Loretto, Pa. - Saint Francis men's basketball alum ('77) and Hall of Famer Jack Phelan (class of 2019) passed away in his sleep Monday morning. He was 66.

"I was saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Jack," said current Saint Francis men's basketball head coach Rob Krimmel. "Jack was one of the greatest players to ever wear the Saint Francis uniform and an even better person.  He impacted so many people during his time as a coach and as an administrator. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Patti and the rest of the Phelan family during this difficult time."

Former Saint Francis men's basketball head coach and current head coach of Army women's basketball, Dave Magarity, echoed those statements about Jack at the Saint Francis Hall of Fame induction, when Phelan was last on campus in July. 

"Jack was special. He was an incredibly talented kid, but he also had an incredible drive and intensity and a great personality."

To this date, Phelan still holds the DeGol Arena scoring record with 42 points against an arch-rival Duquesne team led by the great Norm Nixon.

"That was the best individual performance I ever witnessed in DeGol Arena by a Saint Francis player or an opponent," said former Saint Francis head coach Pete Lonergan. "What was so special about it was he did it all within the framework of the offense. Jack had a unique ability to let the game come to him. He was so unselfish and our offense flowed through him. On that particular night, everything went his way. He scored from inside, he scored from the outside and he scored from the free throw line."

Three weeks later, Saint Francis beat UNC-Charlotte, which went to the Final Four that year and featured a senior named Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell, who went on to star with the Celtics.

Phelan ranks in the top 10 in school history in career field goal pct. and assists and was the recipient of the school's J. Irving Whalley Award.

After college, Phelan was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in the 1977 NBA Draft. To speak to his athleticism, he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers after his senior year. He later served as an assistant coach for Saint Francis and was head basketball coach of Hartford University, where he ranks third on the program's all-time wins list with 128 over 11 seasons.

"Jack was built like a football strong safety with size and quickness, and he was very physical," said former Saint Francis Sports Information Director Bob Moore during the Hall of Fame induction. "Add versatility and he was the embodiment of an exceptional athlete, so it was no surprise to see an NFL team might be interested. He was a special talent."

Phelan is survived by his wife Patti and sons Ken, Jack, and Patrick.