Jack Hartman, who led Kansas State to more basketball victories than any other coach in school history, and who coached the Knicks' great Walt Frazier at Southern Illinois, died yesterday morning at St. Vincent Hospital in Sante Fe, N.M. He was 73.

According to a radio report, the cause of death was heart failure, but the hospital would not confirm that.

Hartman, who had celebrated his birthday on Thursday, coached 16 years at Kansas State, compiling a 295-169 record before retiring after the 1985-86 season. He came out of retirement in 1996 when the Kansas State women's coach was suspended, and he served as coach for the season's final seven games, posting a 3-4 record.

Hartman had served as a color analyst for the Wildcat Television Network for the past 11 years. He tried to leave the university once, accepting a job at his alma mater, Oklahoma State, in 1977. But a day after accepting a five-year contract at the school where he had played for the legendary Hank Iba, he decided to remain in Manhattan, Kan., citing ''a hasty and rash decision.''

Hartman went to Kansas State in 1970 and led the team to three Big Eight Conference titles and two conference tournament titles. He had eight 20-victory seasons and seven National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament berths. In 1981, a season that included a victory over Oregon State, then ranked No. 2 in the nation, Hartman was named coach of the year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

In 1983, he was the head coach of the United States gold-medal winning Pan American Games team that included Michael Jordan.

Hartman suffered a heart attack on Jan. 13, 1985, then had quadruple-bypass surgery and missed the final 15 games of the season.

Before arriving at Kansas State, he compiled a 144-64 record in eight seasons at Southern Illinois, guiding the Salukis to a 24-2 record in 1967, when, with Frazier in the backcourt, they won the National Invitation Tournament championship. He was named coach of the year by The Sporting News that year. He began his career at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, where his 1962 team went 32-0 and became the first unbeaten junior college team to capture the national title.

''He was an influence on me, not only from a player's standpoint of being coached by him, but also off the floor,'' said Lon Kruger, the current Illinois coach who played for Hartman at Kansas State from 1971 to 1974 and then succeeded him as coach. ''He stressed playing unselfishly, taking care of your responsibilities and doing it in a very ethical way. Character was so important to him. He took such satisfaction in beating those who cheated.''

Hartman is survived by his wife, Pat, and three daughters, Jana, Davy, and Jackie.