Jack Kraft
John Jack Kraft (February 10, 1921 – August 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach who coached Villanova for 12 years, from 1961 through 1973.[1] He compiled a 238–95 record (.715). Kraft led Villanova to the NCAA Tournament six times, and five times to the NIT. Only once did Kraft's teams fail to earn a post-season bid, in his final season of 1973. The 1971 team, led by Howard Porter, reached the NCAA Championship game, and lost to UCLA at the height of the UCLA dynasty. However, that appearance was subsequently erased from the books after Porter was retroactively declared ineligible for signing a professional contract midway through his senior year.
 Kraft from the 1975 Renaissance Yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 28, 2014 (aged 93) Cape May Court House, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1939–1942 | Saint Joseph's |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1948–1960 | Bishop Neumann HS |
| 1960–1961 | Malvern Prep |
| 1961–1973 | Villanova |
| 1973–1980 | Rhode Island |
Notable players who played for Jack Kraft at Villanova include Chris Ford, Tom Ingelsby, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni, Howard Porter, Hank Simeontkowski, Jim Washington, and Hubie White.
Kraft died on August 28, 2014, at the age of 93 in Cape May County, New Jersey.[2][3] In honor of his memory, the Villanova basketball players wore a JK decal on their uniforms for the 2014–15 season.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova Wildcats (Independent) (1961–1973) | |||||||||
| 1961–62 | Villanova | 21–7 | NCAA Elite 8 | ||||||
| 1962–63 | Villanova | 19–10 | NIT Semifinal/NIT 4th Place | ||||||
| 1963–64 | Villanova | 24–4 | NCAA Sweet 16 | ||||||
| 1964–65 | Villanova | 23–5 | NIT Runner Up | ||||||
| 1965–66 | Villanova | 18–11 | NIT Semifinal/NIT 3rd Place | ||||||
| 1966–67 | Villanova | 17–9 | NIT 1st Round | ||||||
| 1967–68 | Villanova | 19–9 | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||||
| 1968–69 | Villanova | 21–5 | NCAA 1st Round | ||||||
| 1969–70 | Villanova | 22–7 | NCAA Elite 8 | ||||||
| 1970–71 | Villanova | 27–7* | NCAA Runner Up* | ||||||
| 1971–72 | Villanova | 20–8 | NCAA 2nd Round | ||||||
| 1972–73 | Villanova | 11–14 | |||||||
| Villanova: | 242–96 | ||||||||
| Rhode Island Rams (Yankee) (1973–1976) | |||||||||
| 1973–74 | Rhode Island | 11–14 | 6–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1974–75 | Rhode Island | 5–20 | 3–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1975–76 | Rhode Island | 14–12 | 7–5 | T-2nd | |||||
| Rhode Island: | 30–46 | 23–37 | |||||||
| Rhode Island Rams (independent) (1976–1979) | |||||||||
| 1976–77 | Rhode Island | 13–13 | |||||||
| 1977–78 | Rhode Island | 24–7 | NCAA 1st Round | ||||||
| 1978–79 | Rhode Island | 20–9 | NIT 1st Round | ||||||
| Rhode Island: | 57–29 | ||||||||
| Rhode Island Rams (ECAC North) (1979–1980) | |||||||||
| 1979–80 | Rhode Island | 15–13 | 14–12 | T-4th | |||||
| 1980–81 | Rhode Island | 1–0 | Retire Due To Ill Health | ||||||
| Rhode Island: | 16–13 | 15–12 | |||||||
| Rhode Island: | 103–88 | 38–49 | |||||||
| Total: | 345–184 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
* NCAA Tournament appearance and standing as tournament runner-up vacated after Howard Porter was ruled ineligible. Official record for 1970-71 is 23–6. & Record at Villanova is 238–95, and overall record is 341–183, without vacated games.
References
- ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia. 277.
- Kern, Mike (August 29, 2014). "Jack Kraft, former coach at Villanova, dies at 93". Philadelphia Daily News. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
- Goldstein, Richard (30 August 2014). "Jack Kraft, Villanova Basketball Coach, Dies at 93". The New York Times.