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| Pat Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Name | Pat Kennedy |
| Birth date | 6 July 1952 |
| Birth place | Trenton, New Jersey |
| Alma mater | Florida State University |
| Player years | 1970s |
| Player team | Florida State Seminoles men's basketball |
| Coach years | 1979–2011 |
| Coach teams | Pitzer College; St. Joseph's University; Florida State University; Iowa State University; DePaul University; Montana State University; Towson University |
Pat Kennedy
Pat Kennedy (born July 6, 1952) is an American collegiate basketball coach and former player known for leading multiple Division I programs and producing NCAA Tournament appearances. He served as head coach at Iowa State University, Florida State University, DePaul University, and Towson University, among others, and built reputations for program rebuilding, conference competition, and player development. Kennedy’s career spans the Big Eight Conference, Metro Conference, Big East Conference, and Atlantic 10 Conference affiliations through several decades of NCAA Division I men's basketball.
Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Kennedy grew up in a region with strong high school basketball traditions tied to New Jersey high school athletics. He attended Notre Dame High School where he played varsity basketball and attracted attention from collegiate programs across the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference. Kennedy matriculated at Florida State University and played for the Florida State Seminoles men's basketball program, participating as a guard under head coaches connected to the modern ACC and national recruiting networks. After finishing his playing eligibility, Kennedy transitioned into coaching, joining staffs connected to college basketball power structures and early versions of contemporary coaching trees.
Kennedy’s early coaching work included assistant roles at programs that engaged with the Metro Conference and regional NCAA Tournament competitors, building experience in recruiting across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast United States. He earned his first head coaching position at Iona College (note: brief listings across schools in coaching biographies vary) before accepting a high-profile opportunity at Florida State University where he succeeded coaches who had navigated the ACC and Metro Conference landscapes. At Florida State University, Kennedy led the Florida State Seminoles men's basketball into conference tournaments and secured bids to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
In 1986 he became head coach at Iowa State University, moving the Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball program through the competitive environment of the Big Eight Conference and facing opponents from University of Kansas, Oklahoma State University, and University of Missouri. Kennedy’s Cyclones earned NCAA Tournament berths and developed NBA prospects while competing in NCAA postseason play. After his tenure at Iowa State University, Kennedy accepted the head coaching role at DePaul University, guiding the DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball program during its time in the revitalized Big East Conference and scheduling marquee nonconference matchups against programs like Duke University and University of Connecticut.
Kennedy later was named head coach at Montana State University, where he oversaw the Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team within the Big Sky Conference competitive framework, and at Towson University, directing the Towson Tigers men's basketball program through the Colonial Athletic Association and toward postseason opportunities. Throughout his career he coached in postseason events including the National Invitation Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, facing historic programs such as University of Kentucky, University of North Carolina, and Villanova University.
Kennedy emphasized disciplined man-to-man defense, halfcourt offensive sets, and player fundamentals cultivated during recruiting battles across the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast United States, and Midwest United States. His coaching tree includes assistants who went on to staff roles at Big East Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference programs, and alumni of his teams reached professional opportunities in the National Basketball Association and international leagues. Kennedy’s legacy is tied to rebuilding efforts at institutions with varying resource levels, contributing to the competitive histories of programs in conferences such as the Big Eight Conference, Big Sky Conference, and Colonial Athletic Association. Institutional athletic departments he served—such as Florida State University athletics and DePaul University athletics—credit his tenures with elevated recruiting profiles and postseason appearances.
Kennedy received conference recognition during seasons that produced NCAA Tournament bids and was named coach of the year honors in select league contexts tied to his conference peers at Iowa State University and Florida State University. His teams earned postseason invitations to the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament, and several players under his tutelage received all-conference selections and individual awards, including entries into school halls of fame and professional draft lists connected to the NBA Draft.
Kennedy is a native of New Jersey who maintained ties to regional high school coaching networks and collegiate recruiting pipelines across the Northeast United States and Southeast United States. He has been involved with alumni events at Florida State University and other institutions where he coached, participating in fundraising and community outreach alongside athletic directors and university foundations. Family life and private details have occasionally been noted in institutional media guides and program biographies released by the athletic departments of schools such as DePaul University and Towson University.
Kennedy’s head coaching record encompasses multiple seasons across NCAA Division I men's basketball institutions including Florida State University, Iowa State University, DePaul University, Montana State University, and Towson University, with cumulative totals reflecting regular-season and postseason results in the NCAA Tournament and National Invitation Tournament. Season-by-season records appear in school media guides and institutional archives maintained by the athletics departments of Florida State University athletics, Iowa State University athletics, DePaul University athletics, Montana State University athletics, and Towson University athletics.
Category:American basketball coaches Category:Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Category:1952 births Category:Living people