Chuck Daly — 1930-2009
– Thank You, Coach –
You never know when you’re going to inspire someone by how you live your life.
Blogger Debbie Schlussel captured the essence of Chuck Daly best in a photo caption on her blog when she was writing about Coach Daly being diagnosed with cancer.
The caption: Chuck Daly, Legendary Coach & Class Act.
We should all be so lucky to be remembered that way. A class act. Legendary in our chosen field.
Not a bad legacy for a guy who was booed, criticized and hassled for not being able to win the Ivy League championship as a college coach in Philadelphia.
The guy who was “a lousy coach” went on to win back-to-back NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons and to win an Olympic gold medal with the first Dream Team.
Years later, I would grow to appreciate some of the lessons learned from observing Coach Daly. Lessons about how to persevere under adversity, how to treat people with respect in difficult times, how to adapt to differing circumstances and how to never underestimate the toughness and grit of someone who dressed like he was auditioning for the cover of GQ Magazine.
There has been an outpouring of support and genuine affection for Coach Daly. It wasn’t always like that. But one of the amazing things about Chuck Daly is that the people who knew him 30 years ago describe him exactly the same way as the people who met him one year ago: a nice man and a class act.
As Daily News writer Mike Lupica wrote about Coach Daly:
[He] Won games and won friends. Chuck Daly finally lost his battle with cancer Saturday. He is survived by the whole business. There have been a lot of coaches in the NBA, and some of them won more than he did. Nobody had more style, or more fun. The cancer took everything else in the end, because it does. Not that.
Rest in peace, Coach.
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——————– Chuck Daly — 1930-2009 ——————–
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A Selection of Some of the Articles Around The Web About Coach Daly:
Mike Lupica’s article for the Daily News
Jemele Hill’s article for ESPN
This interview with Charlie Rose shows off Coach Daly’s warmth, personality and love of basketball:
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