Quick Facts
Biography
John Jack Kraft (February 10, 1921 – August 28, 2014) was an American basketball coach who coached Villanova for 12 years, from 1961 through 1973. He compiled a 238-95 record (.715). Kraft led Villanova to the NCAA Tournament six times, and five times to the NIT. Only once did Kraft's teams fail to earn a post-season bid, in his final season of 1973. The 1971 team, led by Howard Porter, reached the NCAA Championship game, and lost to UCLA at the height of the UCLA dynasty.
Notable players who played for Jack Kraft at Villanova include Chris Ford, Tom Ingelsby, Wali Jones, Bill Melchionni, Howard Porter, Hank Simeontkowski, Jim Washington, and Hubie White.
Kraft died on August 28, 2014 at the age of 93 in Cape May County, New Jersey. In honor of his memory, the Villanova basketball players wore a JK decal on their uniforms for the 2014-2015 season.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova Wildcats (Independent) (1961–1973) | |||||||||
| 1961–62 | Villanova | 21-7 | NCAA Elite 8 | ||||||
| 1962–63 | Villanova | 19-10 | NIT Semifinal/NIT 4th Place | ||||||
| 1963–64 | Villanova | 24-4 | NCAA Sweet 16 | ||||||
| 1964–65 | Villanova | 23-5 | NIT Runner Up | ||||||
| 1965–66 | Villanova | 18-11 | NIT Semifinal/NIT 3rd Place | ||||||
| 1966–67 | Villanova | 17-9 | NIT 1st Round | ||||||
| 1967–68 | Villanova | 19-9 | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||||
| 1968–69 | Villanova | 21-5 | NCAA 1st Round | ||||||
| 1969–70 | Villanova | 22-7 | NCAA Eilte 8 | ||||||
| 1970–71 | Villanova | 27-7 | NCAA Runner Up | ||||||
| 1971–72 | Villanova | 20-8 | NCAA 2nd Round | ||||||
| 1972–73 | Villanova | 11-14 | |||||||
| Villanova: | 242-96 | ||||||||
| Rhode Island Rams (Yankee) (1973–1976) | |||||||||
| 1973–74 | Rhode Island | 11-14 | 6-5 | 4th | |||||
| 1974–75 | Rhode Island | 5-20 | 3-7 | 5th | |||||
| 1975–76 | Rhode Island | 14-12 | 7-5 | T-2nd | |||||
| Rhode Island: | 30-46 | 23-37 | |||||||
| Rhode Island Rams (independent) (1976–1979) | |||||||||
| 1976–77 | Rhode Island | 13-13 | |||||||
| 1977–78 | Rhode Island | 24-7 | NCAA 1st Round | ||||||
| 1978–79 | Rhode Island | 20-9 | NIT 1st Round | ||||||
| Rhode Island: | 57-29 | ||||||||
| Rhode Island Rams (ECAC North) (1979–1980) | |||||||||
| 1979–80 | Rhode Island | 15-13 | 14-12 | T-4th | |||||
| 1980–81 | Rhode Island | 1-0 | Retire Due To Ill Health | ||||||
| Rhode Island: | 16-13 | 15-12 | |||||||
| Rhode Island: | 103-88 | 38-49 | |||||||
| Total: | 345-184 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||