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90_HJ0043
LRB9007686KBkbB
1 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The members of the General Assembly wish to
3 honor Coach Ray Meyer on his outstanding career, his life,
4 and his achievements; and
5 WHEREAS, Ray Meyer is considered to be the patriarch of
6 DePaul University Basketball, serving the team, the Blue
7 Demons, as coach for forty-two years; in 1984 Coach Meyer
8 made the decision to step down as coach of the Blue Demons,
9 but until his retirement in August of 1997 remained on campus
10 as an important part of the University; and
11 WHEREAS, Ray Meyer has been a part of the sport of
12 basketball nearly all his life; as a young man, he played for
13 St. Patrick High School in Chicago, winning the National High
14 School Basketball Championship in 1932; collegiately he
15 played on the University of Notre Dame basketball team,
16 serving as team captain for two years, seeing his team go to
17 the national championship in 1936, and graduating from Notre
18 Dame with a Bachelor's Degree in sociology; and
19 WHEREAS, Ray Meyer went home to Chicago where he worked
20 as a social worker; he returned to Notre Dame to serve as the
21 assistant basketball coach, and two years later became the
22 Head Coach at DePaul University, where for forty-two years
23 Coach Meyer saw his teams ups and downs, their high points
24 and their low, and many, many victories; and
25 WHEREAS, As coach of the Blue Demons, Ray Meyer saw his
26 team go to the NCAA Tournament thirteen times, in addition to
27 seven trips to the NIT where in 1945 the Blue Demons won the
28 NIT when it was considered the most prestigious national
29 tournament; the Blue Demons advanced to the NCAA Final Four
30 tournament twice in the career of Ray Meyer, where they
31 accomplished third place finishes in both 1943 and 1979; Ray
32 Meyer is one of only six NCAA, Division 1 coaches to top the
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1 700 victory mark; Meyer had 37 winning seasons and twelve
2 20-win seasons; in his last seven years as coach, Ray Meyer
3 took his team to seven straight tournaments; and
4 WHEREAS, Ray Meyer was named the United States Basketball
5 Writers Association coach of the year in 1978 and 1980; in
6 1980 and 1984 he was named coach of the year by the
7 Associated Press; in 1980 he was named Kodak Man of the Year
8 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and in
9 1984 won the NIT-NACDA Award; Ray Meyer is a member of the
10 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, the Illinois and Chicago
11 Sports Hall of Fame, the Illinois Basketball Coaches
12 Association Hall of Fame, and the DePaul Hall of Fame; Ray
13 Meyer is also a past winner of the Lincoln Academy of
14 Illinois Award; and
15 WHEREAS, Ray Meyer continued to be a part of DePaul
16 University, where he served as both the University Good Will
17 ambassador and basketball radio commentator, and was active
18 in fund raising work for the University, assisting both the
19 President and the Athletic Director in their efforts; and
20 WHEREAS, Today Ray Meyer, the author of two books and the
21 Director of his sports camp for fifty-five years, continues
22 to be a popular guest on local and national radio and
23 television sports shows, the subject of many newspaper
24 articles, and a frequent guest speaker; and
25 WHEREAS, For over forty-six years, Ray Meyer shared his
26 life with his wife, Margaret Mary "Marge" Delaney, herself an
27 accomplished basketball star at Siena High School for girls;
28 together they raised six children, Thomas, Barbara, Pat,
29 Merriane, Joey, and Robert; therefore, be it
30 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
31 NINETIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE
32 SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we congratulate Ray Meyer on
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1 being Coach, for his career as the leader and mentor of the
2 DePaul Blue Demons, and for his continued service to college
3 basketball and good sportsmanship; Ray Meyer is truly a proud
4 son of the State of Illinois; and be it further
5 RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
6 presented to "Coach" Ray Meyer, along with our sincere
7 congratulations on a job well done.