Former Creighton, Texas A&M Coach Barone Passes Away

Tony Barone (Courtesy of Creighton Athletics)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. –(June 26)–Former Creighton men’s basketball coach Tony Barone passed away Tuesday, after a battle with cancer. He was 72.

Barone was hired at Creighton in 1985 and led the Bluejays to Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles in 1989 and 1991, which included trips to the NCAA Tournament. His 1990-91 team earned the program’s first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1973-74. While in Omaha, Barone compiled a 102-82 record at Creighton (including a 3-3 record against Nebraska)

Barone was twice named Missouri Valley Conference coach of the year and left Omaha in 1991 to take over the program at Texas A&M, before he was fired in 1998. In seven seasons with the Aggies, he compiled a 76-120 record (0-3 against Nebraska).

Barone later served as the director of player personnel for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA, even serving as an interim head coach in 2006.

Born and raised in Chicago, Barone had a standout basketball career in high school and later played college ball at Duke. He was inducted into the Creighton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015. The video above, courtesy of Creighton University, is his induction speech.