| Wins against Kentucky - 3 | Losses against Kentucky - 17 |
Alma Mater: Notre Dame [1938] (*)
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Date Born: December 18, 1913
Date Died: March 17, 2006
Overall Record: 724-354 [42 Seasons]

Obituary - Northwest Herald (Woodstock, IL) (March 18, 2006)

DePaul Coaching Legend Meyer Dies at 92

Led Demons from Mikan to Aguirre

by Rick Gano

CHICAGO - Ray Meyer, who built DePaul into a national basketball power during 42-year span and coached a generation of players stretching from George Mikan to Mark Aguirre, died Friday at age 92.

Meyer twice took the Blue Demons to the NCAA Final Four, helped develop Mikan - who eventually would become basketball's first dominating big man - and coached DePaul tot he 1945 NIT title.

His death was confirmed by DePaul athletic director Jean Lenti Ponsetto.

The school said his family was with him when he died at an assisted living facility. Additional details were not immediately available.

"He was a coach's coach; he was a man's man," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who grew up in Chicago.

"He was the face of college basketball in Chicago. When you think of basketball in that city, you think of Ray Meyer."

Said UCLA's Ben Howland; "He had a great, long life."

Meyer had an eye for talent with players such as Aguirre, Terry Cummings, Dallas Comegys and Dave Corzine, who parlayed their college experience into pro careers.

But no player he coached had as much of an impact on the game as Mikan, who died in June 2005.

Meyer had just been hired at DePaul in 1942 when he was introduced to a 6-foot-10 student with thick glasses.

"I saw George Mikan," Meyer recalled, "and I saw my future."

Under Meyer's tutelage, Mikan became a two-tie college player of the year. A half-century ago, no one had seen someone that tall with such agility, tenacity and skill.

From the days of two-handed set shots to the slam dunk era, Meyer either coached or broadcast 1,467 consecutive Blue Demons games, a 55-year streak. He retired in 1984 with a 724-354 record and then became a special assistant to the president while also doing radio commentary.

"He was a sweetheart of a guy, who always made you fell good about life and made sure you knew you were lucky to be around this game," CBS college basketball analyst and former Seton Hall coach Bill Raftery said.

"The last time I saw him at the Final Four last year; he had the same smile I first saw 30 years ago, even though he was being pushed in a wheelchair by his grandson," he said.

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