PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Former St. Joseph's men's basketball coach Jim Boyle died Friday after losing his battle with lung cancer.
Boyle, 63, was head coach at the school from 1981-1990. As a player Boyle was coached by Hall of Famer Dr. Jack Ramsey, who was both an assistant and head coach.
Current Hawks Coach Phil Martelli served as an assistant under Boyle, whose record was 151-114. He led the Hawks to the post-season four times, with two trips to the NCAA Tournament and two to the NIT.
"There are few who spanned from Jack Ramsay to the current teams," said Martelli. "On a personal level, this is a difficult time to lose a mentor and a very, very, very dear friend. Jim Boyle gave me the opportunity to enter college basketball in 1985 and I will be forever grateful."
Boyle's 1985-86 St. Joseph team won 26 games, a school record at the time.
