Ray Meyer, 92, of Arlington Heights, the legendary men’s basketball head coach who led the DePaul Blue Demons for more than 40 seasons, including two trips to the NCAA Final Four, died peacefully March 17 surrounded by his family at the Addolorata Villa assisted living facility in Wheeling.

A man of humble beginnings who earned the admiration of both the powerful and the everyman during his lifetime, Meyer is remembered for being a leader and mentor for his players, a generous and kind father figure to his family and friends, and a beloved symbol of DePaul University’s values.

“Ray Meyer is an iconic figure in the history of basketball in America and the life of DePaul University,” said the Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., DePaul’s president. “He represented all that is good about college athletics – a pure love for the game, an unwavering commitment to fair competition and, most importantly, a genuine respect for his student athletes. Not only was Ray a national champion, he was a hero to his colleagues, players and thousands of children who attended basketball camps hosted by the man they knew simply as ‘Coach.’”

In his 42 years as head coach of DePaul’s men’s basketball team from 1942-84, Meyer compiled a record of 724-354. During his career, 13 of his teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament and seven of his squads played in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT). His 1943 and 1979 teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four while his 1945 team, featuring future Hall of Famer George Mikan, won the NIT when it was considered the national championship. One of only seven Division I coaches to win at least 700 games, Meyer posted 37 winning seasons and had 12 different 20-win seasons. In his last seven years at DePaul (1977-84), he posted an impressive record of 180-30 (.857). Six of those teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament and his 1983 team played in the NIT finals.

Meyer’s 724 career wins rank 11th on the all-time list. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979, and in 1978 and 1980, he was named Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association. The Associated Press also honored him as its national Coach of the Year in both 1980 and 1984. In addition, he was named the Kodak Man of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1980 and was awarded the John Bunn Award from the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1981 for contributions to the game of basketball. Coach Meyer also was a member of the Illinois and Chicago Sports Halls of Fame, Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the DePaul Hall of Fame.

Beyond the winning seasons and awards, Meyer’s legacy lies in his mentorship of young players. He instilled in his players the importance of education and provided the first life lessons to hundreds of young student-athletes who donned the scarlet and blue during his tenure at DePaul.

Upon retiring as DePaul’s coach in 1984, Meyer served as special assistant to the President of DePaul until 1997. He also did color commentary for DePaul basketball games on WGN-AM for 13 seasons. In his 55 years at DePaul, he attended 1,467 consecutive Blue Demon games, never missing a DePaul contest in that time span. Meyer was succeeded at DePaul by his son, Joey, who coached for 13 seasons.

DePaul and the Vincentian religious community that founded the university have dedicated several tributes to the Coach. To acknowledge his embodiment of DePaul’s mission and the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, Meyer was designated in 1984 an Affiliate of the Vincentian Community, the highest honor the Vincentians can bestow. In 1999, Meyer’s contributions to DePaul received a lasting honor when the university named its new Lincoln Park Campus fitness facility the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center. At the ceremony, Meyer also participated in the naming of a stretch of Belden Avenue as “Honorary Ray Meyer Drive.”

Yet another enduring tribute to Meyer and his family occurred on Dec. 14, 2003, when the game floor at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont was officially dedicated as Ray and Marge Meyer Court, in honor of the coach and his late wife of 43 years who passed away in 1986. In recent years, Meyer again became a fixture at DePaul home games on that court and spent time in the locker room with the Blue Demon players and coaches.

Born Dec. 18, 1913, in Chicago, Meyer earned his high school diploma in 1933 from St. Patrick’s High School on the city’s Near West Side. He was a 1938 graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he was a two-time team captain of the basketball squad.

After graduating, Meyer planned to go into business. But Notre Dame convinced him to return to the court in 1940 to help coach the men’s basketball team after its head coach suffered a heart attack. Meyer caught the eye of DePaul officials, who offered him a job coaching the Blue Demons in 1942.

“Meyer made DePaul University a household name,” Holtschneider said. “His stellar reputation, earned both on and off the court, captured the admiration of people from all walks of life. He was as good a friend to politicians, business leaders and sports figures as he was to local charities on whose behalf he spent countless hours signing autographs and making wildly popular personal appearances.”

Meyer is survived by five children, Tom, Pat, Joey, Barbara and Robert, and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Visitation for Meyer will be held at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 1010 W. Webster Ave., from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, March 20. His funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 21 at the church.

Jean Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul Director of Athletics:

“From the moment you met Coach Ray Meyer, he touched your heart with his sincerity and friendship. From then on, he was your friend for life and never forgot your name. Ray was much more than just DePaul basketball, he was a national treasure. Coach was a man who not only defined a program, but served as an ambassador for the university, the City of Chicago and the game of basketball. His legacy will live long past the memories of exciting victories, great players and special moments he brought to fans of DePaul and the game of basketball. DePaul University would not be one of the nation’s leading Catholic Universities, as it is today, without Ray Meyer.”

Doug Bruno, DePaul Women’s Basketball Coach, who played for Ray Meyer from 1969-73:

“Coach Ray gave so many kids a chance who never would’ve had a chance without him. He was the Father Flannigan of college basketball. He could make ham-and-eggers like myself competitive with the top-five teams in the country, like the Al McGuire Marquette Warriors. His ability to make average teams competitive is a college basketball Houdini act. DePaul men’s and women’s basketball is what it is because of Coach Ray.”

Note to Editors:

For more information, please visit the DePaul Athletics web site: www.depaulbluedemons.com

DePaul also has posted a guest book and photo gallery honoring Coach Meyer.

Click here to access four downloadable photos of Ray Meyer.

The first set of photos is suitable for print use and the second set is designed for Web use.

The photos in order are:

Black and white headshot of Ray Meyer 1992.

Ray Meyer sinks a basket at the 1999 opening of the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center.

Ray Meyer next to a plaque honoring him at the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center.

Ray Meyer portrait in the stands 1989.