Sports & Recreation

Utah Jazz will honor Frank Layden with a patch on their jersey this season

KUER 90.1 | By Associated Press

Published September 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM MDT

FILE - Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) works toward the basket as Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, April 13, 2025, in Minneapolis.

Utah Jazz players will wear a Frank Layden patch on their jerseys this season to commemorate one of the most influential figures in club history.

Layden, the team's former coach, general manager and president, died July 9 at 93.

For Frank 🤍

This season, we will wear a commemorative jersey patch to honor Frank Layden as a tribute to his impact on the franchise and the state of Utah.

In addition to the patch, Jazz coaches and team personnel will wear a special “1” circle patch on warm-ups signifying… pic.twitter.com/0GyEnA3GMZ
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) September 25, 2025

The name “FRANK” will be on the left chest, and players and coaches will wear a “1” circle patch on their warm-ups beginning Oct. 8 in a preseason game against Houston. The No. 1 jersey was retired by the team in 1989 in honor of Layden.

Layden, known as much for his quick-witted personality as his coaching or front-office skills, coached the Jazz from 1981-89 and had 277 wins, third-most in franchise history. He’s the only coach in Jazz history to be named NBA coach of the year, earning the honor in 1984, when he also was honored as executive of the year.