Ray Meyer
![]() Meyer from the 1970 DePaulian | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Chicago, Illinois | December 18, 1913
Died | March 17, 2006 Chicago, Illinois | (aged 92)
Playing career | |
1930-1932 | St. Patrick Academy |
1935–1938 | Notre Dame |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1942–1984 | DePaul |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1945–1974 | DePaul |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 724–354 |
Tournaments | 14–16 (NCAA Division I) 10–8 (NIT) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
2 NCAA Division I Regional—Final Four (1943, 1979) NIT (1945) | |
Awards | |
2× AP Coach of the Year (1980, 1984) 2x Henry Iba Award (1978, 1980) NABC Coach of the Year (1979) 2× UPI Coach of the Year (1980, 1984) | |
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1979 (profile) | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
Raymond Joseph Meyer (December 18, 1913 – March 17, 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from Chicago, Illinois.[1] He was well known for coaching at DePaul University from 1942 to 1984, compiling a 724–354 record.[2] Meyer coached DePaul to 21 post-season appearances (13 NCAA, eight NIT). In total, Meyer recorded 37 winning seasons and twelve 20-win seasons, including seven straight from 1978 to 1984. Two Meyer-coached teams reached the Final Four (1943 and 1979), and in 1945, Meyer led DePaul past Bowling Green to capture the National Invitation Tournament, the school's only post-season title.[2]
![](http://web.archive.org./web/20220503020611im_/https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Red_Rolfe_and_Ray_Meyer.jpg/150px-Red_Rolfe_and_Ray_Meyer.jpg)
Meyer coached a College All-Star team that played a coast-to-coast series against the Harlem Globetrotters for 11 years. One of his best players was George Mikan, who was a game-changing player and basketball's first great "big man". Meyer recruited Mikan from Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, a school Meyer had himself earlier attended. Other top players coached by Meyer include former NBA players Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings. During Meyer's tenure the basketball rivalry between DePaul and Loyola reached an extremely high level. Meyer's great-great nephew, Mike Starkman, played basketball for Loyola as a walk-on. Meyer was a much-beloved figure in Chicago, and is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[2] He was succeeded as DePaul coach by his son, Joey, who led the team for several more seasons, but less successfully than had his father.
Meyer also ran a summer basketball camp near Three Lakes in northern Wisconsin for many years.
Head coaching record[edit]
Season | Team | Overall | Postseason | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DePaul Blue Demons (NCAA University Division / Division I independent) (1942–1984) | |||||||||
1942–43 | DePaul | 19–5 | NCAA Final Four | ||||||
1943–44 | DePaul | 22–4 | NIT Runner-up | ||||||
1944–45 | DePaul | 21–3 | NIT Champion | ||||||
1945–46 | DePaul | 19–5 | |||||||
1946–47 | DePaul | 16–9 | |||||||
1947–48 | DePaul | 22–8 | NIT Semifinal | ||||||
1948–49 | DePaul | 16–9 | |||||||
1949–50 | DePaul | 12–13 | |||||||
1950–51 | DePaul | 13–12 | |||||||
1951–52 | DePaul | 19–8 | |||||||
1952–53 | DePaul | 19–9 | NCAA Regional Fourth Place | ||||||
1953–54 | DePaul | 11–10 | |||||||
1954–55 | DePaul | 16–6 | |||||||
1955–56 | DePaul | 16–8 | NCAA First Round | ||||||
1956–57 | DePaul | 8–14 | |||||||
1957–58 | DePaul | 8–12 | |||||||
1958–59 | DePaul | 13–11 | NCAA Regional Fourth Place | ||||||
1959–60 | DePaul | 17–7 | NCAA Regional Third Place | ||||||
1960–61 | DePaul | 17–8 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1961–62 | DePaul | 13–10 | |||||||
1962–63 | DePaul | 15–8 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1963–64 | DePaul | 21–4 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1964–65 | DePaul | 17–10 | NCAA Regional Fourth Place | ||||||
1965–66 | DePaul | 18–8 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1966–67 | DePaul | 17–8 | |||||||
1967–68 | DePaul | 13–12 | |||||||
1968–69 | DePaul | 14–11 | |||||||
1969–70 | DePaul | 12–13 | |||||||
1970–71 | DePaul | 8–17 | |||||||
1971–72 | DePaul | 12–11 | |||||||
1972–73 | DePaul | 14–11 | |||||||
1973–74 | DePaul | 16–9 | |||||||
1974–75 | DePaul | 15–10 | |||||||
1975–76 | DePaul | 20–9 | NCAA Sweet 16 | ||||||
1976–77 | DePaul | 15–12 | |||||||
1977–78 | DePaul | 27–3 | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||||
1978–79 | DePaul | 26–6 | NCAA Third Place | ||||||
1979–80 | DePaul | 26–2 | NCAA Second Round | ||||||
1980–81 | DePaul | 27–2 | NCAA Second Round | ||||||
1981–82 | DePaul | 26–2 | NCAA Second Round | ||||||
1982–83 | DePaul | 21–12 | NIT Runner-up | ||||||
1983–84 | DePaul | 27–3 | NCAA Sweet 16 | ||||||
DePaul: | 724–354 | ||||||||
Total: | 724–354 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
See also[edit]
- Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
- List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
References[edit]
- ^ "Ray Meyer". sports-reference.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Raymond J. "Ray" Meyer". hoophall.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
External links[edit]
- 1913 births
- 2006 deaths
- Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Illinois
- Basketball players from Chicago
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- DePaul Blue Demons athletic directors
- DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball coaches
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players
- People from Three Lakes, Wisconsin