Lawrence J. "Jay" McCreary (February 6, 1918 – April 17, 1995) was an American basketball player and coach. He won championships as a player in both high school and college, and as a high school coach in Indiana. McCreary also served as head coach at Louisiana State University.[1]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1918 Elwood, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | April 17, 1995 (aged 77) Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1937–1941 | Indiana |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1947–1949 | Indiana (assistant) |
| 1949–1951 | DePauw |
| 1951–1957 | Muncie Central HS |
| 1957–1965 | LSU |
| 1966–1972 | LSU (assistant) |
Playing career
editJay McCreary was an Indiana state All-Star as a guard at Frankfort High School, where he led the team to a State championship in 1936. Following his prep career, McCreary went to play for Indiana University and was a key player on the 1939–40 Indiana Hoosiers national championship team.[2]
Coaching career
editAfter serving in the United States Army during World War II, McCreary returned to his alma mater as an assistant to his former coach, Branch McCracken. After two years he moved to DePauw University, then to Muncie Central High School, where he led the Bearcats to the 1952 state title.[3] Two seasons later (1953–54), the Mighty Bearcats would fall to Milan High; later this loss would inspire the movie Hoosiers. From Muncie Central, McCreary was named head coach at LSU. In eight seasons (1957–1965), McCreary's teams went 82–115 (.416). He was succeeded in 1965 by Frank Truitt, but returned to Baton Rouge as an assistant in 1966, he served in this capacity for Truitt and Press Maravich until Maravich's firing in 1972.[4]
Personal life
editJay McCreary died on April 17, 1995.
References
edit- ^ "LSU Fighting Tigers Coaches". sports-reference.com. Retrieved 2018-07-29.
- ^ "Jay McCreary". hoopshall.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ "Muncie Central proves it can wear crown well". The News-Sentinel. January 3, 1953. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
- ^ "LSU fires Maravich and his two assistants". The Morning Record. March 7, 1972. Retrieved August 5, 2011.
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