Coach Chuck Daly with the "Dream Team," the 1992 United States Olympic basketball team, which became the first professional squad to win a gold medal. Daly lost his battle with pancreatic cancer this morning at the age of 78. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)After a memorable career that included two NBA championships and an Olympic gold medal, Hall of Fame basketball coach Chuck Daly has died.
The 78-year old succumbed to pancreatic cancer this morning in his Florida home, surrounded by his family. Daly had won 638 games as coach of the Cavaliers, Pistons, Nets and Magic in his career; but will be best remembered for the back-to-back championships he won as the head man of the "Bad Boys" teams he had in Detroit, which featured the likes of Isiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Bill Laimbeer and Joe Dumars, who praised Daly as a "special coach, but more importantly, a special human being."
NBA commissioner David Stern also issued a statement commenting on Daly's passing, saying that the "void left by his death would never be filled."
Daly was the first head coach to win an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal, earning the latter in Barcelona in 1992.
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