Ray Meyer

Ray Meyer

Red Rolfe and Meyer in 1942.
Sport(s) Basketball
Biographical details
Born (1913-12-18)December 18, 1913
Chicago, Illinois
Died March 17, 2006(2006-03-17) (aged 92)
Chicago, Illinois
Playing career
1935–1938 Notre Dame
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1942–1984 DePaul
Head coaching record
Overall 724–324 (.691)
Tournaments NCAA: 14-16 (.467)
NIT: 10-8 (.556)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2x NCAA Final Four (1943, 1979)
NIT Champion (1945)
Awards
2x AP Coach of the Year (1980, 1984)
2x Henry Iba Award (1978, 1980)
NABC Coach of the Year (1979)
2x 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 "Ray" Meyer (December 18, 1913 – March 17, 2006) was an American men's collegiate basketball coach from Chicago, Illinois. He was well known for coaching at DePaul University from 1942 to 1984, compiling a 724–354 record. 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. 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. 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

Season Team Overall Postseason
DePaul (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 Champions
1945–46 DePaul 19–5
1946–47 DePaul 16–9
1947–48 DePaul 22–8 NIT Semifinalist
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 Second Round
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 Second Round
1959–60 DePaul 17–7 NCAA Second Round
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 Second Round
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 Sixteen
1976–77 DePaul 15–12
1977–78 DePaul 27-3 NCAA Elite Eight
1978–79 DePaul 26–6 NCAA Final Four (Defeated Penn for 3rd 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 Sixteen
Total: 724–354

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

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