Jack Rohan
Encyclopedia
John Patrick "Jack" Rohan (August 25, 1931 – August 9, 2004) was an American college basketball
player and coach. The Bellerose, New York
native was men's head basketball coach at Columbia University
between 1962 and 1974, and returned in 1991 to coach until 1995. He is the most successful coach in Columbia basketball history. Rohan was also a full professor and chairman of the department of physical education.
Rohan attended Columbia from 1949 to 1953, and was a member of the famous 1950/51 team under coach Lou Rossini
that went undefeated through its regular season, winning all 22 of its games and capturing the Ivy League title with a 12-0 mark. Rohan earned a bachelor's degree in history from Columbia in 1953 and a master's from Teachers College, Columbia University
, in 1957. From 1955 through 1958, he served variously as the varsity golf and freshman basketball coach at Columbia and the freshman basketball coach at New York University
. In 1962 he became head coach at Columbia.
Rohan was selected national Coach of the Year for the 1967-68 season after leading Columbia to the Ivy League championship. That team, one of the best in Columbia history, compiled a 23-5 record and finished the season ranked sixth in the nation. It was led by Jim McMillian
and Dave Newmark
, both of whom played professional basketball, and Heyward Dotson, an NBA and ABA draftee. Rohan resigned his coaching post in 1974 to become the tenured chair of the physical education department. He became the school's golf coach in 1976, but remained active in basketball as a much-sought after basketball camp lecturer and clinician, broadcaster, and writer.
In 1990 Rohan agreed to once again become head coach of the Lions. He coached for five years, leading the team to a 43-87 record, including a 16-10 record and second-place finish in the Ivy League in 1992-93. When he left the head coach's position, shortly after the conclusion of the 1995 season, he had compiled an overall record of 198-247. His games coached (445) and his victories both stand as Columbia career records.
Rohan died on August 9, 2004, aged 72, in a nursing home in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts
, of complications from Guillain-Barré syndrome
. He had been stricken with the disease since July 2003.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player and coach. The Bellerose, New York
Bellerose, New York
Bellerose is a village in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2010 census.Bellerose is in the town of Hempstead near the western county line.- History :...
native was men's head basketball coach at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
between 1962 and 1974, and returned in 1991 to coach until 1995. He is the most successful coach in Columbia basketball history. Rohan was also a full professor and chairman of the department of physical education.
Rohan attended Columbia from 1949 to 1953, and was a member of the famous 1950/51 team under coach Lou Rossini
Lou Rossini
Lucio "Lou" Rossini was a college men's basketball coach. He compiled a 357-256 record in almost 20 years of coaching, most notably with New York University...
that went undefeated through its regular season, winning all 22 of its games and capturing the Ivy League title with a 12-0 mark. Rohan earned a bachelor's degree in history from Columbia in 1953 and a master's from Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University
Teachers College, Columbia University is a graduate school of education located in New York City, New York...
, in 1957. From 1955 through 1958, he served variously as the varsity golf and freshman basketball coach at Columbia and the freshman basketball coach at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. In 1962 he became head coach at Columbia.
Rohan was selected national Coach of the Year for the 1967-68 season after leading Columbia to the Ivy League championship. That team, one of the best in Columbia history, compiled a 23-5 record and finished the season ranked sixth in the nation. It was led by Jim McMillian
Jim McMillian
James M. "Jim" McMillian is a retired American professional basketball player. After starring at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, McMillian played college basketball at Columbia University. He led Columbia to a three-year mark of 63-14, and their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 1968,...
and Dave Newmark
Dave Newmark
Dave Newmark is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'0" center from Columbia University, he played in the NBA from 1968 to 1970 as a member of the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks. He then spent the 1970-71 season in the ABA as a member of the Carolina Cougars...
, both of whom played professional basketball, and Heyward Dotson, an NBA and ABA draftee. Rohan resigned his coaching post in 1974 to become the tenured chair of the physical education department. He became the school's golf coach in 1976, but remained active in basketball as a much-sought after basketball camp lecturer and clinician, broadcaster, and writer.
In 1990 Rohan agreed to once again become head coach of the Lions. He coached for five years, leading the team to a 43-87 record, including a 16-10 record and second-place finish in the Ivy League in 1992-93. When he left the head coach's position, shortly after the conclusion of the 1995 season, he had compiled an overall record of 198-247. His games coached (445) and his victories both stand as Columbia career records.
Rohan died on August 9, 2004, aged 72, in a nursing home in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts
South Yarmouth, Massachusetts
South Yarmouth is an unincorporated village and census-designated place in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,603 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, of complications from Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain–Barré syndrome , sometimes called Landry's paralysis, is an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy , a disorder affecting the peripheral nervous system. Ascending paralysis, weakness beginning in the feet and hands and migrating towards the trunk, is the most typical symptom...
. He had been stricken with the disease since July 2003.