Saint Joseph's University mourns the loss of SJU Athletics Hall of Fame member Jack Kraft '42, who passed away on August 28.

The funeral for Mr. Kraft will take place on Thursday, September 4 at Maris Stella Church in Avalon, N.J., with the viewing at 9:30 a.m. and Mass at 11 a.m.

"His extraordinary success as a coach is evident by the results and all Hawk alumni are most proud. What might not be as evident is the manner in which he presented himself with everyone he met- with class, dignity and respect. It was special to know him over his many years in coaching," said SJU director of athletics Don DiJulia.

Mr. Kraft played basketball for Saint Joseph's under coach Bill Ferguson from 1940 to 1942, and was a teammate of Hawk greats George Senesky and Larry Kenney.

He made his mark after graduation with a successful coaching career at the high school and college levels. After coaching at Bishop Neumann and Malvern Prep, he served as the head coach at Villanova from 1961 to 1973, winning 238 games and leading the Wildcats to the 1971 NCAA Final Four. Mr. Kraft coached Rhode Island from 1973 to 1980 and was named the Eastern College Coach of the Year three times. During his college coaching career, Mr. Kraft guided his Villanova and Rhode Island teams to a total of 12 postseason appearances, including six NCAA Tournament berths.

A Big 5 Hall of Fame member, Mr. Kraft was inducted into the Saint Joseph's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.