NBA Mourns Pistons Great Chuck Daly

Hall of Famer, 78, succumbed to cancer, a coach to the end
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted May 9, 2009 2:24 PM CDT
NBA Mourns Pistons Great Chuck Daly
Chuck Daly coaches the Orlando Magic in a game against the Chicago Bulls in this 1997 file photo.   (Getty Images)

The basketball world is mourning Hall of Famer Chuck Daly, who died today of pancreatic cancer at 78. Daly is best known as the coach of the “Bad Boy” Pistons teams and the original 1992 Olympic Dream Team. He’s the winningest coach in Detroit’s history, with 467 regular-season wins, 71 playoff wins, and two titles, the Detroit News reports.

“Chuck Daly managed pro athletes better than any coach I know,” said former assistant Brendan Malone. Dennis Rodman, one of Daly's great success stories, referred to the coach as “God” and viewed him as a father figure. Even in retirement, he never stopped being a coach. Before the Final Four, though weak from chemotherapy, Daly took time to send a play to Villanova coach Jay Wright to use against North Carolina. (More Chuck Daly stories.)

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