Jack Friel

Jack Friel
Friel in the 1950 "Chinook"
Biographical details
Born(1898-08-26)August 26, 1898
Waterville, Washington, U.S.
DiedDecember 12, 1995(1995-12-12) (aged 97)
Pullman, Washington, U.S.
Playing career
1920–1923Washington State
Position(s)Forward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1923–1925Colville HS
1925–1928North Central HS
1928–1958Washington State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1963–1971Big Sky (commissioner)
Head coaching record
Overall495–377 (.568) – (college)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Pacific Coast (1941)
Jack Friel
Allegiance United States
Service / branchUnited States Army seal U.S. Army
Battles / warsWorld War I

John Bryan Friel (August 26, 1898[1] – December 12, 1995) was an American college basketball coach, the head coach of the Washington State Cougars for 30 seasons, from 1928 to 1958.[2] He holds the school record for victories by a men's basketball coach with 495, and led Washington State to the NCAA tournament championship game in 1941.[3] He was later the first commissioner of the Big Sky Conference.

Friel played college basketball at Washington State before becoming a high school coach. In 1928, he was named the head coach of Washington State. His teams won one Pacific Coast Conference championship and three divisional titles. Friel officiated college football games and was head coach of the Cougars baseball team from 1943 to 1945.

  1. ^ "Men's Basketball Coaches Career" (Search for Jack Friel under Player/Coach Search). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  2. ^ Solomon, Lynn (December 14, 1995). "A Coug inspiration". Lewiston Morning Tribune. p. 1B. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
  3. ^ "Four Fathers of Cougar Basketball: Jack Friel". Washington State University. January 18, 2006. Archived from the original on November 21, 2015. Retrieved January 28, 2020.