John Francis Egan was born in Hartford, Connecticut on December 31, 1939 to Bridie and Patrick Egan, both of whom were Irish immigrants. He was a standout, all-state basketball player at Weaver High School in Hartford leading the Beavers to two Connecticut state basketball championships.
Egan, a high-profile recruit, came to Providence College in 1958. In an era when freshmen were not permitted to play at the varsity level, Egan burst on the scene as a sophomore averaging 20.9 ppg teaming with Wilkens to lead the Friars to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) which then eclipsed the NCAA Tournament in status and prestige. In his junior season Johnny averaged 14.2 ppg in 27 games as the Friars advanced again to the NIT. The Friars had one of their greatest seasons ever in Egan’s senior year posting a 24-5 mark and capturing the College’s first NIT title with a 62-59 win over St. Louis University at Madison Square Garden. In three seasons of varsity competition, Johnny helped lead P.C. to a 68-17 record (.800) and finished his career with 1,434 points without the existence of the 3-point field goal. He earned multiple honors during his college career including Honorable Mention All-America accolades in 1959 and Second Team All-America distinction in 1960. He garnered NIT All-Tournament Team honors in 1959 and 1961 and National Association of Basketball Coaches recognition in each year he played. Johnny was inducted into the Providence College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1974.
In the second round of the 1961 NBA Draft, Egan was selected as the twelfth pick of the Detroit Pistons. He played eleven seasons in the NBA for six teams (Pistons, Knicks, [Baltimore] Bullets, Lakers, Cavaliers and Rockets). His best scoring year saw him average 14.1 ppg in 42 games in the 1968-69 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He played in a total of 712 NBA games with an average of 7.8 ppg on 43% field goal shooting and 80% free throw shooting. After his NBA playing days ended, he was hired as the head coach of the Houston Rockets at the age of 34 and led the team for four seasons. He compiled a record of 129-152 (.459) in the regular season and a playoff record of 3-5 in the playoffs.
After retirement Johnny Egan made Houston his home with his wife Joan Grimaldi, his high school sweetheart, who predeceased him in 1998. The Egans had two children, John Jr. and Kimberly, and five grandchildren. In 2009 he was honored with a banner ceremony at Providence’s Dunkin’ Donuts Center prior to a Big East game against Notre Dame. At the time of the honor, he was the fifth Friars player and the seventh athlete in the Friars program to be so recognized.
Johnny died on July 21, 2022 at the age of 83 and was buried in Houston’s Glenwood Cemetery.
Lawrence C. Reid