Temple's head coach John Chaney yells directions to his players during the the first half of their basketball game with Duke recently in Philadelphia. Chaney is retiring after 24 years .

PHILADELPHIA — Trying to figure out John Chaney was often tougher than solving his famed matchup zone.

He was a father figure and a teacher. A Hall of Fame coach — and curmudgeon, who sometimes let his temper get the better of him. He quotes Walt Whitman and sings Frank Sinatra, but knows how to let loose with a raspy trail of four-lettered words.

One thing is finally certain about the 74-year-old Chaney: It's time to say goodbye.

Flanked by former and current players and coaches, Chaney retired Monday after 24 seasons at Temple, ending a 34-year coaching career that reached 741 wins but never the Final Four.

"Excuse me while I disappear," Chaney said Monday, his final words as left the podium.

Chaney has raised hell on the sidelines for perhaps the last time.

Chaney will not coach the Owls' opening NIT game against Akron on Tuesday night because his wife was scheduled to undergo a procedure for an undisclosed health problem. Assistant Dan Leibovitz will take his place, and it was not clear if Chaney would return to the bench if Temple won.

While Chaney's absence will make for a different atmosphere, it's one the Owls and their fans will have to get used to.

"It's always a very traumatic time, but it is time," Chaney said. "Temple gave me a chance to make my own decision and that's the great thing about it. Right now I'm faced with another problem with my wife, so it's the right time to go."

Chaney guided Temple to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including five NCAA regional finals — where he went 0-5 and never made the Final Four. He was twice named national coach of the year and entered the Hall of Fame in 2001.

This season, Temple (17-14) made the NIT for the fifth straight season, a dramatic decline for a program that was once an NCAA tournament regular.

Chaney wiped away tears from behind his sunglasses that concealed his dark, deep-set eyes that seemed fitting for a school whose mascot is the Owl. His scowl melted as he talked at length about his childhood, the importance of dedication and loyalty and another favorite subject — education's role in helping the poor and disadvantaged.

"I'm going to be mean and ornery when I see something that's wrong and I'm going to try and right it," Chaney said.

Chaney has 741 wins as a college coach, including a 516-252 record at Temple, where he won seven Atlantic 10 conference titles. His teams did remarkably well considering Chaney couldn't recruit the high school All-Americans who filled the rosters of the power conferences.

Bob Knight, Eddie Sutton, Lute Olson, and Mike Krzyzewski are the only active coaches with more career victories.