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Neil Dougherty

1961 – 2011

American basketball player-coach

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About Neil Dougherty

Lived 1961 – 2011 (aged 50). Neil Dougherty was an American basketball player and basketball coach.

Cornelius Aaron "Neil" Dougherty (April 14, 1961 – July 5, 2011) was an American basketball coach, most recently the head coach at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Dougherty played basketball at West Point for two years under coach Mike Krzyzewski before transferring to Cameron University, where he played his final two years and earned his degree in 1984.

Assistant coaching career Dougherty began his coaching career in 1984 at Cameron, where he served as an assistant until 1988. He then moved on to take similar positions at Drake, Vanderbilt and South Carolina. He was an assistant of Roy Williams at University of Kansas for many years. He also served under Head Coach Eddie Fogler at Vanderbilt and South Carolina. In 1990 under Fogler and Dougherty, Vanderbilt won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).

TCU On March 25, 2002, Dougherty was hired as the 18th head coach at TCU, replacing Billy Tubbs. Because Dougherty's defensive-minded approach clashed with Tubbs' up-tempo, high scoring approach, the team struggled to adjust in his first year, winning just nine games. The next year they improved by three wins, with the season's highlight coming with a nationally-televised 25-point victory over 10th-ranked Louisville, coached by Rick Pitino. In 2004–05, the Horned Frogs finished 21–14, advancing to the quarterfinals of the National Invitational Tournament.

However, after losing star guards Corey Santee and Marcus Shropshire to graduation, the Frogs failed to build on the NIT momentum and stumbled to a 6–25 record in 2005–06. This caused many TCU boosters and local media figures to question whether or not Dougherty was the right person for the job. His 2006–27 team made strides, finishing 13–17, but the season also included an eleven-game losing streak, which did little to quiet Dougherty's critics. Dougherty was fired by TCU on March 16, 2008 after six seasons, only one of which had a winning record.

Death Dougherty was in Indianapolis working for IHoops, a joint venture between the NBA and NCAA that promotes youth basketball. On July 5, 2011, Dougherty went jogging and never returned. His body was identified on July 8, 2011.

Head coaching record

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
United States Military Academy

People in Neil Dougherty's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Neil Dougherty's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Neil Dougherty?

American basketball player-coach

When was Neil Dougherty born?

Neil Dougherty was born on 14 April 1961 in Leavenworth.

When did Neil Dougherty die?

Neil Dougherty died on 5 July 2011 in Indianapolis.

What was Neil Dougherty's occupation?

Neil Dougherty was a basketball player and basketball coach.

What nationality was Neil Dougherty?

Neil Dougherty was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Neil Dougherty

· Wikidata: Q6988486

· DBpedia: Neil Dougherty

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Neil Dougherty. https://biography.guide/neil-dougherty/

MLA: "Neil Dougherty." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/neil-dougherty/.

Chicago: "Neil Dougherty." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/neil-dougherty/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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