April 28, 2005
A quick look at the life of Duquesne great John "Red" Manning.
Born: Nov. 17, 1928 in Munhall, Pa.; Died: April 27, 2005 in Bethel Park at age 76
* Had a 33-year association with Duquesne as a player, assistant coach, head coach and Director of Athletics.
* Played at Homestead High School under former DU great Chick Davies (Davies coached at Homestead while the Duquesne program was suspended due to WWII) ... played in two state championship games.
* Began his playing career at Duquesne in 1947-48 as a member of the freshman team ... played under Dudey Moore for three seasons from 1949-51 ... became a starter as a sophomore and captained the Dukes as a senior ... played on the 1950 NIT team which was the second-winningest in school history at the time with a 23-6 record.
* Was drafted in the 8th round by the NBAs Fort Wayne Pistons in 1951.
* Graduated from Duquesne with a degree in education in 1951 and completed his master's in administration in 1953.
* Coached at St. Canice High School for two years before returning to his alma mater on a full time basis in 1954 ... served as an assistant to Moore and remained at DU until resigning as director of athletics in June of 1982 ... was an assistant to Moore during DU's 1955 NIT championship season.
* Succeeded Moore as head coach in March of 1958 ... was the third head coach in 32 seasons at the time of his hiring ... Manning inherited a team that was 10-12 in 1957-58 and four year's later took four seniors and a 5-10 sophomore named Willie Somerset to a 22-7 record, No. 17 (AP) ranking and semifinal appearance in the 1962 NIT ... the `62 Dukes, which reached a high rank of No. 3, were the first DU team to appear in the Top 10 since 1955-56 ... that season, the Dukes defeated Duke (with Art Heyman & Jeff "Moon" Mullins), Bowling Green (with Nate Thurmond), Bradley (and Chet Walker) in addition to Dayton, La Salle and St. Bonaventure ... Manning went 247-138 in 16 seasons as head coach ... he had just two losing seasons in his 16 years ... his win total (247) and tenure (16 seasons) is second only to Chick Davies who coached the Dukes to 314 wins in 21 seasons (1925-43, `47-48) ... is the only coach to lead DU to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances (1969 & 1971) ... also took the Dukes to the NIT four times (1962, 1964, 1968 & 1970) ... his NCAA teams were led by the Nelson twins (Garry and Barry) and Jarrett Durham ... Mickey Davis was also a key member of the '71 squad ... had a total of 16 players drafted, eight of whom played in the NBA.
* Stepped down as head coach following the 1973-74 season and was named Director of Athletics where he served until June of 1982.
RED MANNING AT DUQUESNE CHRONOLOGY
Player 4 yrs 1948-51 team captain in 1951Assistant Coach 5 yrs 1954-58 assistant coach under Dudey MooreHead Coach 16 yrs 1959-74 succeeded Moore in March of 1958Athletic Director 8 yrs 1974-82 succeeded Clair Brown as ADTOTAL 33 yrs 1948-1951; 1954-82note: 1948 refers to 1947-48 academic year
Former Dayton coach Tom Blackburn once stated following a Duquesne NIT victory: "Red Manning gets more out of limited material than any coach I know."
As coach, Red was known for emphasis on defense. Manning once summed up his defensive philosophy this way: "The good offensive player must have exceptional ability. Ordinary players can compensate for their offensive shortcomings by working hard on defense. You can teach defense to any player if he wants to work. That's what defense is - hard work and teamwork."
Funeral Arrangements
Friends will be accepted at Beinhauers, 2828 Washington Rd., McMurray (724-941-3211) from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Louise de Marillac Church at 10:30 a.m. on Monday. Interment will be at Bethel Cemetary.
The family asks that memorial donations be made to Girls Hope, 1020 State Street, Baden, Pa., 15005.
