Connecticut athletes and coaches are remembering one of the state’s greatest champions of positivity and perseverance.
Former University of Hartford men's basketball coach and Farmington High School athletic director Jack Phelan passed away Monday from a heart attack at the age of 66.
A statement from the Farmington school district said "Jack would never forget anyone's name," and that he was "fiercely proud" of Farmington High School Athletics.
Before taking on that role, he coached the Hartford Hawks men’s basketball team from 1981-92 and he's credited as the main driving factor in taking UHart athletics from Division II to Division I. Current Hawks men's basketball head coach John Gallagher said his legacy is so much more than that.
“When we were struggling in year six and seven, he texted me after every game,” said Gallagher. “And no one, other than my mom and dad has more correspondence with me than Jack Phelan... His passion for Hartford basketball is all over this place. I'm just grateful to be the head coach that he took to Division I and the school he brought it to.”
