Chuck Daly to Receive PSAC Award of Merit
Former NBA coach Chuck Daly will be presented with the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference's highest honor, the Award of Merit, Saturday, December 7. The award will be presented by PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray during a luncheon ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Bloomsburg University's Alumni House.
Daly is an alumnus of Bloomsburg, who attended the school then known as Bloomsburg State College, from 1949-52. He played two seasons for the Huskies basketball team after spending one season on the freshman squad at St. Bonaventure University.
Daly is best known for his NBA coaching career, which included head coaching stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers (1981-82), Detroit Pistons (1983-92), New Jersey Nets (1992-94) and Orlando Magic (1997-99). While with the Pistons, he led his team to five straight 50-plus win seasons and three straight NBA Finals appearances from 1988-90. Detroit won back-to-back NBA titles in 1989-90.
Over his illustrious career, he compiled a 519-342 record and was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. Daly also guided the first ever Olympic "Dream Team" in 1992 to an 8-0 record in winning the gold medal. He is the only Hall of Fame coach to win both an NBA Championship and an Olympic Gold Medal. He retired from coaching in 1999, but still remains involved with the NBA as a consultant with the Memphis Grizzlies.
In addition to his time at Bloomsburg, Daly has numerous roots throughout Pennsylvania. He was born in St. Marys and is a native or nearby Kane. He served as the head coach at Punxsutawney High School from 1955-63 and later coached at the University of Pennsylvania from 1971-77. Daly got his NBA start as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1978-81.
Daly is only the fourth recipient of the PSAC Award of Merit, given for outstanding and extraordinary accomplishments or services that bring exceptional recognition and honor to the conference. Past winners include Edinboro University Director of Athletics Bruce Baumgartner, professional wrestler Kurt Angle and Shippensburg University track and field coach Steve Spence. Baumgartner and Spence earned their awards in 1992. Baumgartner is a four-time Olympic medalist as a wrestler and Spence was part of the 1992 Olympic marathon team. Angle was presented with the award in 1996 following a gold-medal performance at that year's Olympics.
"What we are trying to do is honor those who have distinguished themselves beyond compare in their respective field," said Murray. "The three other times we presented this award, it went to Olympic athletes. Chuck is obviously in that same class. he is well-deserving and probably long overdue for this award."