EDISON, NJ (Feb. 28, 2025) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) mourns the loss of Manhattan University former men’s basketball standout, successful head coach and highly-respected Athletic Director, John “Jack” Powers, who passed away on Thursday, February 27.
A 2012 MAAC Basketball Hall of Fame Honor Roll inductee, Powers completed his collegiate career with 1,139 points and was a 1958 draft pick of the Syracuse Nationals. Powers, who was team captain his senior year, helped lead the Jaspers to three postseason appearances - two NCAA tournaments and one NIT. He began his coaching career as a high school basketball coach, but returned to the Jaspers as the head men's basketball coach in 1968. Powers led the team for 10 seasons, posting a record of 142-114. In 1973, the Jaspers won the ECAC Holiday Festival and made four appearances in the NIT. These accomplishments were achieved without a home court as Manhattan played their home games at Madison Square Garden. After leaving Manhattan, Powers paced the sidelines nine more times as the head coach of the NIT All Stars. Powers later spent nine years as the athletics director at his alma mater. During his tenure, he was also a member of the Executive Council of the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America; and was president of the Metropolitan Basketball Association and the MAAC. Additionally, Powers was Manhattan's representative to the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Basketball Association, the sponsoring body of the NIT. He has been inducted into the Manhattan College Hall of Fame, Catholic High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Brooklyn's Old Timer Hall of Fame, Brooklyn's Sports Foundation and the Mamaroneck High School Hall of Fame. Powers was also the winner of the NACDA/NIT Athletics Directors Award. In 2017, Powers' legacy as an all-time great was further enhanced when he became the first former Jasper to have his number retired, as the school raised his number 34 to the rafters.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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