawrence of ESPN. "When we're asked to speak before a group, I've got one rule: I always have to go first. How can I follow my dad?"

After a stint as an Atlanta Hawks assistant under one-time Knicks head coach Hubie Brown, Layden became the Jazz's general manager in 1979 and took over head coaching duties two years later after Tom Nissalke was fired in-season. At the time, Utah had not reached the NBA playoffs since its 1974 entry.

In his second full year at the helm, Layden tipped off a streak of 20 consecutive postseason showings for the franchise, one that his assistant and successor Jerry Sloan continued after he stepped down in 1988.

The first time around in 1984, Layden placed the Jazz second on the Western Conference playoff bracket and his protege Adrian Dantley led the league in scoring. Layden won the season's Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year titles, as well as the J, Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award, for his efforts.

Under his watch, the Jazz also introduced franchise legends like Mark Eaton, Karl Malone, and John Stockton, setting the stage for their success at the end of the century. Layden passed on duties to Sloan and returned to the front office before coaching 17 games for the WNBA's Utah Starzz (now the Las Vegas Aces) between 1998 and 1999. He relinquished all Utah duties early in the 1999 WNBA season and was bestowed a Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award two decades later.

Layden is survived by his wife Barbara.