Legendary Utah Jazz Coach, GM Frank Layden Passes Away

Layden, a former Coach of the Year winner in 1984 and the only coach in team history to do so, was the head coach of the Jazz for seven and a half seasons from 1981 and 1989, collecting 277 total wins in over 570 games at the helm–– placing him within the top-three winningest Jazz coaches ever.

Layden was also the Jazz's general manager beginning in 1979, and team president mid-way through the 1988-89 NBA season, where he would then hand the keys over to the late, great Jerry Sloan to become Utah's next head coach, who would lead the way all the way until 2011.

While at the helm for the Jazz, the team had only missed the playoffs twice, and won three playoff series during his tenure.

In 1984, Layden took home the league's Executive of the Year award, the same year he secured those Coach of the Year honors after a 45-37 finish on the season, which would be the franchise's first-ever playoff appearance.

The franchise legend was on board for some of the Jazz's most critical moments through the 1980s and 1990s, being a part of the staff who selected Hall of Fame talents like John Stockton and Karl Malone in their respective drafts, and other key fixtures to Utah's roster throughout that span such as Mark Eaton, Thurl Bailey, and Mark Eaton.

Layden was also head coach of the WNBA's Utah Starzz for one season– one of the league's first eight original teams.

The Jazz would eventually retire and hoist the number 1 into the rafters for Layden's time as the team's head coach in 1989.

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