Cincinnati State to honor John Hurley
February 6, 2009
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College will honor former basketball coach and athletic director John Hurley on Feb. 18.
Hurley, who has recorded more victories than almost any other active coach in college basketball, will be installed as the inaugural member of the Cincinnati State Athletic Hall of Fame during halftime ceremonies during the men’s basketball game against Sinclair Community College.
The ceremony will be followed by a reception after the game at Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute.
Hurley, who is now the men’s head basketball coach at the University of Cincinnati’s Clermont College, helped launch the athletic program at Cincinnati State in 1977, when the institution was a technical college only. Through the years Hurley became a regional legend, known both for his ability to develop basketball talent and his willingness to do whatever it took to run an athletic program on a shoestring budget.
During his tenure at Cincinnati State from 1977-2003, Hurley’s teams won the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference men’s basketball championships nine time and the National Junior College Athletic Association regional championships seven times.
Hurley sent more than 65 Cincinnati State graduates to four-year schools on athletic scholarships, including some who had been unable to make the cut for their high school teams. (One was Brian Kelley, who played at Cincinnati State under Hurley and went on to become a starter for the Georgetown Hoyas. Kelly is among the former players scheduled to participate in the induction ceremonies Feb. 18.)
Hurley’s winning record, at Cincinnati State and elsewhere, has earned him multiple “Coach of the Year’’ honors from the OCCAC and the NJCAA. And in April, 2008, Hurley received an Honor Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches in recognition of his 800th career victory (his win total now tops 825). Among active coaches, only Bob Knight has more career victories.
The Cincinnati State men’s game on Feb. 18 is scheduled to begin at approximately 7 p.m. The Hall of Fame ceremonies will likely start between 7:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
For more information, please contact John Wagner at Cincinnati State john.wagner@cincinnatistate.edu, (513) 569-1603) or Robert White robert.white@cincinnatistate.edu , (513) 569-4775).
