Career
He served in World World War II as a lieutenant commanding a landing ship for Marines. He played one game for the Philadelphia Warriors of the National Basketball Association during the 1953 season, scoring 6 points in that game. He served as head coach of the University of Pennsylvania from 1956 to 1966, and of Wake Forest from 1966 to 1972.
He followed this stint as an assistant coach to Jerry West and the Los Angeles Lakers.
When West became general manager, McCloskey felt he had earned the right to become head coach, but Jack McKinney was hired instead. In 1979, he became general manager of the Detroit Pistons.
During the next 13 years, "Trader Jack," as he was known, made over 30 trades, constantly upgrading his team to become a true challenger to the Boston Celtics, one of the dominant teams in the National Basketball Association"s Eastern Conference. After the Chicago Bulls swept an injury-riddled Piston team in the 1991 Eastern Conference Finals, "Trader Jack" made his last moves.
He acquired Darrell Walker, Brad Sellers, and Orlando Woolridge, and let go of Vinnie Johnson and James Edwards to try to make the team younger.
He drafted Doug Overton in the second round that year (the Pistons had traded their first-round pick away), who did not even play the following season. They lost in five games to the New York Knicks in the first round, and McCloskey left the team He later served in the front offices of the Minnesota Timberwolves (1992-1995), and the Toronto Raptors (2004), the latter on an interim basis.
On March 29, 2008, McCloskey had his name honored in Detroit, with banner raised at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Now retired, he currently resides in Georgia.
