Tribute to Ray Meyer

The Master Basketball Coaches are saddened by the loss of one of their colleagues, Ray Meyer. Meyer was no doubt a Master Coach in his own right. Executive Director Andy Curtin attempted to contact Meyer to be a part of the group, but due to his poor health, he reluctantly declined.

John Wooden, UCLA coaching legend, got to know Ray very early in his career. It was not surprising to him that Meyer became a coach. “When I was teaching high school in South Bend, Indiana, Ray was playing at Notre Dame, and I got to know their players well. I was their tutor in English,” Wooden said. “He wasn’t the player who was always in the limelight, but he was one who got the job done on the court. Ray did the little things that players don’t get much credit for.”

Meyer became the head coach at DePaul University in 1942. Over 42 seasons, he compiled a record of 724-354, making two Final Four appearances in 1943 and 1979.

“Recalling the 1979 Final Four, Ray Meyer was definitely the sentimental favorite to win it all,” said Jud Heathcote, who won the National Championship with Michigan State that year. “Everyone anticipated a Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson match-up, but when you put the emphasis on the coach, Ray Meyer was miles and miles ahead of any of us. Many would have sacrificed the Magic vs. Bird confrontation to get Ray in the title game.”

“The first time I saw his ball club play was many, many years ago. He brought his team in to play Oklahoma State, and he had a young man named George Mikan on that team,” said Lou Henson, former Illinois head coach, “Ray was a tremendous coach, and I think that the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, as well as the rest of the country will miss him.” Meyer’s coaching records prove he was a tremendous coach. He had 37 winning seasons, including twelve 20-win seasons, stringing seven consecutive 20-win seasons together from 1978-1984.

Dale Brown, LSU coaching legend recalls, “Ray had a three-year span where he had a record of 79-3, and he lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. As heartbroken as he was, somehow philosophically, Ray said ‘The Lord’s been pretty good to me through the years. You get knocked down, but I am fortunate to be getting into these tournaments.’ Even in a time of heartbreak, he still somehow reached out and found the good.”

Not only was Meyer a terrific coach, but he was a mentor to young coaches as well. “I knew as a young coach that people like Ray Meyer were always accessible. He was willing to share with you and take time,” Missouri’s Norm Stewart commented.

“The first time I had a chance to meet Ray Meyer, I was thirteen years old,” said Coach Hugh Durham, “from that point on, he kind of took me under his wing. He would always give me a big hug, and we’d visit because he was a jolly guy.”

The Master Basketball Coaches agree that Ray was always happy and as Dale Brown said, “He had a perpetual smile.”

Kentucky’s Joe B. Hall added, “He just attracted people like refrigerators attract magnets.”

Denny Crum of Louisville and Hall’s partner of the Joe B. & Denny Radio Show said, “He was a real down to earth, nice person. He was fun to be around and had a great sense of humor. It was just like talking to your brother with Ray. I loved him.”

Meyer never missed the Final Four, interacting with everyone and with our Master Basketball Coaches. Georgia Tech's Bobby Cremins recalls, “He’d be at every Final Four, eating breakfast. He was always around the coaches and would tell story after story after story.”

Former UAB Coach, Gene Bartow, had the opportunity to visit with Meyer at last year’s Final Four. “I spent some time with him when his health was really declining, and he still was jolly and going pretty strong,” added Bartow.

Even those who didn’t know him very well, such as coaching legend Lefty Driesell, admired Ray. “We need more like him in the coaching profession today. He was honest, had character and was a great guy,” said Driesell.

“If you needed a definition of what a coach should be, I think Ray would typify that. He was a real sweetheart,” said Hall of Famer, Lou Carnesecca of St. John’s.

“His nature was to help out, not just in basketball,” John Wooden stated, and help out he did, teaching young coaches and young players to become better men.

Ray Meyer will be missed by us all, especially in Indianapolis at this year’s Final Four where his presence was always felt. For those who have had the chance to know Ray Meyer, you are lucky because, as Dale Brown said, “When you walked away from Ray, you told yourself that you wanted to be more like him and be a better person.”

Former Arkansas coaching great Nolan Richardson put it best, “He was a true icon, and we will all miss him.”