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While Chaney, 81, was born in Jacksonville, Fla., his family relocated to Point Breeze where the future basketball coach attended Norris S. Barratt Middle School and watched pick-up games in its packed schoolyard.
The then-resident of 17th and Ellsworth streets earned Public League Player of the Year in 1951 at his North Philly high school. After college, he briefly joined the Harlem Globetrotters and played in the Eastern Pro League for a decade. As a coach, he spent time at city schools before getting an opportunity at Cheyney State College, a Division II school he led to a championship in ’78.
Four years later, the now-Mount Airy resident headed to Temple University where he led the Owls to 17 NCAA Tournament trips — five straight in the ’80s and 12 more between ’90 and 2001, including five to the Elite Eight — and a No. 1 national ranking to finish the 1987-’88 regular season. These accomplishments brought Chaney two Division I Coach of the Year awards and a total of 516 wins for the Owls before he retired in ’06.
Contact Managing Editor Amanda L. Snyder at asnyder@southphillyreview.com or ext. 117.
The South Philadelphia Walk of Fame 2013 inductees
/ Marian Anderson / Paul Arizin / Frankie Avalon / Joey Bishop / John Chaney /
/ James Darren / Angelo Dundee / Fabian / Larry Fine / Eddie Fisher /
/ Kenny Gamble / Frank Gasparro / Joey Giardello / Stephen Girard / Sherman Hemsley /
/ Irvin Kershner / Jack Klugman / Eddie Lang / Mario Lanza / Rob McElhenney /
/ Joe Medeiros / Earl "The Pearl" Monroe / Nathan Morris / Michelle Nader / Gene Perret /
/ Frank Rizzo / Bobby Rydell / Lisa Scottoline / Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter / Anna Verna /
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