AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Jack McCloskey, the general manager who built the Detroit Pistons' "Bad Boys" championship teams, died Thursday at age 91, the Pistons announced.
McCloskey had Alzheimer's disease and died in Savannah, Georgia, where he had been staying at a facility that cares for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.
The Pistons won NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, led by coach Chuck Daly and McCloskey draft picks Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman, all Hall of Famers. McCloskey also pulled off trades for key players during the team's "Bad Boys" era, including Bill Laimbeer, Vinnie Johnson, Rick Mahorn, Mark Aguirre and James Edwards.
Known as "Trader Jack," McCloskey helped guide Detroit to nine straight playoff appearances, five Eastern Conference Finals in a row and three NBA Finals. He was honored in 2008 with a retirement ceremony, where his name was lifted to the rafters.
McCloskey played at the University of Pennsylvania, served in World War II with the U.S. Marines, and played one game in the NBA for the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1952-53 season.
He was Penn's head coach from 1956-66, coached Wake Forest from 1966-72, and was the Portland Trail Blazers' coach from 1972-74, going 48-116. He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers until taking the Pistons' job, and also worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
