You’ve seen him. If you’ve watched a New York Knicks game lately, or followed the Minnesota Timberwolves for the last decade, you’ve definitely seen the big man with the salt-and-pepper beard sitting courtside. He’s usually intense. Sometimes he’s laughing. Always, he’s locked in on every single possession. That’s Karl Towns Sr., and honestly, calling him just karl anthony towns dad is like calling Phil Jackson just a guy who likes jewelry.
Big Karl is the architect. Without him, there is no "Special K." There is no 50-point playoff outburst or All-NBA center with a silk-smooth jumper. People talk about the trade that brought KAT to New York as a business move—Leon Rose being aggressive, the Wolves balancing the books—but for the Towns family, it was a homecoming that felt almost scripted.
The Monmouth Legend and the Knicks Tryout
Most fans don't realize Karl Sr. was a beast in his own right. He wasn't just some guy coaching his kid in the driveway. He was a 6-foot-5 "wrecking ball" for the Monmouth University Hawks back in the 80s. The man still holds the single-game rebounding record at Monmouth—23 boards against Morgan State in '85. You don't just stumble into 23 rebounds. You have to want them.
That grit earned him a look from the NBA. Specifically, the New York Knicks invited him to training camp. He didn't make the final roster, but that moment stuck. It planted a seed. Decades later, when his son was traded to the Knicks in late 2024, KAT didn't just talk about the triangle or the roster fit. He talked about his dad. He talked about how the Knicks were the only team that gave his father a real shot at the dream.
Coaching the "Guard in a Big Man’s Body"
Karl Sr. spent 15 years as the head coach at Piscataway Vo-Tech in New Jersey. He knew the game from the sidelines, not just the paint. When KAT was growing up, Karl Sr. made a radical decision: he didn't train his son like a traditional center.
While other 6-foot-10 kids were being parked under the rim to block shots and eat space, Big Karl had his son working on crossovers and three-pointers. He saw where the game was going before the NBA did. He gave KAT the keys to the gym, literally. Because Karl Sr. was a high school coach, they had access to hardwood when other kids were playing on asphalt.
✨ Don't miss: How to Watch Monday Night Football Tonight ABC Channel and Why the Schedule Keeps Changing
"I had keys to a hardwood floor. My dad was athletic enough and talented enough to rebound for me and understand what I truly needed," KAT once said.
It wasn't all sunshine. It was work. Hard, grinding, "you-don't-get-to-go-to-the-party" work. Karl Sr. pushed him. He coached him at Piscataway Tech, letting the fifth-grader practice with the JV team. That’s how you build a "unicorn."
Survival, Loss, and the Madison Square Garden Return
The relationship between karl anthony towns dad and his son was forged in fire during 2020. Most of us remember the headlines. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Towns family with a cruelty that’s hard to wrap your head around. Both Karl Sr. and KAT’s mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns, contracted the virus early on.
✨ Don't miss: Classement Eliminatoire Coupe du Monde 2026 Amérique du Sud : Ce qu'il faut retenir du verdict final
Karl Sr. survived. Jackie did not.
The image of Karl Sr. returning to the arena for the first time without her in 2021—sitting in the stands at Barclays Center—broke the hearts of everyone in the league. It changed the dynamic. They weren't just coach and player or father and son anymore; they were the survivors.
When the trade to the Knicks finally happened, it felt like a gift to Karl Sr. as much as it was a career move for KAT. Suddenly, the man who spent his life coaching in New Jersey gyms and dreaming of the Garden was watching his son lead the franchise that once gave him a training camp jersey.
📖 Related: Long Hair NBA Players: What Most People Get Wrong
The Short-Lived St. Joseph Era
Kinda weirdly, Karl Sr. actually tried to step back into the spotlight himself recently. In June 2024, he took the head coaching job at St. Joseph High School in Metuchen—the same school where KAT became a national superstar. It felt like a full-circle moment.
But things got complicated. By March 2025, Karl Sr. resigned after just one season. The team went 6-16. There was some noise about him not being in the huddle during timeouts and his assistants taking the lead. Honestly, it seemed like his heart was elsewhere. He was often seen courtside at MSG watching the Knicks instead of being in the high school gym. Can you blame him? When your son is the centerpiece of a championship contender in the world’s most famous arena, high school practice probably feels a little small.
What You Should Know About the Towns Legacy:
- The Monmouth Record: 515 career rebounds and a single-season record of 319.
- The Knicks Connection: Karl Sr. was a training camp invitee, which is why KAT says he "bleeds blue and orange."
- Coaching Resume: 15 years at Piscataway Vo-Tech, plus stints at Kean University and Middlesex County College.
- The Sacrifice: Karl Sr. stepped down from his own coaching career in 2014 specifically to follow KAT to Kentucky for his one college season.
Why it Matters Now
If you want to understand why KAT plays with so much emotion, look at the baseline. Look at the guy in the expensive hoodie nodding after every made free throw. Karl Sr. isn't just a spectator; he’s the guy who taught KAT how to shoot when the world told him to just stay in the paint.
He’s the link to Jackie. He’s the link to the New Jersey roots. He’s the reason the Knicks trade wasn't just another transaction—it was the completion of a journey that started in a Piscataway gym forty years ago.
Practical Takeaways for Fans:
- Watch the Baseline: Next time you're at a Knicks game, look for Karl Sr. His reactions usually tell you more about the team's energy than the scoreboard.
- Respect the Blueprint: Understand that KAT's "modern" game was actually built by a 1980s old-school coach who had the vision to let his son play like a guard.
- The Jersey Connection: The Towns family is Jersey through and through. Their presence at local events and schools like St. Joseph’s is a big deal for the tri-state hoops scene.