Celebrating Frank Layden 💜 | UTAH JAZZ

Celebrating Frank Layden 💜 | UTAH JAZZ

The guy didn’t even let the ball go! How would you look in a tuxedo? I’d look lousy. I’d look like a huge, huge penguin. Now we’re playing very good. We’re going to play better. Alright now, defense! We gotta earn it. Come on, we gotta earn it. Boring. Welcome to Celebrating Frank. One of the icons of the Utah Jazz. A foundation piece and one reason why the Utah Jazz remain in Utah this very day. Craig Bolerjack, you know him ‘Big T’ Thurl Bailey. And for the next little while, we’re going to look back at the life of Frank Layden, Big T. Talk to coaches and players just like yourself. Big T, who met Frank Layden, 1983. You’re the number seven pick out of North Carolina State. Take me back to what you must have thought of Frank Layden in those early, early days of the Utah Jazz. Well, thanks, Boler. First of all, it’s an honor to be celebrating his, his life and legacy and career here with you and and many others. But, you know, as a, as a young rookie just drafted to the NBA, I was excited to get out to Utah and meet the folks who were going to be I was going to be around. Finally got to meet a guy named Frank Layden. My first meeting with him, he opened with a joke. I don’t remember what the joke was, but I remember laughing. I remember kind of hesitating ‘cause I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to laugh right? Didn’t know, didn’t know this man. But he had me cracking up first time I met him. But what it did Boler was, it actually relaxed me. I got to know him that day, and from that day forward, I just said, Okay, he’s got me. I’m ready to, I’m ready to run through a brick wall for this man because I feel like I know him already. I feel like I know what kind of person he’s going to be first of all. And then what kind of, what kind of man he was. He was honest. He was funny. He was serious about basketball. And I was really, really ready to play for him. Take me inside the locker room, in the huddle, on the floor. Besides the jokes, what kind of coach and person was he that you, that you found in and obviously found respect for him? Well, first of all, when it was time for business, it was time to play. He wasn’t joking around. He wanted to win because wins were scarce, especially before I got there. You know, Jazz weren’t winning much. People weren’t coming to the games. And what I realized early on was that Frank was kind of this one man marketing machine. He was. You know, that was that was somebody had to keep fans at least partly interested and hopeful. And Frank was that guy. And, you know, the coaching part was serious. He wanted a team that could go out and and compete with anybody. And that particular year he got it. That was the first year the Jazz made the playoffs, was my rookie year. But even before that, you know, Frank was a guy who his timing was amazing, his timing to be serious as a coach, his timing to be that, that voice for the Jazz, to the fans to say, Hey, hang with us. There’s hope here. I think we’re going to start winning games. He just knew he knew how to handle a lot of different situations. So he, he wore many, many hats in those days, Boler. You know, the beauty of Frank, too. He was a magician with people. I think with the media, he knew how to handle, what to say and when to say it. He gave me, I felt like he was my mentor. He helped me transition from Kansas City, Midwest into Salt Lake City. And we spent a lot of time just talking. About who he was, what he believed. And he, he always had time. That’s the one thing, he always gave you the time. He always said to you, Hey, can I do something else for you? And I always thought, wow, man, I love this guy. It was so easy to be engaged with him. I think the one thing that he always talked about when he discussed the Jazz, again in a comical, you know, sense was Hey, Frank, what time is the game? What time can you be here? I mean, that is an iconic statement that I think illustrates what you’re saying, Big T. Is that he took a lot of the stress on himself while the Jazz were formulating who they who they became, and Frank was a master at that. He really was a master at that. I think he was way ahead of his time as far as coaches on that level. I think if you had met most coaches on the NBA level during that time, they were serious. I’m sure they had their their times when they were away from the game. But Frank never changed. It didn’t matter whether you were a player or you were a fan or just somebody he just met, he was genuine. He wanted to know about you. And he knew he had a job to do. Don’t don’t get me wrong, he knew in that position comes with a lot of pressure to win and a lot of pressure to to put guys out on the floor that are going to follow you. They’re going to, and that’s not easy to do in the NBA. You know, Frank was the kind of guy who just he wanted to win. And it wasn’t the most important thing to him. But it was very it was important on that list of things based on his job. But the well-being of his players was really important to him, and his family was definitely at the top of that list. What do you remember most about Frank? I mean, just as the man, not the coach. But, I feel so good about knowing him. And I’m sure your stories go so deep on just how he embraced so many people. The attributes that Frank carried every day with him are those things that that are innate. You either have them or you don’t, right? You either grow up in a place where you learn those kind of values, or you don’t. And Frank, they were natural to him. And maybe it was because of where he was born, because of where he was raised. He saw a lot of things. He, he was around a lot of people. He was always around basketball. Had a lot of good mentors in sports. Frank was interesting because it really was the person first. You know, our gifts from Frank, any gift that he gave us was always a book. It wasn’t a book that we chose. It was a book that he chose based on what he thought our personality was, what he thought we liked because he knew us. So he went and chose the books. He’d always say, well, if you don’t like it, give it to the next guy. Trade books. We never traded books. The books that Frank gave us were, were spot on. They weren’t always sports books. All of them were historical. And so that’s, that’s who he was. And it was just, it was different early on for me to say, this is the NBA. This is like unusual for a guy to care so much when it’s the business of basketball. But he cared until he left us. Yes he did. Yes he did. Before we move on, just a favorite joke or moment that in a minute you can share with us? There are times when, you know, being with Frank and talking with Frank wasn’t about business. It was about, how are you doing? How are you holding up? How’s your family? And Boler, that never, ever stopped. Even when I retired and even when we had our our lunches, that Frank would schedule himself, he’d have Smitty schedule ‘em. He’d call me and say, let’s get together. And, you know, Coach Phil Johnson, Coach Phil Johnson would show up. Just a bunch of, even John and Karl, when they were in town, they would come as well. And, it was, Jerry would show up at times, but, the guy never wavered from who he truly was and what his foundation was. And that was just caring about people. The community, his players. He just, he always stayed in touch. He ended up being, I should say, ended up being a great coach. He was a great coach. And he adapted himself to bring the best out of us at whatever stage we were in our careers or whatever stage we were as a team. When I first got to Utah, Frank Layden was one of the first people I met. When I met him, I was like, this guy is hilarious. Is he really my coach? Hey, we got to get this on camera. How would you look in a tuxedo? I look lousy, I look like a huge, huge, penguin Layden won Coach of the Year in 1984. The only coach in Jazz history to win the award. He coached the Jazz until he stepped down in 1988. Moving to a position in the front office and paving the way for Jerry Sloan. The life of Frank Layden, synonymous with the Utah Jazz. A building block. The foundation piece. And I’m talking to another one, Big T. You were one. Darryl Griffith was maybe the first. He was in front of you just a little bit, on building this franchise to what it is today. Hey Griff, it’s great to see you. What were your thoughts of when you come to Salt Lake and then you meet a man. And his name is Frank Layden. Well, I first met Frank in Louisville. Him and Tom Nissalke came and visited me before the draft at a restaurant right across from the apartment complex I stayed in on campus. It was called the Mastersons. And we just had general conversation, you know, it was just, you know, trying to get a feel for who I was and, and likewise. And, I left there feeling pretty good, but really not not knowing what was going to happen or what was going to go on. The Jazz, at dinner was I guess it was very impressive. And they chose me second pick. So, you know, I ended up with the Jazz and then, when I got drafted, I met Sam Vitasong. And Frank, you know, he was just. Man, he was. His personality was gravitating, so he he made you feel very comfortable and at ease. When he took over. I can remember him telling the team, he says there’s no bad shots tonight. 2 or 3 passes, and let it rip. But that did was it made us loose let us, let us play. Just go out and play. You know he said, go out and play. He said, we ain’t making the playoffs, so just have a good time and go out and play. So, and he got a, you know, it was his way of evaluating us and not put a lot of pressure on us. You know, and. You know, I think we ended up winning the game and everybody had a good game because everybody just played. You know, it was like a like a pick up game in the gym. The fans liked it because of the style of play that, they hadn’t seen before because there was no coaching. It was just play, call timeout. Make substitutions, get back into play. That was the first, thing that I remember about Frank. And then, you know, another story I tell everybody is that after my first year, with the Jazz and we won 20 games and we were the worst team in the league. Mr. Woolf had called and said, hey, how do you like everything? I said, Bob, I said, being in Utah, you know, great city, good people. I said but, I can’t do this 20 games s***. This ain’t gonna work. He said what you said? I said, I want to get traded, you know? And he said, well, let me call Frank up. I said, no, I got to go out Salt Lake City for summer. I said I’ll just be man to man and go to him and, talk to him about it in his face. Set up the meeting with Frank. We meet at his favorite restaurant which is Two Guys from Italy. We at the restaurant and we sitting, eating the orders. Some spaghetti and meatballs. So I did, He’s eating his garlic bread and marinara sauce, He says, so what’s going on? How can I help you? And I said, Frank, said man, I come from a winning program, you know, 16,500 people. Come here, it’s 2500 people at the game. They’re not interested. It’s just not what I’m looking for. I said, you know, I’m calling here requesting a trade. And he grabs his meatball and he eats a piece of, of, the meatball spaghetti. He looked at me, he said Can you take me with you? As this to say, hey, I want to get out of here too. Ah great. Right, right there. Then I knew I was, I wasn’t going anywhere, but it turned out to be, you know. He explained to me. He said, hey, Griff, we’re trying to build a team. Forcing you a statistic of a high draft pick, and we got a low team. You know, so we try to build around you. We got AD coming in. We got yourself and hopfully the other draft picks will lead to some promise. And it did. You know, he’s, Frank had a strategic plan and it worked out. That was, that was a really interesting story with Frank. But the most funny one is, and Thurl, you was on this team. We, our last game, I think, was your rookie year. Last game was in, of the season was in Golden State. We stayed in Oakland. We were at the High Rizzy Hotel. Frank gets on the bus, last one on the bus,. He gets on the bus. He says, whoever don’t think we can’t win this f’ing game, and looked at everybody, he said, get off the bus. And he got off of the bus. He got off the bus, and he went inside the hotel. And I’m sitting there going like, so Jerry looking around like, is he serious? And tells the bus, go ahead and leave. We got, went out and played the game. We got back to the hotel and Frank was in there in the bar had a glass of wine to ask us how’d we do? How’d y’all do? You know, he’s, he’s got some stories. I mean, we can and Thurl knows. We can go on and on about some of the things Frank did. He was a funny man. Naturally. What changed in the sense of I know players help, but how did he coach you differently or direct you differently when you began to win and you began to believe? And I think obviously you began to believe in Frank even more. Well, a perfect example. He pulled me into practice. He said, see that line? Talking about the three point line. He said that line is out there for a reason. He said, you got some range, shoot. Shoot the three point. You got my permission to shoot three pointers. I went from the previous year. of making ten three pointers to setting an NBA record of three pointers made. All because he said shoot it. You know and use the line. We kind of spreaded the floor out. You know, I’ll never forget that. One time Thurl, I don’t know if you remember, we were in, Phoenix. And we were on our way to practice. And Frank passes by his favorite restaurant. And said, hey, hey, hey, stop here to drop me off. Practice is off. He called off practice. You know that, Thurl? Yes. I do remember. And we were looking around and we went on back to the hotel. Frank one of those guys that wouldn’t play about Italian food. And he thought nothing of it. Frank wore a lot of different hats. Talk about his personality in the community. Kind of away from the team, and how he was kind of that magnet for fans to stay interested and involved. Frank Layden was the face of the franchise. Wasn’t none of the players. It was Frank. And his personality and how he was able to mesh coaching with his personality and it reflected in the players and how he made us comfortable and believe in ourselves. And how he would, you know, go to different, functions. And he would tell all these jokes. And people just love Frank and how he would, on the sidelines, interact with the ball boys and the fans. He became an attraction. You know, it was us, the players. But people were watching Frank and then gather around him at halftime and seeing what he was going to say. And, and we were always surprised by some of the things that Frank did. It was always somethink different that Frank would do that we’d be like, did he seriously say that? You know. And it was just so much fun, you know? I really, really, really enjoyed playing for Frank because he really put us in a mindset of that we believe in us. And don’t get me wrong, Frank was tough. I mean, he was a real tough coach. But, you know, on the flip side, he made us have a good time because he realized that I need you to have a good time and be relaxed if we’re going to be successful. And one of the main things that Frank did, and we didn’t realize this Thurl, and its nothing you you probably seen that when we would travel, Frank said, be, be, just be comfortable. Wear what you want to. And then we would pass different teams in the airport, and they suited down with two ties and coats and they looked at us, they like, y’all ain’t got to wear no suits? Like nah. We cool, we ain’t gotta wear no suit, Frank said, I ain’t trying to wear no suit on the plane, so y’all ain’t gotta wear a suit on the plane. You know? So this stuff like that, that we didn’t realize that was put us in a very comfortable, manner. Going to, going to the games. That’s something I really recognized that. Jerry, I, and Scott, we go up to a little cabin I had up in, Ogden. We’d get together and then watch film. Scott says, I want to show you this film. And this guy, he said, they call him the, the Mailman. So we saw him play against Oklahoma State or something, and he was a wrecking crew. He said, but he won’t be there when we draft. Don’t worry. Well, during the draft, Scott ran down to me, says, hey, dad, you remember that guy call a Mailman? He said, he’s slipping to us. I said, he’s slipping to us? Why? And he said, I don’t know. There’s something, something going. So I said, well, he’s worth it. Let’s take him. Utah Jazz are very happy to announce that in the 13th pick in the first round of 1985 draft. We’re gonna to bring a Mailman. You got the man that you were going after? Yeah, we got it. And, it surprised me. It really did. Frank says that he assumes that every guy that started last year has a starting position this year. What do you think about that? No comment. Celebrating Frank. Frank Layden, Big T Craig Bolerjack. Ron Boone jumps in to talk for a while. Ron, good to see you. Man, we lost a legend. And I just wanted to have you take us back When you joined the Jazz. I know he didn’t coach you, is that correct? But he also, but he was a big part of bringing you to this franchise. Talk about that. Well, he was the general manager at that time. And, I was playing for the Lakers, as a matter of fact. And then they found out how good Magic Johnson was going to be. They shipped me right out of here. And then sent me, back here to Utah, which was, you know, one of my favorite cities, obviously, and had great success playing with the, the Utah Stars there. So he was responsible for me coming back for, for another stint in the NBA for the most part with, with the Utah Jazz. What are your thoughts about how Frank was able to, keep the fan base interested in a way, and keep them hopeful with his personality and with his ability to to, to be who he was. I think you just said the key thing was his personality. And again, I keep going back to it’s well, his personality and the way he presented himself in the community. Players got a chance to get out in the community, even though, you know that struggling to win basketball games. But, you know, once they were able to get guys like you and get guys like John and Karl, you know, then, that really helped. Helped the franchise. But Frank was it was all about, I don’t know. He had those one liners and, you know, things like that that could make you laugh and things that you just don’t forget, you know? And I really think that, my biggest memory was when Morgana, when that that was that kissing bandit. Yeah. And she ran out on the floor, and she kisses Frank, and Frank just falls on the, on the court. The big walrus, you know, just laying there. The fans just, and the fans just loved it. You know, Booner, we were talking earlier. I mean, he did so many comical things to entertain. I mean, I remember him pulling the comb out during the ‘88 playoffs to the Lakers, and there’s Pat Riley with the Gucci suit and the hair. And Frank, you know, gets his hair, his comb and combs his hair back. And Pat Riley actually got a kick out of it. But he just had the timing. I mean, it was like he was so good at taking the pressure off, maybe the Jazz and the fans and put it on himself, but in comedic ways. Right? Oh, absolutely. You know what he was good at? He was good at telling a story that Thurl, you told him. And he would make it feel, you would make it feel like it was his story. And he was just, it was amazing. Like, he was telling a story about him getting on the airplane and obviously in first class. And he sits down, a lady’s over there breastfeeding her child, and he sits down. He looks at her, looks away, and he looks back at her again, and she’s looking at him and she says, well, this is to keep him from is eyes, I mean, his ears from getting plugged up. And Frank looked around and says, and all this time I’ve been chewing gum, But that was Frank. That was Frank Layden. Yeah, it was. And Booner, you know, without Frank, I’m not real sure the Jazz would be here today. I mean, I don’t know if Larry would have had a chance to write the check and then hand it off to, to Ryan and Ashley Smith, to be honest. What’s your thought? I totally agree with that. And again, any time you go into a setting, you’re not winning basketball games and, and you know, eventually you’re going to turn fans off. But, you know, Frank kept things alive to that, up to that point. And, it really helped getting a couple of good draft picks, you know, to where there was an upward trend, you know, for the for the Jazz winning basketball games. But if without Frank, I think, who knows, maybe Thurl, you never would been in Utah to play basketball. That’s a good point. Great point. And I think Booner as you went into your broadcast career as well Frank was an underrated coach I know he got coach of the year the year that we went to, that we won the midwest division but I think because of part of that personality of his that was so jovial, comedic that you never really, truely I think got the credit he deserved for being really really good X’s and O’s guy and then surrounding himself with some great great coaches as well. I just know that when he’s on the court and he was- coaching the game, you know, he was definitely, you know, made his presence known as a coach. So, dad, this is the, when John and Karl played for the Dream Team. This is a great picture. And it’s when the uniforms came for the Olympic team. And I said, listen, as soon as they get their shirts on, we’ll get the team photographer. I want to get in on this. And I got my picture taken with two of the- two of the players on the Dream Team. So here it is, Johnny Stockton and and, the great Karl Malone. You know, we heard rumors about John Stockton. But there was always questions. Small school. Who did he play against, there’s that. But you know Scott said, this guy can play that. He’s going to get a little bit thcker. He’s got great judgment and he’s a good kid and all this stuff. And so, we end up taking a hard look at him. The only team that called me was the Portland Trailblazers, and I got to meet their staff and go for a visit. They said, I think we’re going to draft you first pick in the second round. I think it was. So that’s what I was waiting for. Draft day comes around said, all right, I’m going to be a Trailblazer. We heard that Portland wanted him very badly. Kind of our biggest rival at the time. They really wanted him at the 18th pick when the 16th pick finally came along, that was our pick and we were very excited. And then they said my name, it’s uh, pretty touching really, to think about. The Utah Jazz select John Stockton of Gonzaga University. Never thought in a million years I’d never be a first round draft choice, and certainly didn’t think Utah would be the one picking me. Rumors, of course, were flying. Very few of them said Utah, but, my dad called it. He said Utah is going to pick you. Sounds good to me. And they did. And we drafted, Stockton. And that was a big triumphant. It just worked out. I have the honor now of bringing in one of my former teammates who was here with the Jazz before I got here. As we continue Celebrating Frank, Jeff Wilkins, Jeff Wilkins, thanks for joining me. It’s good to see you, my friend. No problem. I was I was really shocked when I heard that, that Frank had left and had gone to, to a better place. He always had an upbeat attitude. So when people like that leave, it’s kind of difficult. It is Jeff, and and right up to the end, I mean, I got to go visit him a few months before he did pass, and he was still comedic. That’s it. Well, how could you? Well, you know, God needs him here, down here to give us a couple of breaks, because the way things are going, it’s kind of rough. But, you know, we need, a it’s good to have him. When a person like that leaves, you’ll always have good memories. Yeah, he’s left a lot. He’s left an indelible impression on all of us. I want to get right into it. You came to the Jazz in 1980. Right. And I believe Frank was GM. Yes, he was and became the head coach the year after. What do you remember about your first encounter with Frank Layden? Well, he came to, Billings, Montana. He told me he saw me and Ricky and, and he put us on the plane, pretty much almost the next day we were out of there and he just wanted us to go in and just play. Just play. Don’t think about anything. Don’t worry about anything. Just go out and play and and we’ll see what happens. And that’s what happened. How was Frank’s personality and attitude to keep the team together at that time? It was pretty much the same. He would, he would he would, he would talk to me every once in a while. You know, most coaches, they never talk, you know, talk to players. We had Tom Nissalke, he was there. He didn’t really talk to people. He would just coach. And that’s that’s pretty much what they do now. Well, not more and more now. They talk more to the players. But he just made sure that everybody understood what was going on and what was going on as far as maybe, maybe merging with another team. But we’re going to do it. And the things he had to do right now to take care of, take care of business right then. Right there. I know that Frank was pretty unorthodox for his time, because for most teams, that was a divide there between the front office and the players. But Frank, Frank’s personality, I grasped right away when I met him. You felt like you could trust him. You felt like he was always honest with you. And even though things weren’t going well, you would always listen to him. He would always try to motivate you just to to hang in there and things will get better. Yeah, yeah. He was, he would, he would make sure that everything was, was aboveboard, upfront, and and as we began to turn it around, he became even more involved in the people and the players, what they were thinking, what they were doing because it was you could see that we were starting to turn the corner. And that was the exciting part about it. When we started turning the corner. How will you remember, Frank? I know he’s left a great legacy with this organization and also with the individual players, but how can you put into words how you’ll remember, Coach. Well, I remember him when he, when I had to, my mother passed and I was in a strange way, and he told me, whatever time you need, you take it you don’t have to worry about anything. Nothing. No problems. And I felt a lot better after that. AD, you know, as the captain came over and gave me some, gave me some brotherly love and and a thing of it was, it was like, Utah was like a home. I was I was happy there. Working with Frank was, one of the best things happened to me as far as coaching. I couldn’t be Frank Layden, If you tried a million years. But the way he approached the game and, probably helped me relax a little bit as a coach, not be quite as crazy, I guess you might say, as people said I was in the early, early times. And to this day, I could still be Frank Layden’s assistant coach because, he made players better. He had a knack of making players better, and I thought he was a terrific coach and could handle problems, probably as well as anybody I’ve ever seen. I am now joined by my fellow teammate who came in and was drafted the same year I was to the Utah Jazz as we continue celebrating Frank. Bobby Hansen, how are you, my friend? Good Thurl! Great to see you and great to hear your your deep baritone voice again, my friend. Well, let’s jump right into it, Bobby. I talked about, you know, my first encounter with Frank when I was drafted and the fact that the first time I met him, he I think he cracked a joke. Do you remember your first encounter with Frank? Well, probably the night we got drafted. I mean, you were a lot sooner than I was. And I sat there and waited, and, I got the phone call, from Frank, and he said, hey, congratulations. You’re our type of guy. You know, we’ll see you in Salt Lake. So I got to be honest with you, you know, wasn’t the team. Probably wasn’t. You know, like, Utah? Utah Jazz? I remember the Utah Starzz as a kid, but, yeah, that was the first time. And then when we went to rookie camp and, invited back to veteran camp and, had my agent guy at the time come in there, we met with Frank, and the first thing Frank said is, why is he here? And I’m like, I don’t know, I gotta have an agent don’t ya? He said, no, not really. These guys are two type of players in this league. One gets rich and the other one makes a good living. Guess which one you are? I said I’ll take it. Where do I sign? When you got here, was it brought to you? Maybe it was Frank. Maybe it was somebody else about the struggles that maybe you already knew before you got here. What to expect, from Frank? No, no Thurl., I had no idea. But, you know, just the type of person that Frank is. His warm, welcoming personality. Yet stern also, at the same time, you knew who was in charge. At the time, in charge meant he did everything. And then he coached. He was the president. He was the GM. You know, if he could fly the plane, he would have flew the plane. But that was your first point of, touch, I guess, with the Utah Jazz, was Frank Layden. And, that was 1983. And then, you know, we go to our, training camp and practices were held at Westminster College, right? Small college, obviously a terrific place, but yeah, Frank was Frank was the guy at that time and you had all these people coming and you were a first round pick, national championship guy. And, you know, I had heard of, Rich Kelley and Mark Eaton and, knew Darrell Griffith played against him in the final four, three years earlier. But you had, you know, Adrian Dantley was coming off injury, Rickey Green. So, you know, our rookie year, Thurl, is when that all kind of came together and they won the Midwest Division. I mean you’re right. I don’t think they won more than 30 games in any season prior to that. So you know Frank was a big part of that. What do you remember throughout the course of that season? Anything stand out to you with Frank at the helm? During the course of, that roller coaster ride? Yeah. You just remember the the guy in charge, and, you know, everybody fell in line from that point, and he was not serious all the time. He tried to keep it light. What I remember is how he broke the season down. Thurl, if you remember, he broke it down in three game sets. And they weren’t three in a row. It was. Yeah, three home games and three road games. So you never wanted to get into a three game losing streak. So he broke it down. Went two at home one on the road. And you’re going to finish .500. That’s what I always remember about what he was preaching at that time. Don’t get too hung up on a loss. Don’t get too hung up on a win. So, you know, it was part of being a professional is you just march on. And then with the cast of characters that we had on that team, they all came together, at that time, and everybody was, you know, just trying to to survive and make it and do what you do and claw your way to the top. You’re chasing the Lakers and the Celtics at that time. Frank, I remember, had great respect for all those teams. But then, and my memory is bad now. But, you know, I remember didn’t we go to the playoffs and, play the Nuggets? And they had a writer that said this team had no heart, the Utah Jazz, no heart. And he took that to heart. Yeah. And, we knocked them off, and, he gifted everybody, a ring that had a heart on it. That’s right. I still have it to this day. So he included parents. You know, he’s like, yeah, your mom and dad want one? But, that was big in Frank’s world. that you had to have a heart. You can’t be soft. You got to be tough, and you got to battle on. And, he- he really took that that to heart with that Denver news writer and rallied the team. I think at that point. Talk about Frank, kinda away from the game and what he meant to the community and and how I called him a kind of a one man marketing machine back then just because of that, that side of him that kept the fans interest even before we got there, that gave them hope that things would turn around. Yeah. Absolutely. He was he was the guy out leading, lead the band. You know, probably hitting all the rotaries on all the church groups and just trying to get people to to come to the Salt Palace and, enjoy this team and, and, talking to Rickey Green oh, I don’t know, a couple weeks ago. And Rickey was an All-Star that year. I think Griff shot in the, in dunk contest or three point contest or something. But you had a lot of representation. And Frank was coach of that All-Star team I think that year. The West All-Star. So that was a big deal. That was a big deal for Utah, for the Jazz and sort of put them on the map right there and that. You know, everybody, everything came together, everybody got healthy. And you kind of, you know, just slog through the the early part of it. And then when you got to the All-Star break and yeah, go to the playoffs or like playoffs, what are the playoffs like? Yeah. Yeah. You just one day at a time with Frank and, show up, work hard and enjoy the rest of it. So, Bobby, if you had an opportunity to to pitch in an idea on Frank’s epitaph, his legacy, what would that be for you? Oh, I would say the man that kept everybody together. You know, for all those years. I’m not sure how he got to Salt Lake City, but, you know, to keep that team there, Thurl. I mean, wasn’t there whispers, and we were moving here. We’re we’re going to Las Vegas. The team was well, you know, new owner here, but Frank was the rock. He was a steadying influence on the Utah Jazz. And let’s face it, the Lakers didn’t ask me to coach them. So this was the job. And I said, well, I got to make the most of it. And I took the job to come with with Utah first of all, I thought Utah was in Europe. You know, it was amazing. Is that Salt Lake City, Utah? What, are you kidding me? That’s next to Jerusalem, right? I, I had no idea. So anyway, we got here, people said you’re not going to last there. I said, it takes two to tango. And I said, you know what I’m going to do? I talked to my bishop. All right. Bishop Frederick, with the Catholic Church. And he said, Frank, they’re going to love you. I tried to get around to visit every town in this state. Anybody that wanted to hear me I was talking in 7-11 down in the basement. I was talking in churches. I was all over the place, you know, Monday night, what do they. what do the Mormons of the- Family Home Evenings. Family Home Evenings. You know, I was all over, but I go because I was the only face of the Jazz. You know, I adore you with my whole heart and I’m going to cry. But you are the best ever. And you are beloved by Jazz Nation. I’m so proud that I got to interview you tonight. Well, let’s do it again. Let’s do it again. Yes, let’s do it again. The Holly and Frank Show! Celebrating Frank Layden. And I want to say hello to Jazz Broadcaster Holly Rowe. Holly, great to see you. And I know, I know, you go way, way back with this great man that we lost. Really an icon. I mean, just a terrific, you know, human being, actually. And I know you have many, many stories to tell, especially in those early days. You know, you’ve talked to me about Frank, and I’ve talked to you and, you know, he just wrapped his arms around so many people. I know one of those one of those, one of those persons was you. Yeah. And, you know, I got to meet him when I was in college, actually, and I was a student up at the University of Utah. And, you know, I wanted to get into sports. And so he was so nice to me. I, he would let me come to coaching clinics. He wanted to give me every opportunity to learn. And that is back in a time where there weren’t a lot of women doing this job. And so I just wanted to say how grateful I am to Frank Layden for being inclusive of me. Just some young, dumb kid out of Bountiful, Utah. He was so sweet to me. And then I, actually got to work with him a little bit. He was. I think people forget this part of his resume is he was actually the first coach for the Utah Starzz when the WNBA franchise came. Larry Miller was so great. And Gail, to bring the WNBA to Utah and Salt Lake City. And Frank had retired. So he came and coached the Utah Starzz for a year, kind of got them off the ground from a PR standpoint. And then he turned over the reins to other coaches. So he was a really wonderful man. I know we showed a little clip where we’re going to show a little clip of the last interview. I got to do with him last year. We did an alt cast together, and I, I could have left him on there for two hours to talk about things because he was still so sharp and so focused on basketball and so loving. He really we say this and I don’t take it with the grain of salt, really. 1 in 1,000,000 type of people. Holly, I can’t echo that any better. He was really sharp into the final days of his life and such a comedic personality embracing, personality. And I love the fact that he embraced your journey. I think that’s very important that he was all inclusive. I mean, he loved the community. He wanted to bring people together, whether they were LDS or Catholic or Baptist or Methodist, but also just in an embracing personality. He wanted to have you be the best you possibly could be. Absolutely. And he loved people. And so he didn’t. He didn’t, if you were different or believed something different than him or looked different than him, and I thought that was a big personality trait that he had with players. You know, he wrapped around, he wrapped his arms around players who had much different background than him, look different than him, different ethnicity than him. And, I think that’s why the players loved him so much. Is he truly had a heart for everyone. And I remember talking to him about that many, many years ago. And, you know, he grew up in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is maybe the biggest melting pot of the world. I think his background growing up in New York, growing up in Brooklyn, being around so many different types of people is what made him that way. He knew how to love and accept anyone who was different than him. But, I do want to take us on one throwback, because I wanted to talk to some of his peers, you know, coaches that he had coached with. So I was able to speak with Hubie Brown. He actually, gave me a phone call, and he tells a really cool story because Hubie Brown knew Frank Layden for over 75, 80 years, almost. And so here’s what Hubie had. He shared a fun story about them growing up together. Frank played at Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. I was one of the scholarship guys, nine guys when we were freshmen at Niagara. We had great teams for the next three years at the varsity level. But he started as a freshman and then he also started as a baseball player at first base for four years. I was the catcher. He was the first baseman. So Boler, I had no idea. I mean, I knew that they had coached together at Atlanta, but Hubie Brown got Frank Layden, you know, from their days at Niagara playing together, went into Niagara as freshmen together. And then he actually got Coach Layden into the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks as an assistant. And so I just love that journey with Hubie Brown. He’s still rocking strong in his 90s too. And, I know he really loved Frank and had a lot of wonderful things to say about to Coach Layden. Yeah, it’s fascinating. They had the relationship and that was really the starting point for Frank in the NBA after his college stint at Niagara. And it’s it’s a great story and a great friendship. Holly, before I cut you loose you got a favorite story about May I impersonate him for a moment? Holly, you got anything to say about Frank Layden? Yes, I would say my story is, any time I would come back to Utah and come to a Jazz game. This has been going on for over 20 years. You know, he’s been long since retired, and every single time I ever saw him, he told me he was proud of me. It makes me it makes me want to cry. But just. He was like a proud dad that he knew how much I loved basketball. And he appreciated someone like me, that really worked at it and wanted to be in basketball because he loved it, too. And so, I’m just grateful that he would never miss a chance to let me know how he felt about me. And that meant the world to me. And now, tonight, the greatest fans in the NBA can express nothing but love and appreciation for Frank Layden. Oh, this is tough to say. I’m going to I’m going to make it very quick because they feed me again in 15 minutes. I didn’t think, in my life, in sports, that I was ever worthy of what happened tonight. And I really believe that if I hadn’t come to Utah, which, let’s face it, was a little unusual for an Irish Catholic from Brooklyn. To come and, And maybe in some little way be successful in, in Salt Lake City in Utah. But I’ll tell you what. They might have put my name up there on that wonderful flag next to somebody. I have a great deal respect for. And that certainly is Pistol Pete Maravich, who I loved his dad, too. We were very close friends. But the number one represents a lot more than that. It represents the players from New Orleans, the players who came here, our coaches, Scotty Robertson, the first coach, you know, certainly Butch Van Breda Kolff You know, certainly We had Tom Nissalke We had, just, you know, a lot of great, great coaches who never really had the players that I had. Certainly I was very fortunate to have great assistant coaches to have good ownership. I’m thinking about Sam Battistone, who brought the team here. You know, certainly this guy right here, that sucker here. He he not only brought it here He kept us here But you know what? Frank Layden’s on the flag. But number one is you. Number one is you. Number one is you. The fans, the greatest fans in the NBA. Number one is you. You number one is you. God bless you. You are the greatest fans in the NBA. And that number one is you. Hey by the way, we’re going to do this every year. All right I know. I am joined by my friend, my good friend and my former teammate with the Jazz Rich Kelley and Rich played for both the New Orleans Jazz and then for the Utah Jazz. Rich, thanks for joining us. As we continue to celebrate Frank Layden and honor his legacy. I know that Frank was, appointed the GM in 1979, in New Orleans. What was your first encounter with him? And, and, talk to us about, that relationship at that time, I didn’t really get to know him. Until training camp in, September when I showed up. And then he traded me two and a half weeks later. So. You got to, rekindle that relationship. My rookie season. I came in, and you were one of the the first guys that I got to know. You kind of put your arm around this young rookie. And Frank Layden was the head coach. What do you remember about that year? I know we won the Midwest Division title that year. That’s right. What do you remember about that year, based on what you had experienced, before, I would like to say that I got traded to the team in the middle of the year. The season before, when the Jazz was not very good. I think we only ended up winning 25 games or something, and, I it was it was not a highlight of my career getting traded downstream to the Jazz, as it were, to a team that was struggling. But I remember thinking, man, this coach, this guy is relentless in his positivity and he found a way to turn, you know, the last 30 games that I was playing with the team into a building block for the next season, and I remember it and very, you know, all of his pregame talks, everything about the team was positive. But I remember, particularly at the end of games where we would be trailing by eight points with a minute left. The game is essentially over and he’s still coaching as if it’s a close game and he’s calling timeouts and running plays, and he’s basically drilling into us the mechanisms of how you finish games that are close games, and then the next season with your arrival and with some maturity of some other players. We won a lot of close games, and I attribute it to some of his practices the year before. What do you remember about the man and the personality of Frank Layden? Well, I, I hinted at it earlier with his positivity. I mean he was a gruff New York guy when he when he was feeling churlish, but for the most part, he had a sunny disposition that tried to find the the good in people and the good in your situation. I think the one thing that to me gets overlooked about Frank is his pragmatism He had a way of looking at a situation and making it seem like there was a way out. There was a let’s let’s figure out how we can solve this problem together. I always tell people that I had two really good coaches in my NBA career. It was a fellow by the name of John McLeod, who I played for in Phoenix, and it was Frank Layden. They were kind of different guys. John was very meticulous, very buttoned down, very process oriented. Frank was much more instinctive, but nobody read the emotions of a group of men better than Frank Layden, and that was a huge attribute. He was empathetic. He he understood each person’s, ups and downs. And he also understood the ups and downs of a team in general. In my mind, he’s sort of single handedly lifted the franchise of the Utah Jazz onto his ample back and, Just powered it through with his positivity and his cunning acumen to become probably the the most influential small market, NBA team in the league for many years. And that was a big undertaking. He was a, you know, he he came across as a as a funny, semi clownish guy at times. And people people kind of demeaned his the way he, carried himself. But there was so much more to it than that. And it was he just, was just a force to be reckoned with in a positive way. Don’t move Special delivery Coach Layden. Thanks, dad. I’ll take it from here. Jazz nation I want to welcome in, the son of Frank Layden Scott Layden. Scotty, I appreciate your time more than you know. Let’s jump into it. Everyone knew Frank is just a humorous, fun guy, and we always saw him basically on the floor. You saw him so much more off the floor. And as your father, what was it like? Was it a joke a minute, or was there times that you knew, your dad was to the point and a serious man? As you know, I was blessed to have parents and have a have a dad, that I was, tied to, at the hip every day since I was a little gym rat. Right up until when we spent, you know, 20 years together and, one of the most competitive environments in the world and was he a funny guy? He was really funny. And he had a tremendous sense of humor. The other thing about him is he enjoyed when people came up to him and told him stories and jokes, and he laughed like he had never heard the joke before. But then he’d turn around and tell it, you know, ten times better than the person who just told it to him. He loved to use humor to deflect what, what sometimes could be serious situations, take take the pressure off the team in different times. But there was so much more depth to him than just being a comedic, guy or, you know, someone that was just funny. I mean, he he was, so well read, so well educated, gave, gave us all tremendous lessons, which I was fortunate enough to, to, pass on to my family. And he, he loved he loved people. He loved when, you know, people would ask him for help. His famous thing when you when you signed off with him on the phone was, “Is there anything I can do for you?” And it was it was sincere. And he would always come through. If you asked him for a favor. It was done. You could mark it down and it could be the littlest thing, or it could be the biggest thing. And that’s what made him such a special, character, and icon in the Salt Lake market and the state of Utah is that he came in and he really was, a guy that that wanted to to help and be part of the community. And he relished in that. He loved being part of, of that community. He, he loved coaching. That was the other thing. He loved to teach. He loved to coach. And he and and he loved guys of character. And when I looked over at the church the other day, the pallbearers: John, Karl, Thurl. Love Thurl God rest, Mark Eaton was sad that he wasn’t there. But Rich Kelley and, Dave Checketts That was a good starting five as pallbearers. He was blessed to have great players, but great people to coach and to be around and and to instill his his wisdom. And he, he loved, you know, he loved being around, guys that were, were ready to compete and ready to play hard and, and then, of course, you know, he had he had great assistant coaches, myself aside, but the, you know, Jerry Sloan and Coach Johnson, he got along with them famously and, he was, he, he just loved being in that arena. And when you think about it, Boler and think about this now we had Larry H. Miller, Dave Checketts, Frank Layden, Jerry Sloan, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Mark Eaton and Thurl Bailey. I’m, I’m leaving people out. But those those eight guys were as tough, mentally as anyone you could ever be around, and, and they all were very competitive, highly competitive, but also had a spirit, to help the team win. And they were all about the right things. And that’s why my dad loved those guys. And when he would often talk about every man on that list, he would he would say they had tremendous character. And they were they were in it for the right reasons. For you as a coach alongside him. It had to be some pressure being his son, but talk about just what it was like on the bench in those early days as you continue to build the foundation for this franchise. Yeah. Well, first of all, I’m a firm believer in nepotism and very fortunate, but, I think that the early years were tough, but it as my dad would always say, you know, it’s, there’s no bad cities, there’s only bad teams. And the other thing that he was big on with the lesson is you always want to leave a place better than how you found it. And there is no question that, the Jazz, Salt Lake City, Utah was a better place for Frank Layden being there. And because of his his commitment to the community. Have you got a favorite story? There’s so many. But in the community, what stands out that maybe fans will would remember or need to hear that you’d like to share? You know, I, I there are many there are many stories and I, I can date back to, when I was a little boy as a gym rat and my dad took over to Niagara University team, which had a Hall of Fame player on it. Calvin Murphy. I talked to him the other day, and, my dad was, new to college ball and, the first game he played on the campus of Niagara 2500 seat arena, you know how small that is? And Calvin Murphy goes for 68 in the game against Syracuse. This is before the Big East. 68. No three point line. Yeah. And my dad was you know I think we were as surprised as anybody. Guy had 68 in the game. And I’m driving home with my dad. I’m ten years old. And, he looks over to me and he says, you know what, son, this is going to be a lot of fun. And, yeah. And the same thing – the same thing with the Jazz. You could see the team building, you could see the culture building, you could see that, guys were all in, the drafts were falling in line. And for whatever reason, positionally, we got lucky. Fortunate. All these guys, came and the leadership was great even before John and Karl got there. But then they just fell right in line. Of course, the rest is history, but I think the, just being a part of a great organization and as you know, my dad which study other, organizations, the LA Dodgers and teams that had tremendous success and he wanted to emulate that. He wanted to be the best. He wanted everybody to be proud of the organization. and I and I think I think that’s true. I think it proved to be perfect. And when he stepped aside, I was sad. I was, you know, not that, Coach Sloan’s not, I was sad that he was stepping down from coaching. But you know what? he did He did it for the right reasons. It was like, he was he was so invested in the Jazz. He loved the Jazz. He loved the community. And he knew that it was the right thing. And he knew we had, we had the perfect coach at the perfect time to coach. And and he did it at a time where no one could, could argue you. We had to have Coach Sloan. It was like the perfect transfer. Scotty, thank you for your time. Would you please give our best to your mom? You couldn’t really say Barbara and Frank, without in the same sentence. I mean, they were tied to the hip as well. Well, and I think, thank you Boler. And I definitely will, and my mom, as you know, watches, every game, and, and, so she’s, she’s very fortunate to see you and Thurl, and, as was my dad, but, they were together, you know, they just they just celebrated their, 68th wedding anniversary on June 1st. So it’s a pretty good number. It’s a great run, and it’s a great run, and it’s one we all have to strive for because of – what What a great couple they were. And I – last thing I’ll say is that, my dad had this unbelievable quality of always recognizing my mother in public. It was just a it was something that we can all learn from. No, we didn’t have, you know, we all don’t have as much public speaking opportunities as my dad did, but I don’t care where it was. When they were together. They were out in public. He honored her. He, praised her, and he made her feel special. It was really cool to call quality to have and one, that we can all learn from, We got one foul. Go use it up. Come on. We’ll get you back in there. Come on. Sam Battistone, I’d like to thank him for his faith in me. And what I’m going to do is reward him by promising him and this organization to bring a world championship team to Utah next year. Of course, it will be the Celtics the Lakers. Or, is this the best thing that’s ever happened to you in for your career? Most fun thing? Well, no, my my honeymoon was a lot of fun. All right. But next to that, it was it was good. Utah Jazz In my mind will always be recognized as Frank Layden’s basketball team. Okay. Frank Layden. you guys, just because you got a guaranteed contract, you don’t have a guaranteed job. That’s what I remember about him. Hope that’s alright coach for me to do that I left out some words too. You know what I mean? The good Lord has been very good to to myself and my family. You know, to whoever watches this, I want to say this, that, you know, you you give of yourself. And it’s amazing how the rewards come back to you, cast your bread upon the waters. The upset, the chance of the underdog winning. Maybe the Jazz will win someday. It gives us all hope. Sometimes I wonder how I ever was so lucky. Ta Da! Just a special individual. You heard so many great stories over the past hour or so, and Big T I’m going to leave it to you. I’ve got one thought, that I’ll finish with. But, you can tell the people that we discussed his life and legacy. It’s not going anywhere. And that tells you a lot about the man. Gone, but not forgotten. And that’s a beautiful thing to leave, and leave your mark in a community and a region and with an NBA franchise says a lot about Frank, For sure Boler. I did have, a moment come to mind. That really sums how Frank Layden was. We. We’ve just gotten beaten badly, I believe was by the Lakers in LA, and we’re all on the bus. You know, back then, we didn’t have the headphones to drown our sorrows and and our, our playlist. So it was quiet on the bus. And Frank stands up in the front. He comes to the middle of the bus and he says, I’m going to try this again. “Hey fellas, look over there.” And so we all look out of the left side of the bus window, and there’s a whole row, it seemed, of of homeless people just laying on the sidewalk. And then he looks up and says, “not so bad.” He said, he said, well, we’ll figure this thing out and we’ll get back to it. He says, but there’s people out there that have it worse than we have. Enjoy your job and have fun at it. And he’s just brought us to reality. We weren’t. If our head was down, it wasn’t anymore because he just his timing again. Yeah, for things like that. It wasn’t the most important thing at the moment. And he was he was the master that he will be missed. But his legacy obviously will live through you and I and all the people he affected. His family, of course. And, and we’ll be talking about him for ages and ages. Yes we will. You know, for me, I think what impressed me so much was to look away at the man, to separate myself from the coach and the comedian. And Scott mentioned this earlier, and it always impressed me. A member of the media, was how Frank handled his family, but especially Barbara. I just have to give Frank kudos. Everywhere he went. He was attached, she was attached. And the respect they had for one another Thurl, You saw it I, I just found it So – a love, a love story of 68 years, I believe. And he always introduced her, as Scott said, And I noticed that everywhere we went and to have dinners or awards shows, Frank and Barbara, it wasn’t Frank, it was Frank and Barbara and Frank, I salute you for that. You had a great family bond with her and your children, and I think that’s the one thing I’ll remember most too, was just they were a combination of goodwill and for that I thank Frank Layden and Big T, I thank you. And I thank Jazz Nation for watching Celebrating Frank.

Sit down with Boler and Thurl as they Celebrate Frank Layden with friends and family.

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