Thirty-three years ago, future Hall of Famer Bobby Hurley was in the biggest crisis of his life in a roadside ditch. Dan Hurley’s brother was lying in the cold water, just 30 seconds away from a completely different fate on that isolated road. A car ahead saw the incident and ran back to help.
The Sacramento Kings point guard, who had led his college team to national championships in 1991 and 1992, faced a painful moment on Dec. 12, 1993. That night in Sacramento, California, the collision occurred roughly one mile from Arco Arena. Bobby was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from his vehicle, and landed in a drainage ditch.
The crash left former Duke Blue Devils star Bobby Hurley with broken ribs and a severed trachea. His injuries also included two collapsed lungs, a compression fracture in his lower back, a fractured shoulder blade, and a torn ACL.
"I consider myself blessed," Hurley said shortly after his accident. "I replay the situation a lot. Everything was in place for me to live through it. I was on a dark road that not many people use, and yet there was a car 30 seconds ahead of me who saw what happened and was able to come back and find me an ambulance quickly. I was lucky someone was there to help."
"I can remember feeling the car crashing into me, and that was it," Bobby Hurley said. "I don't remember anything else until I was in the ditch and I was in the water and feeling real cold and not knowing what was going on."
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His younger brother, UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley, saw his brother clinging to life in a hospital room surrounded by family. Bobby needed eight hours of emergency surgery and had to go through a grueling rehab process. Hoops fans can watch the original tragic clip of the accident.
"Emotional for me just because my last time here, I was watching my brother cling to his life in a hospital room surrounded by his family," Dan Hurley said. "Just amazing how it's set up that we're now out here. I'm not sure how many times Bob has been out here since, but he will be out here for the game tomorrow."
After such deep injuries, Bobby showed how strong-willed he was by making a professional basketball comeback within just one year. In the 1994-1995 season, he played 68 games for the Kings, although his vintage performance and explosive speed were not the same. He played five seasons in the NBA, appearing in a total of 269 games for the Kings and the Vancouver Grizzlies. Some injuries, like Bobby’s torn ACL, were not properly repaired until much later, which eventually led to his retirement in 1998.
He then made a fresh start by transitioning into coaching. After serving as head coach of the Buffalo Bulls, Bobby moved quickly to the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2015. His 11-year coaching tenure ended on March 11, 2026, when the university decided not to renew his contract.
Bobby Hurley’s brother, Dan Hurley, continues his coaching icon legacy at UConn.
