{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}} {{For|his son, the current college basketball head coach|Jeff Capel III}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}} {{Infobox basketball biography | name = Jeff Capel II | image = | caption = | width = | birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1953|1|6}} | birth_place = Southern Pines, North Carolina, U.S. | death_date={{death date and age|2017|11|13|1953|1|6}} | death_place= | high_school = Pinecrest<br>(Southern Pines, North Carolina) | college = Fayetteville State (1970–1971, 1976–1977) | team = | position = | coach_start = 1980 | coach_end = 2013 | cyears1 = 1980–1986 | cteam1 = Pinecrest HS | cyears2 = 1986–1989 | cteam2 = Wake Forest (assistant) | cyears3 =1989–1993 | cteam3 = Fayetteville State | cyears4 =1993–1994 | cteam4 =North Carolina A&T | cyears5 =1994–2001 | cteam5 = Old Dominion | cyears6 = 2001–2004 | cteam6 = Fayetteville Patriots | cyears7 = {{nbay|2004|start}}–{{nbay|2010|end}} | cteam7 = Charlotte Bobcats (assistant) | cyears8 = {{nbay|2011|start}}–{{nbay|2012|end}} | cteam8= Philadelphia 76ers (assistant) | highlights = *MEAC tournament champion (1994) *2x CAA regular season champion (1995, 1997) *2x CAA tournament champion (1995, 1997) *CAA Coach of the Year (1995) }} '''Felton Jeffrey Capel II'''<ref name="D-League bio">{{cite web|title=Jeff Capel|url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/coaches/jeff_capel.html|publisher=NBA Development League|accessdate=October 24, 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111181317/http://www.nba.com/dleague/coaches/jeff_capel.html|archivedate=January 11, 2015}}</ref> (January 6, 1953 – November 13, 2017) was an American National Basketball Association assistant coach, and, prior to that, a college basketball head coach. He was the father of fellow coaches Jeff Capel III and Jason Capel.
==Early life== Born in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Capel graduated from Pinecrest High School in 1970. He went to Fayetteville State University and played on the basketball team as a freshman, then served in the United States Army from 1971 to 1975. Capel says that serving in the Army provided discipline and structure in his life.<ref name="D-League bio"/> Capel returned to Fayetteville State and played another season on the basketball team as a senior before graduating in 1977 with a degree in health and physical education.<ref name="ODU bio">{{cite web|title=Meet Head Coach Jeff Capel|url=http://www.odusports.com/bko/bkc/bkccapelbio.html|publisher=Old Dominion Sports|accessdate=October 24, 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20001006192835/http://www.odusports.com/bko/bkc/bkccapelbio.html|archivedate=October 6, 2000}}</ref><ref name="FSU chooses Capel for dual positions">{{cite web|last1=Wilkie|first1=Jim|title=FSU chooses Capel for dual positions|url=http://www.fayobserver.com/sports/article_bc46317c-05df-5d84-90c0-6a3bc87e2eff.html?mode=jqm|website=Fayetteville Observer|accessdate=October 24, 2014|date=April 28, 1989}}</ref>
==Coaching career== ===Pinecrest High School (1980–1986)=== In 1978, Capel returned to his alma mater Pinecrest High School to be a volunteer basketball coach. He also coached wrestling, baseball, and junior varsity football at Pinecrest. He then was the head varsity basketball coach from 1980 to 1986.<ref name="D-League bio"/> Capel also was an assistant principal at Pinecrest.<ref name="FSU chooses Capel for dual positions"/>
===Wake Forest (1986–1989)=== From 1986 to 1989, Capel was an assistant coach at Wake Forest University under Bob Staak.<ref name="ODU bio"/>
===Fayetteville State (1989–1993)=== Fayetteville State hired Capel as head coach in 1989.<ref name="FSU chooses Capel for dual positions"/> In four seasons (1989–1993), Capel had a 63–51 record at Fayetteville State, with berths in the 1991 CIAA basketball tournament semi-finals and 1992 NCAA Division II tournament.<ref name="ODU bio"/> Future NBA player Darrell Armstrong was among players Capel coached.{{cn|date=January 2026}}
===North Carolina A&T (1993–1994)=== In the 1993–94 season, Capel was head coach at North Carolina A&T, who finished 16–14 with the MEAC tournament championship and automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.<ref name="ODU bio"/>
===Old Dominion (1994–2001)=== Capel then was head coach at Old Dominion from 1994 to 2001. Under Capel, Old Dominion won two CAA tournament championships (1995 and 1997). Old Dominion made the second round of the 1995 NCAA tournament and first round of the 1997 NCAA tournament, as well as the second round of the 1999 National Invitation Tournament.<ref name="ODU bio"/> At Old Dominion, Capel had a 122–98 record.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/jeff-capel-2.html |title=Jeff Capel Coaching Record | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com |accessdate=2014-10-25 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025074706/http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/jeff-capel-2.html |archivedate=2014-10-25 }}</ref>
===NBA (2001–2013)=== In 2001, the Fayetteville Patriots of the NBA's startup minor league National Basketball Development League (NBDL) hired Capel as head coach. Capel was head coach from 2001 to 2004; the Patriots finished first in the NBDL for the 2002–03 season and were runners-up in the 2003 NBDL Finals.<ref name="D-League bio"/> Capel then served as an assistant coach for the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats from 2004 to 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/bobcats/news/capel_assistant_040709.html |title=BOBCATS: Bobcats Name Jeff Capel Assistant Coach |website=NBA.com |accessdate=2011-03-17 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629002342/http://www.nba.com/bobcats/news/capel_assistant_040709.html |archivedate=2011-06-29 }}</ref> On November 15, 2011, it was announced that Capel was hired as an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers, a position which he held until 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20111115_76ers_hire_Capel_as_assistant_coach.html|title = 76ers hire Capel as assistant coach}}</ref>
==Illness and death== On January 25, 2017, writing in ''The Players' Tribune'', his son Jeff Capel III disclosed that Capel had been diagnosed in 2014 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Capel|first1=Jeff|title=The Tree|url=https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/jeff-capel-duke-the-tree|website=The Players' Tribune|date=26 January 2017 |accessdate=26 January 2017}}</ref> He died on November 13, 2017, from the disease.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.journalnow.com/sports/colleges/basketball/former-a-t-basketball-coach-jeff-capel-jr-dies-at/article_e1c9959b-7a7d-53fc-b397-1ef028fd4148.html|title = Former A&T basketball coach Jeff Capel Jr. Dies at 64}}</ref>
==Head coaching record==
===College=== {{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Fayetteville State Broncos | conference = Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference | startyear = 1989 | endyear = 1993 }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1989–90 | name = Fayetteville State | overall = 7–21 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1990–91 | name = Fayetteville State | overall = 14–13 | conference = 10–9<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/B/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_College%20Division_1991_223_Fayetteville%20State%20University.pdf |title=Fayetteville State Basketball Statistics - Season 1990-91 |work=NCAA.org |date=April 18, 1991 |accessdate=April 30, 2022}}</ref> | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1991–92 | name = Fayetteville State | overall = 22–8 | conference = | confstanding = | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1992–93 | name = Fayetteville State | overall = 20–9 | conference = 14–6<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/C/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_Division%20II_1993_223_Fayetteville%20State%20University.pdf |title=Final 1993 Division II Men's Basketball Statistics Report |work=NCAA.org |accessdate=April 30, 2022}}</ref> | confstanding = 3rd | postseason = NCAA Division II First Round }} {{CBB yearly record subtotal | name = Fayetteville State | overall = 63–51 | confrecord = }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name = North Carolina A&T Aggies | conference = Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference | startyear = 1993 | endyear = 1994 }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = conference tournament | season = 1993–94 | name = North Carolina A&T | overall = 16–14 | conference = 10–6 | confstanding = T–2nd | postseason = NCAA Division I First Round }} {{CBB yearly record subtotal | name = North Carolina A&T | overall = 16–14 | confrecord = 10–6 }} {{CBB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Old Dominion Monarchs | conference = Colonial Athletic Association | startyear = 1994 | endyear = 2001 }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = confboth | season = 1994–95 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 21–12 | conference = 12–2 | confstanding = 1st | postseason = NCAA Division I Second Round }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1995–96 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 18–13 | conference = 12–4 | confstanding = 2nd | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = confboth | season = 1996–97 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 22–11 | conference = 10–6 | confstanding = T–1st | postseason = NCAA Division I First Round }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1997–98 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 12–16 | conference = 8–8 | confstanding = 4th | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1998–99 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 25–9 | conference = 11–5 | confstanding = 2nd | postseason = NIT Second Round }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 1999–00 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 11–19 | conference = 6–10 | confstanding = T–6th | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record entry | championship = | season = 2000–01 | name = Old Dominion | overall = 13–18 | conference = 7–9 | confstanding = T–5th | postseason = }} {{CBB yearly record subtotal | name = Old Dominion | overall = 122–98 | confrecord = 66–44 }} {{CBB yearly record end | overall = 201–163 }}
===Professional=== {{NBA coach statistics legend}} {{NBA coach statistics start}} |- |align=left|Fayetteville Patriots |align=left|2001–02 |34||16||18||{{winning percentage|16|18}}||align=center|7th||–||–||–||– |align=center|Missed playoffs |- |align=left|Fayetteville Patriots |align=left|2002–03 |46||29||17||{{winning percentage|29|17}}||align=center|1st||5||3||2||{{winning percentage|3|2}} |align=center|Lost in NBDL Finals |- |align=left|Fayetteville Patriots |align=left|2003–04 |46||21||25||{{winning percentage|21|25}}||align=center|4th||1||0||1||{{winning percentage|0|1}} |align=center|Lost in semifinals |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:left;"|'''Career''' | ||126||66||60||{{winning percentage|66|60}}|| ||6||3||3||{{winning percentage|3|3}} |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.nba.com/coachfile/jeff_capel/ NBA profile] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150111181317/http://www.nba.com/dleague/coaches/jeff_capel.html Fayetteville Patriots profile] (2003) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20001006192835/http://www.odusports.com/bko/bkc/bkccapelbio.html Old Dominion profile] (2000)
{{North Carolina A&T Aggies men's basketball coach navbox}} {{Old Dominion Monarchs basketball coach navbox}} {{Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Capel, Jeff, Ii}} Category:1953 births Category:2017 deaths Category:African-American basketball coaches Category:Basketball coaches from North Carolina Category:Basketball players from North Carolina Category:Charlotte Bobcats assistant coaches Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Category:Fayetteville Patriots coaches Category:Fayetteville State Broncos basketball coaches Category:Fayetteville State Broncos basketball players Category:High school basketball coaches in North Carolina Category:North Carolina A&T Aggies men's basketball coaches Category:Old Dominion Monarchs men's basketball coaches Category:Deaths from motor neuron disease in North Carolina Category:Philadelphia 76ers assistant coaches Category:United States Army soldiers Category:Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball coaches Category:People from Southern Pines, North Carolina Category:American men's basketball players Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen Category:21st-century American sportsmen