John MacLeod (basketball)

For the Canadian player, see John McLeod (basketball).

John MacLeod
Personal information
Born(1937-10-03)October 3, 1937
New Albany, Indiana, U.S.
DiedApril 14, 2019(2019-04-14) (aged 81)
Prescott, Arizona, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High schoolProvidence (Clarksville, Indiana)
CollegeBellarmine (1956–1959)
Coaching career1967–2006
Career history
As coach:
1967–1973Oklahoma
1973–1987Phoenix Suns
1987–1989Dallas Mavericks
1990–1991New York Knicks
1991–1999Notre Dame
1999–2000Phoenix Suns (assistant)
2001–2004Denver Nuggets (assistant/associate)
2005–2006Golden State Warriors (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As coach
Career coaching record
NBA707–657 (.518)
College196–193 (.504)
Record at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

John Matthew MacLeod (October 3, 1937 – April 14, 2019) was an American basketball coach in the NCAA and the National Basketball Association, most notably with the Phoenix Suns. After coaching for the University of Oklahoma, MacLeod was hired to coach the Suns in 1973. In 1976, he led them to their second postseason in team history, which culminated with an appearance in the 1976 NBA Finals; he would lead the team to eight further postseason appearances in his tenure. In fourteen years, MacLeod led them to 579 wins, which is the most in franchise history.

Career

MacLeod was a star high school basketball player before playing at Bellarmine College.

MacLeod coached the Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team for six years before being hired to coach the Phoenix Suns in 1973, a position he held until 1987. During this stint, MacLeod was named the head coach of the Western Conference All-Star Team in 1981. After his departure from Phoenix, MacLeod went on to coach the Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks. In 1991, he was hired to be the head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he won Big East Coach of the Year in 1997. In 1999, MacLeod resigned from his position and returned to Phoenix for one season as an assistant coach. MacLeod spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets before ending his coaching career as an assistant for the Golden State Warriors.

MacLeod was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005[1] and to the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

MacLeod was inducted into the Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor on April 18, 2012, as the winningest coach in franchise history.[2]

Head coaching record

NBA

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Phoenix 1973–74 82 30 52 .366 4th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Phoenix 1974–75 82 32 50 .390 2nd in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Phoenix 1975–76 82 42 40 .512 3rd in Pacific 19 10 9 .526 Lost in NBA Finals
Phoenix 1976–77 82 34 48 .415 5th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Phoenix 1977–78 82 49 33 .598 2nd in Pacific 2 0 2 .000 Lost in First Round
Phoenix 1978–79 82 50 32 .610 2nd in Pacific 15 9 6 .600 Lost in Conf. Finals
Phoenix 1979–80 82 55 27 .671 3rd in Pacific 8 3 5 .375 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Phoenix 1980–81 82 57 25 .695 1st in Pacific 7 3 4 .429 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Phoenix 1981–82 82 46 36 .561 3rd in Pacific 7 2 5 .286 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Phoenix 1982–83 82 53 29 .646 2nd in Pacific 3 1 2 .333 Lost in First Round
Phoenix 1983–84 82 41 41 .500 4th in Pacific 17 9 8 .529 Lost in Conf. Finals
Phoenix 1984–85 82 36 46 .439 4th in Pacific 3 0 3 .000 Lost in First Round
Phoenix 1985–86 82 32 50 .390 5th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Phoenix 1986–87 56 22 34 .393 (fired) — — — — —
Dallas 1987–88 82 53 29 .646 2nd in Pacific 17 10 7 .588 Lost in Conf. Finals
Dallas 1988–89 82 38 44 .463 4th in Pacific — — — — Missed Playoffs
Dallas 1989–90 11 5 6 .455 (fired) — — — — —
New York 1990–91 67 32 35 .478 4th in Atlantic 3 0 3 .000 Lost in First Round
Career 1364 707 657 .518 101 47 54 .465

College

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Oklahoma Sooners (Big Eight Conference) (1967–1973)
1967–68 Oklahoma 13–13 8–6 T–3rd
1968–69 Oklahoma 7–19 3–11 8th
1969–70 Oklahoma 19–9 7–7 T–3rd NIT Quarterfinal
1970–71 Oklahoma 19–8 9–5 T–2nd NIT First Round
1971–72 Oklahoma 14–12 9–5 3rd
1972–73 Oklahoma 18–8 8–6 4th
Oklahoma: 90–69 (.566) 44–40 (.524)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) (1991–1995)
1991–92 Notre Dame 18–15 NIT Final
1992–93 Notre Dame 9–18
1993–94 Notre Dame 12–17
1994–95 Notre Dame 15–12
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Big East Conference) (1995–1999)
1995–96 Notre Dame 9–18 4–14 6th (BE 6)
1996–97 Notre Dame 16–14 8–10 T–4th (BE 6) NIT Quarterfinal
1997–98 Notre Dame 13–14 7–11 5th (BE 6)
1998–99 Notre Dame 14–16 8–10 T–8th
Notre Dame: 106–124 (.461) 27–35 (.435)
Total: 196–193 (.504)

Personal

On April 14, 2019, McLeod died of complications from Alzheimer's disease.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ "hall-of-fame/john-macleod/". hall-of-fame. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "Suns To Induct John Macleod Into Ring Of Honor | The Official Site Of The Phoenix Suns". Nba.com. February 24, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  3. ^ "John MacLeod, Longtime Phoenix Suns Coach, Dies at 81". NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  4. ^ "John MacLeod, a Winning Coach for the Suns, Is Dead at 81". Associated Press. April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019 – via NYTimes.com.