Johnny Egan: From Hartford Star To NBA Veteran And Head Coach
Discover the inspiring journey of Johnny Egan, a Hartford native who became a standout NBA player and later coached the Houston Rockets. Learn about his early life, playing years, and coaching career in this complete profile.
Jul 25, 20252.3K Shares77.7K Views
Johnny Eganwas born on January 31, 1939, in Hartford, Connecticut. He grew up in Hartford’s North End neighborhood, learning to play basketball at Keney Park by practicing against older, stronger players. He attended Weaver High School. While there, his team won New England high school basketball championships in 1956 and 1957.
In the 1957 championship game at the Boston Garden, he scored 36 points and made two free throws in the final seconds to send the game to overtime. He then scored 12 more points in overtime, helping his team win in front of over 11,000 fans.
He earned a place on the Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team during high school, a big honor at that time. His nickname was "Space", because he could jump high and had a long reach that made it look like he floated in the air while driving to the hoop or shooting long shots.
Playing Career
Johnny Egan played college basketball at Providence Collegefrom 1959 to 1961. He scored 1,434 pointsin 80 games, averaging about 17.9 points per game. He helped Providence win the NIT championshipin 1961.
After college, the Detroit Pistonsselected him in the second round of the 1961 NBA Draft, as the 12th pick overall. He played in the NBA for 11 seasonsfrom 1961 to 1972with six different teams: Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Baltimore Bullets, Los Angeles Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, and San Diego/Houston Rockets.
Over his NBA career, he played in 712 games, averaging 7.8 points, 3.0 assists, and about 1.8 rebounds per game. He was a key guard for the 1968–69 Lakerswho reached the NBA Finals, where he and Jerry West combined for 130 points in Games 1 and 2.
He continued playing when the San Diego Rockets moved to Houstonin 1971. His playing days ended after the 1971–72 season. Known for his unique style, he created what became known as a “floater”or tear-drop shot, which helped him score over taller defenders. This move earned him the nickname “Space”. He was also the shortest NBA playerfor much of his career at 5 ft 11 in, but was known for his jumping ability and strength.
Coaching Career
During the 1971–72 NBA season, Johnny Egan joined the Houston Rockets as an assistant coach while he was still an active player. Later, he became a player-coach for the rest of that season. He retired as a player afterward and was promoted to head coach on January 21, 1973, replacing Tex Winter.
Johnny Egan was among the youngest and shortest head coaches in NBA history. He led the Rockets for parts of four seasons (1972–73 through 1975–76), compiling a record of 129 wins and 152 losses over 281 games.
In 1975, under his leadership, the Rockets had a 41–41 record, finished second in the Central Division, and made it to the NBA playoffs. They won their first playoff series ever by defeating the New York Knicks in the first round. They then lost in the conference semifinals. After the 1975–76 season, the Rockets missed the playoffs with a 40–42 record, and Johnny Egan was replaced as head coach in April 1976.
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