RIP Don Meyer

[Grizzled_Jack]

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireSto...-died-23767497

A giant among coaches.

[HandoEX]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

A giant among coaches and a legendary man! Read the book that Buster Olney wrote about him and met him a few years ago in Fargo. One of the most amazing human beings of our time and incredibly humble. RIP coach!

[JackJD]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

I may have to read that book...I've heard it's good.

I wondering if someone knows why he left Lipscomb. Here's what I recall but I cannot verify whether my memory is accurate. Coach Meyer was very successful at Lipscomb...won the NAIA national tourney in 1986. His last season at Lipscomb was 1998-1999. He sought out the job at Northern State -- Bob Olson had just become the athletic director at NSU and it was late in the school year when out of the blue Coach Meyer called about the job. I know that 1998-1999 was Lipscomb's last year in NAIA and the school jumped all the way to NCAA Division 1 for the following season. The Lipscomb page on Wikipedia notes that the NCAA allowed Lipscomb to be in NCAA while playing what was essentially an NAIA schedule that first year. Their big rival is Belmont...both schools are in Nashville and play in the Atlantic Sun. Lipscomb has a win-loss advantage over Belmont.

Now, it's my recollection that Meyer left Lipscomb because he disagreed with the school leaving NAIA and moving up to NCAA Division I. I have a faint memory of when he landed at NSU and I read a little about him: wondered how the heck that guy came to Aberdeen, SD. He had a great reputation as a teacher of coaches. Anyone know the fact (maybe that's covered in Olney's book) about why he left Lipscomb? I know that when SDSU moved to Division I, he made contact with Coach Nagy and offered support and kind words ('hang in there, it'll get better').

Coach Meyer and his family obviously have a great relationship with Lipscomb. His family has endowed a scholarship and Lipscomb University is having a memorial service. By all accounts, a good guy. Wish I had known him personally.

[Nidaros]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

I may have to read that book...I've heard it's good.

I wondering if someone knows why he left Lipscomb. Here's what I recall but I cannot verify whether my memory is accurate. Coach Meyer was very successful at Lipscomb...won the NAIA national tourney in 1986. His last season at Lipscomb was 1998-1999. He sought out the job at Northern State -- Bob Olson had just become the athletic director at NSU and it was late in the school year when out of the blue Coach Meyer called about the job. I know that 1998-1999 was Lipscomb's last year in NAIA and the school jumped all the way to NCAA Division 1 for the following season. The Lipscomb page on Wikipedia notes that the NCAA allowed Lipscomb to be in NCAA while playing what was essentially an NAIA schedule that first year. Their big rival is Belmont...both schools are in Nashville and play in the Atlantic Sun. Lipscomb has a win-loss advantage over Belmont.

Now, it's my recollection that Meyer left Lipscomb because he disagreed with the school leaving NAIA and moving up to NCAA Division I. I have a faint memory of when he landed at NSU and I read a little about him: wondered how the heck that guy came to Aberdeen, SD. He had a great reputation as a teacher of coaches. Anyone know the fact (maybe that's covered in Olney's book) about why he left Lipscomb? I know that when SDSU moved to Division I, he made contact with Coach Nagy and offered support and kind words ('hang in there, it'll get better').

all accounts, a good guy. Wish I had known him personally.

I believe you are are correct on his reasons for leaving Lipscomb. Being in heart of the SEC, he no doubt seen the pressures of running a D1 program and most likely wanted no part of it. I liked what Tim Miles had to say about him and his open play book. Meyer had plays that fit his team and no one else. A real smart guy.

[jackdaniel]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

I think this article sheds some light to why he left.Particularly intresting to me from the article was when Duke's Coach called (Krzyzewski) and asked `What the hell is going on? The response was, " Lipscomb was basketball, now they're just going to be like everyone else." This says it all about a coach who loved team basketball so much,he was willing to pass up a great opportunity to continue to coach at a higher level ,instead chose to continue to coach his own way and his own style of basketball.

The article says it better.From archives of the Argus......http://www.argusleader.com/story/spo...egend/9045303/

[JackJD]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

Thanks jackdaniel. And thanks to the Argus for re-running the story from 2008. My memory's not so bad after all!

[da_coach]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

If you ever had the opportunity to hear Coach Meyer speak, you'd understand in a minute why he was so respected.

Just a real open and engaging person. He'll be missed.

[jackdaniel]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

If you ever had the opportunity to hear Coach Meyer speak, you'd understand in a minute why he was so respected.

Just a real open and engaging person. He'll be missed.

Here's a link of Don's speach after accepting the Jimmy V award at the Espys.
Great speach,great man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwEiv3k5jlU

[GoJacks]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

Lipscomb and Northern should schedule a game. I think that would a great basketball tribute to him.

[filbert]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

Lipscomb and Northern should schedule a game. I think that would a great basketball tribute to him.

Now that might just be a fitting college game to open the Sanford Center in SF with. What can we as the SDSU community do to make that happen? Anybody know anyone at Lipscomb? (Maybe they could make a trip of it with the front end of a home-and-home with SDSU in BKX, too, while they were in the neighborhood.)

[Madi V:)Mitchell]

Re: RIP Don Meyer

DOn Meyer was an incredible role model and man. I can't tell you how many times my Math teacher has showed us videos of his speaking over the years and im almost in tears every time. He will be dearly missed.