Meet Dan Hurley’s Father Bob Hurley Sr. – a Hall of Famer Coach Who Raised Two NCAA Icons

Published 04/04/2024, 11:56 PM EDT

Every generation of basketball followers is familiar with the Hurley family. For many decades, the Hurley family made its mark in high school, colleges, and the NBA. Taking over for the 76-year-old Bob Hurley Sr., the only coach to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he left the sport in 2008 but kept declining multiple opportunities to stay in the New Jersey school. Until the St. Anthony High School closed, Hurley was an influential figure in talent-rich New Jersey for more than 40 years. In his tenure, he won 26 state titles, 4 national championships, 13 New Jersey Tournament of Champions trophies in 45 seasons, and produced over 150 Division 1 players.

A while after he retired, his sons: Bobby Hurley, head coach of basketball at Arizona State, and Dan Hurley, head coach of the University of Connecticut, traveling to Glendale, Arizona, this week for the Final Four entered the uncharted territory of college basketball. But are they equally committed as their father? Considering that Hurley Sr’s legacy extends beyond his collection of medals and NBA draft picks, which included his son Bobby.

Basketball legacy—Dan Hurley

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In 1967, Hurley Sr. started coaching at St. Anthony, and four years later, Bobby was born followed by Dan in less than two years. During the latter part of Bob Hurley’s career, the majority of students at the Felician Sisters-run New Jersey school, which had one of the lowest student populations in the state, were in poverty. Despite this, most people agree that this is one of the greatest teams in American history. Moving to the most recent winner, Dan Hurley, who attributes his success to his time in New Jersey. Hurley excelled in basketball at Jersey City’s St. Anthony High School, where his father had been the head coach for many years. Like his father, he honed his talents as head coach at Saint Benedict’s Preparatory School from 2001 to 2010. Although Dan attended Seton Hall, he is best known for his work as a head coach at Rhode Island and UConn.

Being a talented roster is one thing but turning out better than your rival in each game is what sets UConn apart. Dan’s overall stats with UConn are 290–163 which honestly is an impressive played-to-win figure. He was recruited to save the drowning image in 2018, eventually breaking through after failing to win a tournament game in his first four seasons with the Huskies. The national championship is evident that Dan’s living up to a standard set by his father.

Connecticut is enjoying an unprecedented win streak—ten consecutive wins by double digits in the NCAA Tournament, including four wins with an average of 27.8 points. Not only is UConn the defending champion, having won five titles in its six Final Four visits, but it is also playing on this platform against the Crimson Tide for the first time ever. Bob Hurley Sr. typically keeps a tight eye on things from the stands being involved in each process this season reported CTInsider. Many fans believe that for Connecticut Final Four was a cakewalk, but are they worthy of the 2024 NCAA Tournament?

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Meet the elder Hurley coach

Bobby being a former NBA player is more profoundly known for his stints as a player. After winning two national titles as an All-American at Duke from 1989 to 1993, he was chosen as the seventh choice by the Sacramento Kings in the 1993 NBA draft. From 1993 to 1998, he played five seasons in the NBA, but his career was hugely impacted by life-threatening injuries sustained from a car accident on December 12, 1993, during his rookie season.

Dan Hurley and Bobby Hurley: Meet Brothers Turned NCAA Coaching Rivals

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Dan was the one who offered Bobby his first coaching position. After working with high schools for almost ten years, Dan accepted the head coaching job at Wagner and appointed his brother as an assistant. Two years later, Dan took Bobby on his staff to Rhode Island. After leading the Bulls to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, Bobby left for a head coaching position at Buffalo in 2013. He later moved to Arizona State. Interestingly, put together Dan and Bobby Hurley have coached Division I teams for 26 seasons.

For a family with such success in basketball, Bob Sr. still thinks like a coach and appears to bet on Dan’s preparation as he heads to NRG Stadium for the final dance. Does his judgment convince you?

Continue Reading Dan Hurley vs Geno Auriemma 2024 Salary Comparison: Which UConn Huskies Coach Gets Paid More?

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Written by:

Divya Purohit is a senior Olympics Sports writer for EssentiallySports. She majorly covers gymnastics, alpine skiing, and horse racing. While bringing the detailed stats of gymnastics to the American readers, she covered two prominent events - the 2023 Xfinity Gymnastics Championships, and the 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Edited by:

Arijit Saha

Meet Dan Hurley’s Father Bob Hurley Sr. – a Hall of Famer Coach Who Raised Two NCAA Icons

Basketball legacy—Dan Hurley

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Meet the elder Hurley coach