PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball mourns the loss of legendary head coach Tom Young who passed away Sunday at the age of 89. Young, the winningest coach in program history, led the Scarlet Knights from 1973-85, amassing a 239-117 overall record for a .671 winning percentage.
 
"The Rutgers men's basketball program expresses our deepest sympathies to Tom Young's family and friends upon his passing," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Tom was a pioneer for our program and set the standard for me and our players, past and present. Rutgers fans will remember him as the leader of the best season in Scarlet Knights basketball history. My team will continue to work on and off the court to honor his legacy and contributions to Rutgers basketball."
 
"Coach Young was an incredible coach and mentor," Rutgers Athletic Director Pat Hobbs said. "He will undoubtedly be remembered for the success he had on the sidelines leading Rutgers men's basketball, but his lasting legacy is with the men he nurtured and taught throughout his years as coach. Their success in life is his greatest achievement. We express our deepest condolences to Coach Young's family and friends, and former players."
 
The pinnacle of his career was the 1975-76 season when the Scarlet Knights raced out to a perfect 26-0 regular season record, eventually going 31-0 and reaching the Final Four. The final record of that season was (31-2), the best finish in Rutgers history.
 
Following the historic season, he was recognized as the 1975-76 United Press International National Coach of the Year, given to the best head coach in the country. He led Rutgers to four NCAA Tournament and five National Invitation Tournament (NIT) appearances. He had 10 victories over ranked opponents and Rutgers never posted a losing season in his time as head coach.
 
His 1978-79 team reached the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament and his 1977-78 team reached the Final Four of the NIT at Madison Square Garden. Young coached eight All-Americans at Rutgers.
 
Twelve of the players coached were drafted into the NBA. He coached 10 of Rutgers' top 11 all-time scorers and 15 of the top 50.
 
Young was especially noted for teaching the center position as he helped groom the All-American careers of Rutgers Hall of Famers James Bailey and Roy Hinson. He also guided some of the greatest players in RU history in Eddie Jordan and Phil Sellers.
 
 "When Tom got the job at Rutgers I was his first recruit," Eddie Jordan said. "It started then as a recruit. Coach hired me the day I retired from the NBA and is the reason I got into coaching. He helped me throughout my coaching career as I reached out to him often for advice about gameplans. He was instrumental in being an assistant for me when I was the head coach at the Wizards."

Jordan recalled a few stories throughout his life when Young was there for him as a mentor. 
 
"In 1976 he mentored me as sometimes an undisciplined and slightly reckless student on campus," Jordan laughed. "He was a father figure to me throughout my entire life. He was a mentor and an assistant for me when I first got my head coaching job in the NBA. When I got my first head coaching job in Sacramento he came out and talked to my guys at training camp. That meant a lot to me."
 
"I said my prayers for Tom last night," Sellers said. "He turned us boys into young men. I give Tom a lot of credit. He took all the guys that Dick Vitale recruited and took us all to the next step. He had no idea what he was getting into, but it didn't take him very long to lead us to success. Tom trusted in me to lead the team."
 
Sellers spoke of the special bond he shared with Young and his connection with all his players.
 
"Tom and I used to joke all the time," Sellers laughed. "He used to joke and remind me that he was the coach and I was the player. We used to laugh about things like that."
 
Young is responsible for the current home court advantage built at Jersey Mike's Arena as he helped construct the building formerly known as the RAC in the 1970s.
 
Young interrupted his college career for a 19-month tour of duty in Germany for the United States Army following the 1952-53 season. After graduating from Maryland, Young went on to coach at Catholic University (1958-67), was an assistant at Maryland (1967-69), and coached American university (1969-73) before landing the job with Rutgers.
 
Following his 12 seasons leading the Scarlet Knights, Young became the head coach at Old Dominion (1985-91) and finished his coaching career as an assistant in the NBA with the Washington Wizards (2003-07) before retiring from the profession on June 13, 2007.
 
Young finished his career with a 524-328 overall record and was (6-6) in the NCAA tournament, and (4-4) in the NIT.
 
Young was born in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania and attended the University of Maryland, where he starred on the basketball team.
 
Young is survived by his wife Nancy Young, whom he was married to for 67 years. Young is survived by his two children Tom Young Jr. and Tracy.
 
Young Jr. was a manager for the 1983 Rutgers Scarlet Knights and graduated from Rutgers. Young Jr. has three children T.J., Sarah, and Heather.
 
T.J. and Sarah graduated from Rutgers and Heather is enrolled in RU for the Fall of 2022. Tracy King has three children, Kayla, Madison, and Joey. Kayla King has a son Harrison, who is one year old and is Young's only great grandchild.