Vince Boryla
New York Knicks Head Coach | NBA All-Star as Player | NBA Executive
Vince Boryla was born on March 11, 1927, in East Chicago, Indiana. He played college basketball at Notre Dame and the University of Denver and was a member of the United States team that won the gold medal at the 1948 Olympics.
Boryla played 5 NBA seasons with the New York Knicks and was selected to the 1951 NBA All-Star Game. After his playing career, he returned to the Knicks as a coach.
Boryla became New York’s head coach during the 1955-1956 season and remained in the position through 1957-1958. He later worked as an NBA and ABA executive.
Coach Boryla passed away on March 27, 2016, at the age of 89.
- Overall Coaching Record: 80-85
Coaching Career
Vince Boryla was hired as head coach of the New York Knicks on February 9, 1956, replacing Joe Lapchick.
Boryla went 9-12 over the final 21 games of the 1955-1956 season. New York finished 35-37 overall and lost a third-place tiebreaker to the Syracuse Nationals.
The Knicks finished 36-36 during Boryla’s first full season in 1956-1957 and placed fourth in the Eastern Division, missing the playoffs.
New York went 35-37 in 1957-1958 and again finished fourth in the Eastern Division. Boryla resigned as head coach on April 5, 1958.
Boryla finished his NBA head coaching career with an 80-85 regular-season record.
Notable Players Coached
- Harry Gallatin
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 7× NBA All-Star
- 1954 NBA rebounding champion
- Carl Braun
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 5× NBA All-Star
- 1962 NBA champion
- Richie Guerin
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 6× NBA All-Star