Brendan McCann

Induction Year: 1999

Category: Basketball/Coach

Location: North Babylon

Brendan McCann is an American former professional basketball player. McCann was selected in the 1957 NBA Draft (first round, fifth overall) by the New York Knicks after a collegiate career at St. Bonavanture. He played for the Knicks for three seasons followed by six years playing in the Eastern Professional Basketball League for the Allentown Jets.

He was the varsity basketball coach at North Babylon High School from 1961-1967. His first two years, the team’s record was 4 wins and 14 losses. In the 1963-1964 season, the team record was 13 wins and 5 losses and he coached the Bulldogs to their first county playoff game.

For the next three years, North Babylon had winning records and went to the county playoffs. He retired from coaching in 1967, but still continued to teach in the school district.

In 1981, McCann left the North Babylon school district to teach as an Associate Professor at Farmingdale State College until 1988. Then, he became the Executive Director of the Empire State Games in Albany New York until 1993.

McCann’s productive career on the basketball court and as a coach earned him the following honors:

1964:

• Suffolk County Coach of the Year

1975:

• Elected to St. Bonaventure University Sports Hall of Fame

1989:

• Elected to Basketball Old Timers Hall of Fame

Currently, Brendan McCann has a family that started when he married his wife, Jackie, in 1958.  He also has five children who have all found success in high school and college sports and eight grandchildren.