MANCHESTER, N.H. – Former Southern New Hampshire University men's basketball assistant coach John "Jay" Dufour passed away Sunday morning at the age of 75, following an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
Dufour, whose family said remained positive and hopeful, right up to the very end, was the top assistant coach for the Penmen basketball program from 1985 until his retirement in 2018. A Class of 2023 SNHU Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Dufour helped guide teams that amassed a record of 640-341 (.652) during his tenure, while earning 18 NCAA Tournament bids, capturing eight conference titles, collecting five NCAA Division II Elite Eight berths and twice advancing to the NCAA Division II Final Four. With Dufour on the staff, the Penmen won 20 or more games in a season on 17 occasions.
Dufour, who taught seven years at Hooksett Memorial School and another 30 at Manchester Central High School, before retiring in 2008, started as the freshman basketball coach at Central in 1978 and eventually served as the JV and varsity head coach over seven years, prior to joining the Penmen staff.
SERVICES: Calling hours for Jay will be Sunday, March 3 from 3-6 p.m. at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., Manchester. A Mass of Christian Burial will be Monday, March 4 at 10 a.m. at St. Raphael's Church, 103 Walker St., Manchester. Committal will follow at St. Joseph's Cemetery, 448 Donald St., Bedford
In lieu of flowers, donations in Jay's name may be made to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network or the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
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