Tom Young, who led Rutgers to Final Four, dead at 89 - New York Post

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Tom Young, the most successful coach in Rutgers men’s basketball history, died Sunday, the school confirmed. He was 89.

Young went 239-116 with four NCAA Tournament appearances and five conference titles from 1973-85. The crowning achievement was the program’s first and only trip to the Final Four in 1976. Rutgers lost in the national semifinals to Michigan and then in the now-defunct third-place game to UCLA, while Indiana finished off what remains the last undefeated season in the sport.

Tom Young talks to his Rutgers team at practice before the 1976 Final Four in Philadelphia.

AP

Young coached 10 of Rutgers’ top 11 all-time leading scorers, including Final Four teammates Eddie Jordan, Phil Sellers, James Bailey and Hollis Copeland, and later Roy Hinson and John Battle. All six played significant time in the NBA.

“Tom was a pioneer for our program and set the standard for me and our players, past and present,” current Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said in a statement. “Rutgers fans will remember him as the leader of the best season in Scarlet Knights basketball history. My team will continue to work on and off the court to honor his legacy and contributions to Rutgers basketball.”

Young battled heart and lung ailments, according to the Asbury Park Press’ first report of the news, but the cause of death was unknown. He came to Rutgers after serving as head coach at American University and later coached at Old Dominion University until 1991. Young’s death hit home for Jordan, a longtime NBA coach who hired Young to be his assistant with the Washington Wizards and a former Rutgers head coach himself.

Tom Young in January of 1975.

AP

“In 1976 he mentored me as sometimes an undisciplined slightly reckless student on campus,” Jordan said in a statement. “He was a father figure to me throughout my entire life.”

Rutgers’ win in the first round of the 1983 NCAA Tournament was its most recent until the Scarlet Knights beat Clemson in the first round of the 2021 bracket. Rutgers lost to Notre Dame in the First Four last week, marking its first time receiving bids to the Big Dance in back-to-back seasons since Young’s second and third years on the job. Young recorded winning records in all 12 seasons at Rutgers.

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Tom Young, who led Rutgers to Final Four, dead at 89 - New York Post
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