Roy Rubin
Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach | Former LIU Coach
Roy Rubin was born December 9, 1925, in the Bronx, New York, and came to professional basketball by way of education rather than an NBA playing career. After playing college basketball at Louisville, he built a respected coaching résumé at Christopher Columbus High School in New York, where his teams won multiple borough titles. Rubin later spent eleven seasons leading Long Island University’s basketball program, compiling a 174–94 record and earning a reputation for teaching defensive fundamentals. His college success made him a plausible candidate for an NBA job in 1972.
Philadelphia hired Rubin to coach the 76ers after the departure of Jack Ramsay, but the timing could scarcely have been worse. The roster was weakened, wins were scarce, and Rubin struggled to establish authority with veteran professionals accustomed to a very different basketball environment. Through 51 games he recorded four wins against 47 losses. The 76ers dismissed him on January 23, 1973, and named player Kevin Loughery the interim coach for the remainder of the season.
The franchise ultimately finished 9–73, a team record that should never be confused with Rubin’s individual 4–47 NBA record. The contrast between his achievements at the high-school and college levels and his brief professional failure explains why his career deserves more attention than the losing percentage alone. Rubin died August 5, 2013. His profile is a reminder that an NBA coach’s outcome depends not only on expertise but also on roster quality, institutional support and the circumstances of a particular season.
Overall NBA regular-season head-coaching record: 4–47. Assistant-coaching service is documented separately and is not assigned a personal win–loss record.
Coaching Career
The 76ers hired Rubin in June 1972 after his successful college work at Long Island University, but he arrived as the roster entered an unusually difficult period. Philadelphia had lost much of the talent that had fueled its earlier success, and Rubin struggled to bring a rebuilding professional team into a coherent system. His LIU reputation for teaching defense was not enough to produce quick NBA results. Across 51 games the 76ers went 4–47, prompting his dismissal on January 23, 1973, and the appointment of Kevin Loughery as interim coach. The team closed 9–73, with the remaining five wins credited to Loughery. This distinction matters when interpreting one of the NBA’s most frequently cited losing seasons.