 McClosky in 2009 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1925-09-19)September 19, 1925 |
| Died | June 1, 2017(2017-06-01) (aged 91) Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Penn (1943–1944) |
| Playing career | 1947–1954 |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Coaching career | 1956–1974 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1947–1948 | Lancaster Red Roses |
| 1948–1951 | Pottsville Packers |
| 1951–1954 | Sunbury Mercuries |
| 1953 | Philadelphia Warriors |
Coaching | |
| 1956–1966 | Penn |
| 1966–1972 | Wake Forest |
| 1972–1974 | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Career highlights | |
As player:
As executive: | |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
John William McCloskey (September 19, 1925 – June 1, 2017) was an Americanbasketball player, coach and executive. He served as the head coach of thePortland Trail Blazers and general manager of theDetroit Pistons andMinnesota Timberwolves. As general manager of the Pistons, McCloskey assembled the team that would become known as the "Bad Boys" that wonNBA championships in1989 and1990.[1]
McCloskey was born inMahanoy City, Pennsylvania on September 19, 1925, to Buelah and Eddie McCloskey. After high school, he attended theUniversity of Pittsburgh, where he played football. He left school to serve in World War II as a lieutenant commanding a landing ship for theMarines. After the war, McCloskey attended theUniversity of Pennsylvania where he played three varsity sports.[1]
McCloskey played one game for thePhiladelphia Warriors of theNBA during the1953 season, scoring 6 points in that game.[2] McCloskey also spent time inEastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL), including with the Sunbury Mercuries. He was theEPBL Most Valuable Player in 1953 and 1954, and earned four nominations to the All-EPBL First Team (1950, 1952–1954).[3] McCloskey won anEPBL championship with thePottsville Packers in 1949.[4]
McCloskey served as head coach of theUniversity of Pennsylvania from 1956 to 1966, and ofWake Forest from 1966 to 1972. Following that, he served as the head coach of thePortland Trail Blazers from 1972 through 1974, earning a 48–116 win–loss record. He followed this stint as an assistant coach toJerry West and theLos Angeles Lakers. When West became general manager in 1979, McCloskey felt he had earned the right to become head coach, butJack McKinney was hired instead.
In 1979, McCloskey became general manager of theDetroit Pistons. Over the next 13 years, "Trader Jack", as he was known, made over 30 trades, constantly upgrading his team to become a true challenger to theBoston Celtics, one of the dominant teams in the NBA's Eastern Conference. His best-known moves were drafting future Hall-Of-FamerJoe Dumars outside the lottery and rebounding champDennis Rodman in the second round of the NBA Draft, trading three players for future all-star center and dominant rebounderBill Laimbeer and trading superstarAdrian Dantley forMark Aguirre during the 1988–89 season, a move that helped the Pistons win the NBA championship in 1989 and 1990.[1]
After the Chicago Bulls swept the Pistons in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, "Trader Jack" made his last moves. He acquiredDarrell Walker,Brad Sellers, andOrlando Woolridge, and let go ofVinnie Johnson andJames Edwards to try to make the team younger. He draftedDoug Overton in the second round that year (the Pistons had traded their first-round pick away), who did not even play the following season. The Pistons struggled with their chemistry, as key subs likeJohn Salley did not improve their performance, yet they won 48 games. They lost in five games to the New York Knicks in the first round, and McCloskey left the team. He later served in the front offices of theMinnesota Timberwolves (1992–1995), and theToronto Raptors (2004), the latter on an interim basis.
On March 29, 2008, McCloskey had his name honored in Auburn Hills (Home city of The Detroit Pistons at the time), with a banner raised atThe Palace of Auburn Hills.[5]
McCloskey had six children. His daughter is the writerMolly McCloskey, whose memoirCircles Around the Sun: In Search of a Lost Brother (2011) recounts the story of the McCloskey family with particular focus on Molly's brother (Jack McCloskey's son), Mike.[6][7][8] The family was featured in an article in the September 1953 Ladies Home Journal, as part of a long running series "How America Lives", titled "Meet Mrs. $10,000* Executive in the Home".
In May 2017, it was announced McCloskey hadAlzheimer's disease.[9] He died on June 1, 2017.[5]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Source[10]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952–53 | Philadelphia | 1 | 16.0 | .333 | – | 3.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 |
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Penn Quakers(Ivy League)(1956–1966) | |||||||||
| 1956–57 | Penn | 7–19 | 3–11 | 7th | |||||
| 1957–58 | Penn | 13–12 | 8–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1958–59 | Penn | 12–14 | 5–9 | 5th | |||||
| 1959–60 | Penn | 14–11 | 8–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1960–61 | Penn | 16–9 | 10–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 1961–62 | Penn | 17–8 | 11–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1962–63 | Penn | 19–6 | 10–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1963–64 | Penn | 14–10 | 10–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1964–65 | Penn | 15–10 | 10–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1965–66 | Penn | 19–6 | 12–2 | 1st | |||||
| Penn: | 146–105 | 87–53 | |||||||
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons(Atlantic Coast Conference)(1966–1972) | |||||||||
| 1966–67 | Wake Forest | 9–18 | 5–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 1967–68 | Wake Forest | 5–21 | 3–11 | T–7th | |||||
| 1968–69 | Wake Forest | 18–9 | 8–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1969–70 | Wake Forest | 14–13 | 6–8 | 5th | |||||
| 1970–71 | Wake Forest | 16–10 | 7–7 | 4th | |||||
| 1971–72 | Wake Forest | 8–18 | 3–9 | 6th | |||||
| Wake Forest: | 70–89 | 32–50 | |||||||
| Total: | 216–194 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 1972–73 | 82 | 21 | 61 | .256 | 5th in Pacific | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Portland | 1973–74 | 82 | 27 | 55 | .329 | 5th in Pacific | – | – | – | – | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 164 | 48 | 116 | .293 | – | – | – | – |
