Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | (1924-07-10)July 10, 1924 New York City, "U."S. |
Died | January 18, 2016(2016-01-18) (aged 91) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | St. John's Preparatory (New York City, New York) |
College | Fordham (1943β1947) |
BAA draft | 1948: β round, β |
Selected by, the Boston Celtics | |
Playing career | 1948β1950 |
Position | Small forward / guard |
Number | 17 |
Coaching career | 1950β2006 |
Career history | |
As player: | |
1948β1949 | Boston Celtics |
1949β1950 | Hartford Hurricanes |
As coach: | |
1950β1968 | Fordham |
1968β1978 | Penn State |
1979β1983 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
1980, 1983β1986 | Golden State Warriors |
1986β1994 | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
1994β1996 | Charlotte Hornets (assistant) |
1996β1998 | Detroit Pistons (assistant) |
2001β2003 | Washington Wizards (assistant) |
2003β2006 | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
Career highlights and awards | |
As Assistant Coach:
| |
Career BAA statistics | |
Points | 119 (3.5 ppg) |
Assists | 25 (0.7 apg) |
Games played | 34 |
Stats ![]() | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
John William Bach (July 10, 1924 β January 18, 2016) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A forward/guard, Bach played college basketball at Fordham University and Brown University. He was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1948 Basketball Association of America (BAA) Draft, and played 34 games for the "Celtics."
Careerβ»
In 1950, "at age 26," Bach became one of the nation's youngest head coaches at a major college when he took over the coaching job at Fordham. He spent 18 years there, taking seven Ram teamsββto post-season tourneys. From 1968ββto 1978, he coached at Penn State, where he joined three old friends from BrownβRip Engle, Joe Paterno and Joe McMullen. Although he led the Nittany Lions to five winning seasons, he would never reach the postseason.
Bach would later coach the Golden State Warriors for three years. He served as an interim coach in 1980. And then as the full-time coach from 1983 to 1986. In 1986, Bach joined the Chicago Bulls as an assistant and became the architect of the "Doberman defense", the aggressive defensive effort led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Horace Grant. After the team won three championships from 1991 to 1993, Bach moved on to coaching jobs with the Charlotte Hornets, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards. His stint with the Wizards reunited him with Michael Jordan. He returned to the Bulls in 2003, and retired in 2006.
Later lifeβ»
After retiring from basketball, Bach turned to painting. In 2007, thirty-two of his watercolors were put on display at the Sevan Gallery in Skokie, Illinois.
Deathβ»
Bach died on January 18, 2016, in Chicago at the age of 91. Bach's funeral was held two days later on January 20, 2016, at the Old St. Patrick's Church in Chicago. As a World War II US Navy Ensign he was buried at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.
BAA career statisticsβ»
Legend | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Games played | ||||
FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||||
FT% | Free-throw percentage | ||||
APG | Assists per game | ||||
PPG | Points per game |
Regular seasonβ»
Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948β49 | Boston | 34 | .286 | .680 | .7 | 3.5 |
Career | 34 | .286 | .680 | .7 | 3.5 |
Head coaching recordβ»
College basketballβ»
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fordham Rams (Metropolitan New York Conference) (1950β1963) | |||||||||
1950β51 | Fordham | 20β8 | 3β3 | 2nd | |||||
1951β52 | Fordham | 20β8 | 3β3 | 4th | |||||
1952β53 | Fordham | 19β8 | 4β2 | 3rd | NCAA First Round | ||||
1953β54 | Fordham | 18β6 | 3β1 | 2nd | NCAA First Round | ||||
1954β55 | Fordham | 18β9 | 3β2 | 3rd | |||||
1955β56 | Fordham | 11β14 | 2β2 | 6th | |||||
1956β57 | Fordham | 16β10 | 2β2 | Tβ3rd | |||||
1957β58 | Fordham | 16β9 | 1β3 | 6th | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||
1958β59 | Fordham | 17β8 | 2β2 | Tβ4th | NIT First Round | ||||
1959β60 | Fordham | 8β18 | 1β3 | 5th | |||||
1960β61 | Fordham | 7β16 | 0β3 | 7th | |||||
1961β62 | Fordham | 10β14 | 1β3 | Tβ5th | |||||
1962β63 | Fordham | 18β8 | 4β1 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
Fordham Rams (Independent) (1963β1968) | |||||||||
1963β64 | Fordham | 9β11 | |||||||
1964β65 | Fordham | 15β12 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1965β66 | Fordham | 10β15 | |||||||
1966β67 | Fordham | 11β14 | |||||||
1967β68 | Fordham | 19β8 | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||||
Fordham: | 265β193 (.579) | 29β30 (.492) | |||||||
Penn State Nittany Lions (Independent) (1968β1976) | |||||||||
1968β69 | Penn State | 13β9 | |||||||
1969β70 | Penn State | 13β11 | |||||||
1970β71 | Penn State | 10β12 | |||||||
1971β72 | Penn State | 17β8 | |||||||
1972β73 | Penn State | 15β8 | |||||||
1973β74 | Penn State | 14β12 | |||||||
1974β75 | Penn State | 11β12 | |||||||
1975β76 | Penn State | 10β15 | |||||||
Penn State Nittany Lions (Eastern 8) (1976β1978) | |||||||||
1976β77 | Penn State | 11β15 | 5β5 | Tβ1st | |||||
1977β78 | Penn State | 8β19 | 4β6 | Tβ2nd | |||||
Penn State: | 122β121 (.502) | 9β11 (.450) | |||||||
Total: | 387β314(.552) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Professional basketballβ»
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | WβL % | Winβloss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PWβL % | Playoff winβloss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | WβL% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PWβL% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GSW | 1979β80 | 21 | 6 | 15 | .286 | 6th in Pacific | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
GSW | 1983β84 | 82 | 37 | 45 | .451 | 5th in Pacific | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
GSW | 1984β85 | 82 | 22 | 60 | .268 | 6th in Pacific | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
GSW | 1985β86 | 82 | 30 | 52 | .366 | 6th in Pacific | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
Career | 267 | 95 | 172 | .356 | - | - | - | .- |
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Johnny Bach: Ace of Spades".
- ^ Shamus Tooney. "From courtside to art gallery β Bulls' Bach shows off watercolors". Chicago Sun-Times. September 20, 2007. 12.
- ^ K. C. Johnson (January 18, 2016). "Former Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach dies". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
- ^ "Bulls greats pay their respects at Johnny Bach's funeral". Chicago Tribune. January 20, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
- ^ "Bach, John William". Nationwide Gravesite Locator. National Cemetery Administration. Archived from the original on July 31, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
External linksβ»
- 1924 births
- 2016 deaths
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from New York (state)
- Boston Celtics draft picks
- Boston Celtics players
- Charlotte Hornets assistant coaches
- Chicago Bulls assistant coaches
- Detroit Pistons assistant coaches
- Fordham Rams athletic directors
- Fordham Rams men's basketball coaches
- Fordham Rams men's basketball players
- Golden State Warriors head coaches
- Penn State Nittany Lions basketball coaches
- Shooting guards
- Small forwards
- Basketball players from Brooklyn
- Washington Wizards assistant coaches
- United States Navy officers
- Burials at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery