Fran Dunphy, a 1970 LaSalle graduate and the all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history, enters retirement after completing his third season as the head coach of La Salle University in 2024-25. Nicknamed “Mr. Big 5”, Dunphy holds the record for the most career wins (625) by a coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history.

Dunphy, a member of the Philadelphia Big 5, La Salle Athletics, Penn Athletics, and Philadelphia Sports Writers Halls of Fame, amassed more than 600 victories over his 30 years as head coach at Penn (1989-06) and Temple (2006-19). He is the only coach to oversee multiple Big 5 men’s programs, and his teams have competed in 17 NCAA Tournaments.

In his first season as head coach for La Salle, Dunphy guided the Explorers to the Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2015 and helped them win two games in the tournament for the first time since 2002. He also oversaw an Explorer squad that won 15 games for the second time in four seasons and go on a five-game winning streak from Feb. 1-15.

As a dual-sport student-athlete at La Salle from 1967-70, Dunphy played both baseball and basketball for the Explorers, and was a member of the 1968-69 team that was coached by all-time La Salle great Tom Gola. The team finished that season 23-1 and ranked second in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll. As a senior, Dunphy averaged 18.6 points per game and also led La Salle in assists.

Following his playing days, Dunphy jumped right into coaching and was an assistant on La Salle’s 1979-80 squad that earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament. Individually, Michael Brooks earned National Player of the Year honors and would go on to be drafted 9th overall in the NBA Draft by the Clippers.

Dunphy then spent five seasons as an assistant at American University before returning home to join La Salle’s staff from 1985-88. During that time, the Explorers successfully recruited eventual National Player of the Year Lionel Simmons from South Philadelphia High School, advanced to the finals of the National Invitation Tournament in 1987 and won a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship in 1988.

In 1989, Dunphy was named head coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the next 17 seasons, he would win 10 Ivy League titles, post nine 20-win seasons, and amass a total of 310 victories –the most by any coach in Penn history. The Quakers won 48 straight Ivy League games from 1992-96, and his ’93-94 team went 25-3, was ranked as high as No. 24 nationally, and defeated Nebraska in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Dunphy’s career continued at Temple, when he took over for Naismith Hall of Famer John Chaney in 2006. The Owls advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times in his 13 years, including a run of seven consecutive seasons from 2007-13. During his 13 seasons at Temple, Dunphy’s teams defeated nationally-ranked teams a total of 18 times, including victories over Duke, Kansas, Villanova, Syracuse, Connecticut, Florida State, West Virginia, Tennessee, Xavier, and Georgetown.

In 2020, Dunphy transitioned into an interim athletic director position at Temple. In the two years he did not coach, the Drexel Hill, Pa. native was active with his alma mater. He was the recipient of an honorary degree at La Salle University’s 2020 Commencement ceremony at Lincoln Financial Field and has broadcastnumerous men’s basketball games on ESPN+.

Coach Mark Kensy, retired head basketball coach at Maryvale H.S., is our 2025 recipient of the Jim & Kathy Satalin Inspiration Award.

In his 34 years at Maryvale HS, Coach Kensy led his teams to 414 wins. In 2024, he was inducted into the prestigious New York State Basketball Hall of Fame.

His teams at Maryvale’s won four consecutive Section 6 championships. Coach Kensy’s contributions to the game of basketball include the development of the Maryvale basketball little league and summer camps; for 30+ years he has been the ECIC basketball chairman and has served on the Section 6 Basketball Committee, worked at many local camps and served as a BCANY Summer Hoops Festival assistant coach.

Over the years Coach has been honored with many awards over his coaching career. The Erie County Interscholastic Conference Service Award, BCANY Recognition Award. He was named a Coach of the Year by BCANY, Coaches vs. Cancer of WNY, the ECIC and his league. In 2020 he received the National Federation of High Schools NYS and Northeast Region Coach of the Year.

Coach Kensy started a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society when his son Garrett was diagnosed with pediatric cancer. Maryvale has continued to run their Christmas tournament, as well as their famed “Alumni Game” which take donations for Coaches vs. Cancer to participate in, even after Mark’s retirement. The School as fundraised over $30K to date for the Coaches vs. Cancer program in Western NY since its inception.

He is a member of the Maryvale Wall of Fame. Since 2019, Kensy has been an assistant to his son Chris at Amherst High School.

Sister Margaret Carney, OSF, the 20th president of St. Bonaventure, is our 2025 recipient of the Bob Lanier Impact Award.

Sister Margaret was named president emeritus upon her retirement in 2016. Under her leadership, the university invested $71 million in capital projects, from the renovations of Hickey Dining Hall, Shay and Loughlen residence halls and Fred Handler Park, to several new construction projects: Richter Center, Café La Verna, Walsh Science Center, Swan Business Center, Marra Athletics Fields Complex, and the Holy Name Library rare books addition to Friedsam Memorial Library.

Sister Margaret was also the driving force in the 150th anniversary campaign for St. Bonaventure, which exceeded its $90 million goal, and helped the university double its endowment between 2005 and 2015.

She was a staunch proponent of diversity at SBU, founding the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies and the Damietta Center for Multicultural Affairs; encouraged students to lives of service; and engaged alumni to assist with internships and job placement.

Only three people – Joseph Butler, Thomas Plassmann and Mathias Doyle, all friars – served longer terms as president of St. Bonaventure than Sister Margaret.

“Sister Margaret was instrumental in restoring faith and confidence in the university at a critical time in our history,” said Dr. Jeff Gingerich, current university president. “Her leadership for more than a decade and her ability to convince people that the university was still worth investing in helped set the stage for the tremendous success we’ve experienced the last several years.”

An Extraordinary Legacy Of Leadership: Sister Margaret Carney

St. Bonaventure men’s basketball head coach Mark Schmidt has earned this year’s Coaches vs. Cancer Champion Award by the American Cancer Society for his continued efforts toward the work of the organization. He was presented with the award during the Final Four weekend in San Antonio.

The Champion Award honors coaches who have shown extraordinary leadership and commitment in the fight against cancer.

Schmidt serves on the Coaches vs. Cancer national board and has helped raise more than half a million dollars for the organization to date. He has also been part of the annual Suits and Sneakers as well as Set The Screen fundraising and awareness campaigns as well as coordinating a partnership with local Tim Hortons franchises to raise funds in addition to a personal contribution along with his wife Anita averaging $20,000 annually.

More recently, he established the 716 Golf Classic fundraiser in Olean. The 716 Golf Classic has been extremely successful with a sold-out field of nearly 150 participants last year to help raise over $400,000 for cancer research since 2021.

“I am very grateful to Coach Mark Schmidt for his unwavering dedication to the fight against cancer,” said Dr. Wayne Frederick, interim CEO for the American Cancer Society. “His passion for making a difference through hosting impactful fundraisers, expanding the Suits And Sneakers initiative, and his generous contributions exemplify what it means to be a Coaches vs. Cancer Champion.”

Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the NABC that empowers coaches, their teams, and communities to join in saving more lives. The program leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of basketball coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.

The Champion Award was instituted in 1996, with former Missouri Coach Norm Stewart receiving the inaugural honor. Since that time, the award has been presented to head coaches nationally including the likes of Roy Williams, Tom Izzo and Bill Self.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced the recipients of the 2025 Curt Gowdy Media Award and John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Legendary Detroit Pistons play-by-play announcer George Blaha, renowned CBS analyst Clark Kellogg, veteran women’s basketball writer Michelle Smith, and influential NBA journalist Adrian Wojnarowski are the 2025 Curt Gowdy Media Award recipients. Boston Celtics long-time Vice President of Media and Alumni Relations Jeff Twiss is the recipient of the 2025 John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award.

Blaha, Kellogg, Smith, Wojnarowski, and Twiss will be recognized for their contributions to basketball during the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend on September 5-6.

The Curt Gowdy Media Award is named in honor of the late Curt Gowdy, a legendary sports broadcaster and former Hall of Fame Board member and President. This prestigious award is presented to members of the print, electronic, and transformative media whose efforts have made a significant contribution to the game of basketball.

Adrian Wojnarowski was a prominent sports journalist best known for his unparalleled NBA coverage and breaking news scoops, earning him the nickname “Woj.” Wojnarowski began his career as a senior in high school, working for theHartford Courantand continuing during his college breaks. In 1989, while attending St. Bonaventure University, he began interning with the Olean Times Herald, where the sports department tasked him with writing highly critical pieces about his university’s basketball team. After graduating from college, he wrote for smaller newspapers before becoming a columnist for the Fresno Bee in 1995.

In 1997, he moved to The Record in New Jersey, where he earned the Associated Press Sports Editors’ Columnist of the Year award in 1997 and 2002. During that time, his work also appeared regularly on ESPN.com. In 2006, he published his New York Times bestseller, The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Improbable Dynasty, which further cemented his reputation as a storyteller.

In 2007, Wojnarowski left The Record and joined Yahoo! Sports, where his rapid-fire breaking news scoops, dubbed ‘Woj Bombs,’ made him an internet sensation. His speed and accuracy turned him into a highly respected figure in sports journalism, with fans eagerly awaiting his next major announcement, often reacting with “nuclear explosion” gifs.

On July 1, 2017, Wojnarowski joinedESPN, just ahead of the NBA free agency period. He made his ESPN debut on the midnight edition of SportsCenter. He went on to win three consecutive National Sportswriter of the Year awards from the National Sports Media Association (2017-19).

On September 19, 2024, Wojnarowski announced that he would step away from journalism to become the general manager of the men’s basketball team at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University, marking the end of his legendary media career.