Jack Nagle

Who was Jack Nagle?

Joel "Jack" Nagle was the head coach of the Marquette University men’s basketball team from 1953-58.

Nagle was educated at Marquette and lettered in both the 1938-39 and 1939-40 seasons, as a reserve guard on the team.

Following graduation, Nagle served in the United States Army Air Corps from 1940-44. After leaving the military, Nagle was named an assistant coach at Marquette under his former coach, William "Bill" Chandler, and later under Fred "Tex" Winter. Nagle was named head coach of the Warriors in 1953 after Winter left to return to Kansas State as that school’s head coach.

Nagle was also instrumental in the renaming of the team from the Marquette Hilltoppers to the Warriors.

The first Marquette men’s basketball team to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament was the 1954-55 team, in Nagle’s second year as head coach. The team had its first ever 20-win season, compiling a 24-3 record. The team reached as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll before finishing the season ranked No. 8. Marquette beat Miami University in the first round of the tournament 90-79 and then beat No. 2 Kentucky, 79-71 in the second round. Marquette then lost to No. 5 Iowa in the Elite Eight, 86-81.