Temple University Athletics
Men's Basketball
Dunphy, Fran
Fran Dunphy
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- fdunphy@temple.edu
- Phone:
- 215-204-7443
Fran Dunphy completed his 13th and final season at the helm of the Temple men's basketball program in 2018-19. The all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history, Dunphy was one of 25 active NCAA Division I coaches with 500 victories in his final season and is also just the fifth coach to win 200 games at two different Division I programs while also taking both schools to seven or more NCAA Tournaments. He joined Lou Henson (New Mexico, Illinois), Bob Huggins (Cincinnati, West Virginia), Eddie Sutton (Arkansas, Oklahoma State) and Roy Williams (Kansas, North Carolina) in this elite club.
A part of Big 5 Basketball for the last six decades, Dunphy was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in April, 2019. He also received the John Wanamaker Award in June 2019 and will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on November 7, 2019.
Dunphy starred at La Salle as a player (1967-70) and served on the Explorer staff as an assistant coach before embarking on a 17-year stint as the head coach of the Penn Quakers (1989-06). He became the first person to serve as the head men's basketball coach at two Philadelphia Big 5 institutions when he took over the reins of the Temple program from Hall of Fame coach John Chaney on April 10, 2006.
Dunphy earned back-to-back American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors at Temple in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and ranks third on the school's all-time coaching win list with a 270-162 record while guiding the Owls to eight NCAA Tournaments, five conference titles and a trip to the 2015 NIT Semifinals in his 13 years at the helm. His Temple teams defeated seven Top 10 teams in his tenure and appeared in the Top 25 during 24 weeks.
Near the end of the 2014-15 season, Dunphy recorded his historic 500th coaching win in impeccable fashion when Temple knocked off Memphis, 80-75, in the American Athletic Conference Quarterfinal round on March 13. His overall record stands at 580-325 which includes 18 20-win seasons, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 conference championships, eight Big 5 titles and one NIT trip.
Named Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year in four of his 13 seasons at Temple, Dunphy led his second Owl squad on a late-season run to the Atlantic 10 Championship. He guided the Cherry and White to a 21-13 overall mark in 2007-08, including a second place A-10 regular season finish with an 11-5 conference record. He followed that by directing his charges in 2008-09 to a 22-12 record, 11-5 in league play, and another conference championship.
The 2009-10 season is one that will go down as one of the best in Temple lore. Picked tied for fifth in the A-10 preseason poll, Dunphy motivated his charges to their first A-10 regular season title (9th overall) since 2002 with a 14-2 record. The 2010 A-10 and NABC District Coach of the Year brought the Owls back into the national spotlight with the program's first national ranking since 2001, with the team staying in the polls for 13 consecutive weeks. His Owls would go on to become just the second A-10 team to win three consecutive conference championships while also posting just the fifth perfect Philadelphia Big 5 season in the program's history.
The number one accomplishment achieved by the 2009-10 Temple team, that finished the season with a #12 ranking in the Associated Press poll, was its 29 victories (against six defeats), which ranks third in the school's history.
In 2010-11, Dunphy led the Owls to a 26-8 record, including another 14-2 mark in A-10 play, and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. This time the Owls, the 7-seed in West Region, defeated 10th-seeded Penn State, 66-64, in the second round for the program's first NCAA win since 2001. The Cherry and White game second-seeded San Diego State all they could handle in the next game before falling to the #5/6-ranked Aztecs, 71-64, in double-overtime.
It was a great season for Temple as the Owls were ranked among the nation's Top 25 for eight weeks during the season, climbing as high as #19 in the January 10 Associated Press poll. The Owls also overcame mid-February injuries to two starters, closing the season with seven wins in their final 10 games. The only losses in that stretch came to NCAA Sweet 16 participants Duke, Richmond and San Diego State.
In 2011-12, despite losing projected starter Scootie Randall for the season and center Micheal Eric for 13 games, Dunphy guided his charges to a 24-8 mark and the program's first outright A10 regular season title since 1989-90. The Owls finished 13-3 in league play and Dunphy earned his second A10 Coach of the Year honor for his efforts. Temple defeated #3/3 Duke to mark its fourth straight season with a win over a Top 10 opponent, and later cracked the national polls for the third straight year.
Temple, which also shared the Big 5 title, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, and was the fifth-seed in the NCAA Midwest Region.
In 2012-13, Dunphy again guided the Owls to another 20-plus win campaign with the Cherry and White becoming one of eight teams to compete in the last six straight NCAA Tournaments. Temple also knocked off a Top 10 team, this time #3/3 Syracuse, 83-79, at Madison Square Garden (12/22/12) to extend its current nation’s best record to five straight seasons of defeating a Top 10 foe while being unranked at the time.
Temple would finish the campaign with a 24-10 record, advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before narrowly falling to top-ranked Indiana, 58-52. The Owls capped their final season in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a thrilling 84-76 win over #19/21 VCU on CBS to finish tied for third in the league with an 11-5 record.
The program struggled in 2013-14, its first season in the American Athletic Conference. In a classic rebuilding year, the Owls posted a 9-22 record. The Cherry and White did continue its streak of wins over a nationally-ranked program to seven with a 71-64 upset over #23 SMU.
In 2014-15, Dunphy led his team to the best turnaround among all Division I teams, posting 17 more wins than the previous season to finish at 26-11 overall and 13-5 in the conference. A signature win over #10 Kansas was among the total as the Owls posted a 77-52 victory over the Jayhawks at the Wells Fargo Center (12/22).
The Owls finished the regular season 23-10, but were surprisingly left out of the NCAA Tournament. As the #1 overall seed in the NIT, Dunphy, in his time coaching in the tournament, guided Temple to wins over Bucknell, George Washington and Louisiana Tech to reach the semifinals, before falling to Miami at Madison Square Garden.
Dunphy was named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, marking his third conference coach of the year honor (A-10: 2010, 2012). He also joined Chaney (516) as one of only two coaches to win 500 or more games at Big 5 schools.
Defying expectations yet again in 2015-16, the Owls were picked to finish sixth in The American but instead Dunphy led his team to a 14-4 record and an American Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. Temple fell to conference tournament champion UConn in the semifinals, but was awarded a 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls took seventh-seeded Iowa to overtime before falling 72-70 in their NCAA First Round game. Dunphy was named the American's Coach of the Year for a second year in a row, as well as the NABC District Coach of the Year.
The 2016-17 campaign saw the Owls defeat ranked opponents on consecutive days for the first time in school history. Temple upset #25 Florida State and #19 West Virginia to win the 2016 NIT Season Tip-Off. With its projected starting backcourt sidelined for the season, the Cherry and White still finished 16-16 and fell short of another postseason bid. In 2017-18, Temple defeated a Top 25 program for the 11th year in a row and made a return to the postseason with an NIT bid after putting together a resume that included wins over three teams that were nationally ranked or eventually nationally ranked for most of the year.
Dunphy's final season saw the Owls go 23-10, make the program's 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, defeat two Top 25 programs and tie for third in the American Athletic Conference after being picked to finish sixth. AAC First Team selection senior Shizz Alston, Jr. cemented his name all over the program's career record lists and led the AAC with 19.7 points per game. The Owls' season ended in the NCAA First Four after a strong, late-season run that saw them win six of their final seven regular season contests.
One of the most respected coaches in the nation, Dunphy coached eight Conference Players of the Year, three Conference Rookies of the Year, five perfect Conference seasons and 56 All-Conference honorees.
Prior to joining Penn's coaching staff, Dunphy served as an assistant under Speedy Morris at his alma mater, La Salle University (1985-86 through 1987-88). The Philadelphia native's coaching career began at the United States Military Academy (1971-72), where he served as an assistant under head coach Dan Dougherty. In 1975, he became head coach of his high school alma mater, Malvern Prep. He remained there until becoming Lefty Ervin's assistant at La Salle University (1979-80).
The following year, Dunphy joined current Maryland head coach Gary Williams' staff at American University. He served as an assistant two seasons under Williams, and the final three years under Ed Tapscott, the former head coach of the NBA’s Washington Wizards (2008-09). He returned to La Salle in 1985, serving one more season under Ervin and assisting Morris for two seasons. He left La Salle to become Tom Schneider's assistant at Penn in 1988.
In 1989, Dunphy was named the 16th head coach at Penn. He would compile a 310-163 overall record in his 17-year career. His Quaker teams won an unprecedented 48 straight Ivy League games and four league titles from 1992 through 1996. His 1993-94 team posted a 25-3 record and earned a Number 25 ranking in the CNN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, the program's first such ranking since the 1978-79 campaign. That year also included a 90-80 first round upset of sixth-seed Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament.
In his last eight seasons at Penn, Dunphy, who was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in May 2017, guided the Quakers to six Ivy League titles and a 93-19 league record. From 1999-2001, he led Penn to 25 straight league wins, including a perfect 14-0 mark in 1999-2000. In 2001-02, Dunphy's Quakers posted a 25-7 record and won the school's first outright city-series title with a perfect 4-0 mark since 1973-74.
An educator on and off the court, Dunphy has taught for 12 years in Temple's prestigious Fox School of Business. His honors course, co-taught with Dr. Lynne Anderson, is entitled Management, Theory & Practice: From the Locker Room to the Board Room. He previously had served as a lecturer in the Wharton Executive Education program and in the management department of the Wharton School.
Dunphy, who received the Dean Smith Award from the USBWA in 2018, is one of the leaders in the local Coaches vs. Cancer campaign and was named to the National Council of Coaches vs. Cancer. He was also honored as the 2002 National Coaches vs. Cancer Coach of the Year for his service and tireless dedication to those in need. On September 23, 2008, he joined four other coaches to speak to legislators on Capitol Hill on the need for more funding for cancer research.
The Owl mentor also devotes time to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Philadelphia's Board of Directors, and his Penn and Temple teams have participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program each year. He is also a member of the Philadelphia CYO Hall of Fame.
A 1970 La Salle graduate with a degree in marketing, Dunphy was an outstanding player under Explorers' head coach Tom Gola. As a junior, he helped the Explorers to a 23-1 record. He served as a co-captain his senior year when he averaged 18.6 ppg and led the team in assists, while also being named the MVP of the annual Quaker City Basketball Tournament. In 1979, he earned a Master's degree in counseling and human relations from Villanova University.
Dunphy and his wife, Ree, reside in Villanova, Pa. They have one son, J.P.
Fran Dunphy Year-by-Year Coaching Record
A part of Big 5 Basketball for the last six decades, Dunphy was inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in April, 2019. He also received the John Wanamaker Award in June 2019 and will be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame on November 7, 2019.
Dunphy starred at La Salle as a player (1967-70) and served on the Explorer staff as an assistant coach before embarking on a 17-year stint as the head coach of the Penn Quakers (1989-06). He became the first person to serve as the head men's basketball coach at two Philadelphia Big 5 institutions when he took over the reins of the Temple program from Hall of Fame coach John Chaney on April 10, 2006.
Dunphy earned back-to-back American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year honors at Temple in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and ranks third on the school's all-time coaching win list with a 270-162 record while guiding the Owls to eight NCAA Tournaments, five conference titles and a trip to the 2015 NIT Semifinals in his 13 years at the helm. His Temple teams defeated seven Top 10 teams in his tenure and appeared in the Top 25 during 24 weeks.
Near the end of the 2014-15 season, Dunphy recorded his historic 500th coaching win in impeccable fashion when Temple knocked off Memphis, 80-75, in the American Athletic Conference Quarterfinal round on March 13. His overall record stands at 580-325 which includes 18 20-win seasons, 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, 14 conference championships, eight Big 5 titles and one NIT trip.
Named Philadelphia Big 5 Coach of the Year in four of his 13 seasons at Temple, Dunphy led his second Owl squad on a late-season run to the Atlantic 10 Championship. He guided the Cherry and White to a 21-13 overall mark in 2007-08, including a second place A-10 regular season finish with an 11-5 conference record. He followed that by directing his charges in 2008-09 to a 22-12 record, 11-5 in league play, and another conference championship.
The 2009-10 season is one that will go down as one of the best in Temple lore. Picked tied for fifth in the A-10 preseason poll, Dunphy motivated his charges to their first A-10 regular season title (9th overall) since 2002 with a 14-2 record. The 2010 A-10 and NABC District Coach of the Year brought the Owls back into the national spotlight with the program's first national ranking since 2001, with the team staying in the polls for 13 consecutive weeks. His Owls would go on to become just the second A-10 team to win three consecutive conference championships while also posting just the fifth perfect Philadelphia Big 5 season in the program's history.
The number one accomplishment achieved by the 2009-10 Temple team, that finished the season with a #12 ranking in the Associated Press poll, was its 29 victories (against six defeats), which ranks third in the school's history.
In 2010-11, Dunphy led the Owls to a 26-8 record, including another 14-2 mark in A-10 play, and a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. This time the Owls, the 7-seed in West Region, defeated 10th-seeded Penn State, 66-64, in the second round for the program's first NCAA win since 2001. The Cherry and White game second-seeded San Diego State all they could handle in the next game before falling to the #5/6-ranked Aztecs, 71-64, in double-overtime.
It was a great season for Temple as the Owls were ranked among the nation's Top 25 for eight weeks during the season, climbing as high as #19 in the January 10 Associated Press poll. The Owls also overcame mid-February injuries to two starters, closing the season with seven wins in their final 10 games. The only losses in that stretch came to NCAA Sweet 16 participants Duke, Richmond and San Diego State.
In 2011-12, despite losing projected starter Scootie Randall for the season and center Micheal Eric for 13 games, Dunphy guided his charges to a 24-8 mark and the program's first outright A10 regular season title since 1989-90. The Owls finished 13-3 in league play and Dunphy earned his second A10 Coach of the Year honor for his efforts. Temple defeated #3/3 Duke to mark its fourth straight season with a win over a Top 10 opponent, and later cracked the national polls for the third straight year.
Temple, which also shared the Big 5 title, earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, and was the fifth-seed in the NCAA Midwest Region.
In 2012-13, Dunphy again guided the Owls to another 20-plus win campaign with the Cherry and White becoming one of eight teams to compete in the last six straight NCAA Tournaments. Temple also knocked off a Top 10 team, this time #3/3 Syracuse, 83-79, at Madison Square Garden (12/22/12) to extend its current nation’s best record to five straight seasons of defeating a Top 10 foe while being unranked at the time.
Temple would finish the campaign with a 24-10 record, advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before narrowly falling to top-ranked Indiana, 58-52. The Owls capped their final season in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a thrilling 84-76 win over #19/21 VCU on CBS to finish tied for third in the league with an 11-5 record.
The program struggled in 2013-14, its first season in the American Athletic Conference. In a classic rebuilding year, the Owls posted a 9-22 record. The Cherry and White did continue its streak of wins over a nationally-ranked program to seven with a 71-64 upset over #23 SMU.
In 2014-15, Dunphy led his team to the best turnaround among all Division I teams, posting 17 more wins than the previous season to finish at 26-11 overall and 13-5 in the conference. A signature win over #10 Kansas was among the total as the Owls posted a 77-52 victory over the Jayhawks at the Wells Fargo Center (12/22).
The Owls finished the regular season 23-10, but were surprisingly left out of the NCAA Tournament. As the #1 overall seed in the NIT, Dunphy, in his time coaching in the tournament, guided Temple to wins over Bucknell, George Washington and Louisiana Tech to reach the semifinals, before falling to Miami at Madison Square Garden.
Dunphy was named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, marking his third conference coach of the year honor (A-10: 2010, 2012). He also joined Chaney (516) as one of only two coaches to win 500 or more games at Big 5 schools.
Defying expectations yet again in 2015-16, the Owls were picked to finish sixth in The American but instead Dunphy led his team to a 14-4 record and an American Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship. Temple fell to conference tournament champion UConn in the semifinals, but was awarded a 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Owls took seventh-seeded Iowa to overtime before falling 72-70 in their NCAA First Round game. Dunphy was named the American's Coach of the Year for a second year in a row, as well as the NABC District Coach of the Year.
The 2016-17 campaign saw the Owls defeat ranked opponents on consecutive days for the first time in school history. Temple upset #25 Florida State and #19 West Virginia to win the 2016 NIT Season Tip-Off. With its projected starting backcourt sidelined for the season, the Cherry and White still finished 16-16 and fell short of another postseason bid. In 2017-18, Temple defeated a Top 25 program for the 11th year in a row and made a return to the postseason with an NIT bid after putting together a resume that included wins over three teams that were nationally ranked or eventually nationally ranked for most of the year.
Dunphy's final season saw the Owls go 23-10, make the program's 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, defeat two Top 25 programs and tie for third in the American Athletic Conference after being picked to finish sixth. AAC First Team selection senior Shizz Alston, Jr. cemented his name all over the program's career record lists and led the AAC with 19.7 points per game. The Owls' season ended in the NCAA First Four after a strong, late-season run that saw them win six of their final seven regular season contests.
One of the most respected coaches in the nation, Dunphy coached eight Conference Players of the Year, three Conference Rookies of the Year, five perfect Conference seasons and 56 All-Conference honorees.
Prior to joining Penn's coaching staff, Dunphy served as an assistant under Speedy Morris at his alma mater, La Salle University (1985-86 through 1987-88). The Philadelphia native's coaching career began at the United States Military Academy (1971-72), where he served as an assistant under head coach Dan Dougherty. In 1975, he became head coach of his high school alma mater, Malvern Prep. He remained there until becoming Lefty Ervin's assistant at La Salle University (1979-80).
The following year, Dunphy joined current Maryland head coach Gary Williams' staff at American University. He served as an assistant two seasons under Williams, and the final three years under Ed Tapscott, the former head coach of the NBA’s Washington Wizards (2008-09). He returned to La Salle in 1985, serving one more season under Ervin and assisting Morris for two seasons. He left La Salle to become Tom Schneider's assistant at Penn in 1988.
In 1989, Dunphy was named the 16th head coach at Penn. He would compile a 310-163 overall record in his 17-year career. His Quaker teams won an unprecedented 48 straight Ivy League games and four league titles from 1992 through 1996. His 1993-94 team posted a 25-3 record and earned a Number 25 ranking in the CNN/USA Today Coaches' Poll, the program's first such ranking since the 1978-79 campaign. That year also included a 90-80 first round upset of sixth-seed Nebraska in the NCAA Tournament.
In his last eight seasons at Penn, Dunphy, who was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame in May 2017, guided the Quakers to six Ivy League titles and a 93-19 league record. From 1999-2001, he led Penn to 25 straight league wins, including a perfect 14-0 mark in 1999-2000. In 2001-02, Dunphy's Quakers posted a 25-7 record and won the school's first outright city-series title with a perfect 4-0 mark since 1973-74.
An educator on and off the court, Dunphy has taught for 12 years in Temple's prestigious Fox School of Business. His honors course, co-taught with Dr. Lynne Anderson, is entitled Management, Theory & Practice: From the Locker Room to the Board Room. He previously had served as a lecturer in the Wharton Executive Education program and in the management department of the Wharton School.
Dunphy, who received the Dean Smith Award from the USBWA in 2018, is one of the leaders in the local Coaches vs. Cancer campaign and was named to the National Council of Coaches vs. Cancer. He was also honored as the 2002 National Coaches vs. Cancer Coach of the Year for his service and tireless dedication to those in need. On September 23, 2008, he joined four other coaches to speak to legislators on Capitol Hill on the need for more funding for cancer research.
The Owl mentor also devotes time to Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Greater Philadelphia's Board of Directors, and his Penn and Temple teams have participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program each year. He is also a member of the Philadelphia CYO Hall of Fame.
A 1970 La Salle graduate with a degree in marketing, Dunphy was an outstanding player under Explorers' head coach Tom Gola. As a junior, he helped the Explorers to a 23-1 record. He served as a co-captain his senior year when he averaged 18.6 ppg and led the team in assists, while also being named the MVP of the annual Quaker City Basketball Tournament. In 1979, he earned a Master's degree in counseling and human relations from Villanova University.
Dunphy and his wife, Ree, reside in Villanova, Pa. They have one son, J.P.
Fran Dunphy Year-by-Year Coaching Record
| Penn | Record | Pct. | Ivy | Pct. | Ivy Finish |
| 1989-90 | 12-14 | .462 | 7-7 | .500 | t-3rd |
| 1990-91 | 9-17 | .321 | 6-8 | .429 | t-3rd |
| 1991-92 | 16-10 | .615 | 9-5 | .643 | 2nd |
| 1992-93 | 22-5 | .815 | 14-0 | 1.000 | Ivy League Champions |
| 1993-94 | 25-3 | .893 | 14-0 | 1.000 | Ivy League Champions |
| 1994-95 | 22-6 | .786 | 14-0 | 1.000 | Ivy League Champions |
| 1995-96 | 17-10 | .630 | 12-2 | .857 | Ivy League Champions |
| 1996-97 | 12-14 | .462 | 8-6 | .571 | 4th |
| 1997-98 | 17-12 | .586 | 10-4 | .714 | 2nd |
| 1998-99 | 21-6 | .777 | 13-1 | .929 | Ivy League Champions |
| 1999-00 | 21-8 | .724 | 14-0 | 1.000 | Ivy League Champions |
| 2000-01 | 12-17 | .414 | 9-5 | .643 | t-2nd |
| 2001-02 | 25-7 | .781 | 11-3 | .786 | Ivy League Champions |
| 2002-03 | 22-6 | .786 | 11-3 | .786 | Ivy League Champions |
| 2003-04 | 17-10 | .630 | 10-4 | .714 | t-2nd |
| 2004-05 | 20-9 | .689 | 13-1 | .929 | Ivy League Champions |
| 2005-06 | 20-9 | .689 | 12-2 | .857 | Ivy League Champions |
| Temple | Record | Pct. | A-10/AAC* | Pct. | A-10/American Finish* |
| 2006-07 | 12-18 | .400 | 6-10 | .375 | t-10th |
| 2007-08 | 21-13 | .618 | 11-5 | .688 | Atlantic 10 Champions |
| 2008-09 | 22-12 | .647 | 11-5 | .688 | Atlantic 10 Champions |
| 2009-10 | 29-6 | .800 | 14-2 | .875 | Atlantic 10 Champions |
| 2010-11 | 26-8 | .765 | 14-2 | .875 | t-3rd |
| 2011-12 | 24-8 | .750 | 13-3 | .813 | Regular Season Champions |
| 2012-13 | 24-10 | .706 | 11-5 | .688 | t-3rd |
| 2013-14 | 9-22 | .290 | 4-14* | .222 | t-8th |
| 2014-15 | 26-11 | .703 | 13-5* | .722 | t-3rd |
| 2015-16 | 21-12 | .636 | 14-4* | .778 | Regular Season Champions |
| 2016-17 | 16-16 | .500 | 7-11* | .389 | 8th |
| 2017-18 | 17-16 | .515 | 8-10* | .444 | 7th |
| 2018-19 | 23-10 | .697 | 13-5* | .722 | t-3rd |
| Penn Totals | 310-163 | .655 | 191-49 | .796 | 17 Seasons |
| Temple Totals | 270-162 | .625 | 139-79 | .637 | 13 Seasons |
| Overall | 580-325 | .641 | 324-132 | .711 | 30 Seasons |
Ep. 2: Temple Football Alum Tyler Matakevich || Gymnastics Junior Amelia Budd
Friday, September 05
Elevate the Owls: Temple Athletics' Competitive Excellence Fund
Tuesday, September 02
Ep. 1: Head Football Coach K.C. Keeler || XC's David Litvin & WLAX's Amelia Wright
Friday, August 29
Introducing The Owl Pod: The Official Podcast of Temple Athletics!
Friday, August 22
