HR1058 LRB094 20022 HSS 57538 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the House of Representatives of the
3 State of Illinois learned with sadness of the death of Ray
4 Meyer, Hall of Fame basketball coach at DePaul University, on
5 Friday, March 17, 2006, at the age of 92; and
 
6     WHEREAS, Ray Meyer was born on December 18, 1913, in
7 Chicago, the son of a candy wholesaler and the youngest of ten
8 children; he planned to be a priest but turned to sports after
9 starring in basketball at Chicago's Quigley Prep and St.
10 Patrick's Academy, where he was part of the 1932 Catholic high
11 school national championship team; he later accepted a
12 scholarship to play at Notre Dame, where he was co-captain of
13 the basketball team during his junior and senior years, and
14 where he also began his coaching career as an assistant coach;
15 and
 
16     WHEREAS, Over the span of a 42-year career of dedication
17 and leadership at DePaul, Coach Meyer compiled a record of 724
18 wins and 354 losses, placing him fifth in career victories
19 among college basketball coaches; his coaching accomplishments
20 further included 37 winning seasons, 20 postseason
21 appearances, a 1945 National Invitational Tournament
22 championship, 13 trips to the NCAA tournament, including Final
23 Four appearances in 1943 and 1979, and 12 seasons with 20 or
24 more victories; and
 
25     WHEREAS, The true value of Ray Meyer's coaching skills was
26 evidenced not only by his ability to have young men succeed on
27 the basketball court, but also by his determination to instill
28 in them the strong personal and family values that would allow
29 them to succeed throughout their lives; and
 
30     WHEREAS, With the discovery of George Mikan, an unknown
31 6'10" student who had never even played high school basketball,

 

 

HR1058 - 2 - LRB094 20022 HSS 57538 r

1 Ray Meyer invented the role of the proverbial "big man",
2 thereby revolutionizing the sport into what it has become
3 today; and
 
4     WHEREAS, As the result of his remarkable achievements and
5 contributions to the game, in February of 1979, Coach Meyer
6 joined John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, and Frank McGuire as the only
7 active coaches elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame;
8 and
 
9     WHEREAS, Those who knew Coach Meyer appreciated the fact
10 that his passion for the game was only eclipsed by his
11 boundless love for his wife, Marge, for his sons, Tommy, Joey,
12 and Bobby, each having played for him at DePaul, and for his
13 daughters, Barbara and Patricia; and
 
14     WHEREAS, DePaul students today, and for generations to
15 come, will continue to participate and thrive in campus
16 athletics at the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center
17 located on a stretch of Belden Avenue, since renamed Ray Meyer
18 Drive; and
 
19     WHEREAS, The willingness of Coach Meyer to freely give of
20 himself to the community made him an ambassador, not only for
21 DePaul University, but for the game of college basketball and
22 the entire City of Chicago; therefore, be it
 
23     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
24 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
25 we mourn the passing of Coach Ray Meyer, and we extend our
26 deepest sympathy to his family, friends, and all who knew and
27 loved him; and be it further
 
28     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
29 presented to his family and to DePaul University as an
30 expression of our sincerest condolences.