Frank Layden, beloved Jazz head coach and GM, dead at 93

Frank Layden, the man who led the Jazz to their first NBA playoffs appearance in 1984 and helped build the foundations for successful teams in the 1990s, died Wednesday.

He was 93. 

A cause of death was not announced.

The Brooklyn native helped the Jazz style into their new home in Utah after their move from New Orleans to Salt Lake City, taking over as general manager in 1979 and later becoming head coach in 1981.

“Frank Layden made a lasting impact on the Jazz, the state of Utah, and the NBA,” the Jazz posted on X. “There will never be another like him. Our thoughts go out to his family as we join in mourning his loss and celebrating his life. Rest easy, Coach.” 

Layden began his coaching career at the collegiate level at his alma mater, Niagara University, where he coached for eight seasons and helped lead the program to an NCAA tournament appearance in 1970, the school’s first. 

“Frank had the unique ability to be larger than life yet able to care for those in his circle on a personal level,” Simon Gray, Niagara University’s associate vice president for athletics, said in a statement.  “Although it has been 70 years since he graduated, I am confident that Niagara was on his mind at some point of every day since.  He consistently checked in with his alma mater and showed his love for Monteagle Ridge in a myriad of ways. We will miss him dearly.”

He moved to the professional ranks in 1976 as an assistant coach with the Hawks before taking the GM job with the Jazz three years later. 

During his time in the Jazz front office, Layden made two of the biggest picks in franchise history when he selected Karl Malone 16th overall in 1984 and John Stockton in 1985 at 13th overall.

Malone and Stockton would go on to become the faces of basketball in Utah and were both enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame. 

It turns out 1984 may have been the best year for Layden.

He led the Jazz to the playoffs — a feat the team would pull off five times during his tenure — and coached in the NBA All-Star Game before getting named the NBA Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.

Layden went 277-294 as Jazz head coach in the regular season. In December 1988, he stepped down as head coach, while retaining the role of team president and general manager. 

The move paved the way for Jerry Sloan to lead the Jazz to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances in 1997 and 1998. 

Layden briefly coached the WNBA’s Utah Starzz — who would later become the Las Vegas Aces — and served a short time as a consultant for the Knicks when his son, Scott Layden, was general manager.