La Salle Head Coach, Big 5 Legend Fran Dunphy to Retire

La Salle men’s basketball head coach and legend of the game Fran Dunphy, 76, will retire following the conclusion of the Explorers’ 2024-25 season, per a team announcement on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Nicknamed “Mr. Big 5,” Dunphy’s college coaching career spanned more than five decades, almost all of it in the city of Philadelphia. A native of Drexel Hill, Dunphy attended La Salle from 1967 to 1970, playing on both the baseball and basketball teams, including the 1968-69 club that finished second in the AP Poll with an immaculate 23-1 record. After assistant coaching roles with Army, LaSalle, Penn and American University — along with a three year foray into the high school game at Malvern Prep in nearby Chester County — Dunphy served as head coach of the Penn Quakers from 1989 to 2006, then popped over to North Philly with the Temple Owls until 2019. After a brief stint as Temple’s athletic director, Fran Dunphy continued his journey north, taking up with the Explorers in 2022.

He ranks as the winningest head coach in Big 5 history with more than 615 career victories, making 17 NCAA Tournament appearances and four Coach of the Year awards, twice apiece in the AAC and A-10 during his time with Temple.