- Frank Layden, former Utah Jazz coach and president, died at 93.
- Layden transformed the Jazz from an unknown team to a competitive NBA franchise.
- He was known for his charisma, humor, and significant contributions to the Jazz.
SALT LAKE CITY — Frank Layden, the former Utah Jazz head coach and team president, has died at the age of 93.
It's been years — decades even — since the enigmatic Layden patrolled the sidelines for the Jazz. And while there have been other major names that have come through the franchise, the start of the Jazz as Utah now knows it can be traced back to Layden.
"I don't think he'll ever be forgotten," former Jazz owner Gail Miller told KSL.com in 2022. "For those who didn't know who he was, I don't know that we'd be here without him."
Layden's first trips to Utah came in 1979 when he was interviewing for a job with the New Orleans Jazz. Only after he accepted the offer did he find out the reason for the odd interview location: The team was moving to Salt Lake City.
He had some reservations about that news.
"There's nobody here who's going to come to your games," he remembered saying when told of the move. "You can't support a big league team here. You've got a crummy arena."
To that, then owner Sam Battistone said: "I know — that's why we're hiring you."
And Layden made good on that trust.
"You didn't need a marketing department with Frank," former Jazz forward and current team broadcaster Thurl Bailey told KSL.com in 2022. "I mean, he was a one-man PR machine."
He arrived in Utah with a team that was broke, losing, and nearly anonymous — and turned it into a competitive NBA franchise with regular sellouts. But that took some time.
"I would give tickets to homeless people, anybody to have people look like they were in the arena," Layden said.
But with his famous charisma, things started to turn.
He stepped in as head coach in 1981, and by 1984, the Jazz made the playoffs for the first time. That same year, he coached the NBA All-Star Game and was named NBA Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year.
"When we got good, everybody jumped on board, and they haven't gotten off," Layden said.
Part of the reason it was easy to jump on board: Layden wasn't just a coach — he was an entertainer.
He was known for his sharp wit and unforgettable one-liners. One example: While talking about his tough upbringing in Brooklyn, he quipped, "We don't have nicknames in sports nowadays. Back in Brooklyn, we had nicknames — Rocky, Bugsy, Bubba, Scarface. And those were just the cheerleaders."
He once challenged Bobby Hansen to make Michael Jordan bleed — which resulted in Hansen coming to the bench with a blood-stained jersey.
The problem? It was his own.
"Michael's beating the (expletive) out of me," Hansen would tell Layden.
And during a blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1985, Layden had seen enough. His mind started wandering to the chili and bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches back at the team hotel.
"I looked around and saw people walking out of the Forum, as usual, and asked myself, 'What the heck am I staying for?'" Layden said in The Basketball Hall of Shame.
Layden told his assistant to take over and walked off. He passed the Lakers' bench on his way out and Los Angeles coach Pat Riley's interest was piqued.
"Where you going?" Riley asked.
Answered Layden: "Everybody else is leaving, so why should I stick around and suffer through this? I'm going across the street for some chili and a BLT."
Back at the hotel coffee shop, a man said: "You know, you look just like Frank Layden, the Utah coach. He's staying here at the hotel. Stick around. He'll probably be in here after the game."
Layden went 277-294 during the regular season as the Jazz's head coach, helping the franchise to the playoffs five times. But his most important win was helping the team stay in Utah.
Layden helped turn a financially strapped team into one of the NBA's best. He mentored Darrel Griffith, Rickey Green, Adrian Griffin and Mark Eaton, and was responsible for drafting Karl Malone and John Stockton.
In December 1988, he stepped down, saying that he had grown tired of the job. He stayed on with Utah as an executive, however, serving as the team's president and general manager.
Layden received the NBA's Lifetime Achievement Award and his name hangs in the rafters of Delta Center alongside other Jazz legends.
But the abrupt decision to quit coaching showed one thing: Basketball was his job — not his whole life.
"Was I a good father? I didn't spend enough time with my kids," he said. "No, I didn't spend enough time at their games. I was at other kids' games. I wish I could change that, but I can't. Now, you can't get that back."
He tried to make up for lost time, becoming a mainstay at his grandkids' games.
"I've seen more girls soccer and softball games than I ever thought I would in my whole life, and I love it," he said.
But after all the jokes, the games, the wins, the marketing fun and everything else, what does Layden want to be remembered for?
"That he was a good guy — that's all," he said. "This ain't a dress rehearsal you only go through once. So try to do it right, and go on from there."
