George Blaney was the sixth Holy Cross graduate to return as head basketball coach. He served the college longer than any other mentor and coached the Crusaders in 633 contests ' more than double the games coached by any of his 11 predecessors.
As a player, Blaney was reunited with his coach at St. Peter's (N.J.) Prep, Roy Leenig, for three seasons. In Blaney's final two campaigns as a player, the Crusaders won more than 20 games and placed third in the 1961 NIT after compiling a 22-5 record. Blaney scored 1,012 points in his career and was an All-New England selection as a senior.
He played professionally with the New York Knicks before returning to New Jersey as coach at Hudson Catholic High. Blaney then took the coaching and athletic director reins at Stonehill College for two seasons, compiling a 27-18 mark and winning a league championship. Dartmouth College beckoned his services in 1969 and Blaney was 37-40 with the Big Green before replacing Jack Donohue in 1972.
Some of the finest players and teams in the storied history of Crusader basketball were part of the Blaney era. Holy Cross posted nine consecutive winning seasons starting in 1974-1975, with five of the squads winning 20 games or better. Blaney was named Eastern Coach of the Year in 1976-1977, as the Crusaders went 23-6 and played in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years. The Purple made return trips to the NCAAs in 1980 and 1993, and played in five NITs as well under Blaney.
In the summer of 1994, he returned to his native New Jersey to take the head coaching reigns at Seton Hall. Blaney retired from coaching in 2013.
