Frank Layden, the charismatic coach and executive who shepherded the Utah Jazz from a struggling transplant into a perennial playoff club, died on 9 July at the age of 93. His family confirmed the death in Salt Lake City. A Brooklyn native, Layden joined the franchise as general manager in 1979 during its move from New Orleans to Utah and took over coaching duties in 1981. He steered the Jazz to their first postseason berth in 1984, a year in which he was simultaneously named NBA Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year—still the only person to sweep both awards in the same season. During his tenure running basketball operations, Layden drafted future Hall of Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone, traded for scoring star Adrian Dantley and hired Jerry Sloan. The Jazz reached the playoffs in five consecutive seasons under his guidance and began a stretch of 20 straight postseason appearances that defined the franchise’s rise. Known as much for his humor as for his basketball acumen, Layden retired from coaching early in the 1988-89 season but remained team president until 1999 and later coached the WNBA’s Utah Starzz. The Jazz retired the No. 1 in his honor in 1989. He is enshrined in multiple halls of fame and received the NBA Coaches Association’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. Layden is survived by his wife, Barbara, and their children, including former NBA executive Scott Layden. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.