Neil Cohalan earned 11 letters at Manhattan College, including playing basketball and serving as the football team's quarterback. He also served as as the Jaspers' Head Basketball coach from 1929-42, posting a record of 165-82 (668). Cohalan then became the first-ever coach of the New York Knicks, and holds the distinction of serving as the winning coach of the first-ever game played in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the forerunner to the modern NBA, on November 1, 1946, a 68-66 win over the Toronto Huskies.