Western State College of Colorado

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Don Meyer, a former Western State assistant men’s basketball coach from 1968-70 will have his name associated with the likes of John Wooden, Henry Iba, Red Auerbach and Pat Summitt when he receives the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during the Hall of Fame Family Reunion Dinner Aug. 12.

“Coach Don Meyer is the embodiment of what the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame.  “He has amassed more wins as a coach in men’s NCAA and NAIA combined play than anyone and his life’s work has touched a tremendous amount of young men with his passionate coaching, teaching, and mentoring. He has faced and overcome significant adversities in his life and yet remained true to his players and his love of the game. He has truly committed his life to basketball and as importantly to those who played for him.”

Meyer served as an assistant coach under Bob Decker for two seasons while the Mountaineers. His teams averaged 84.2 points per game while he was here in a scoring tradition that carried over to his head coaching career.

Meyer went on to the University of Utah for two seasons to earn his Ph.D. before accepting his first head coaching position at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. He led the team to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in 1975, his third season as a head coach at a school that was 30-177 in the six seasons prior to his arrival.

Accepting the head coaching position at NAIA Lipscomb University in Nashville, Meyer spent 24 seasons and led the NAIA in scoring in five different seasons. He was the fastest coach in college basketball history to reach 700 wins and was the two-time NAIA National Coach of the Year. He led the Bison to the NAIA national championship in 1986 and two national semifinal appearances.

Meyer was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Charles A. Kriegel Award from the NAIA in 1986 and 1996. He was a two-time NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1990.

Meyer moved to Northern State for the 1999-2000 season where we posted seven straight 20-win seasons and won four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships. He gained additional nationwide attention after returning to the court after an eight-week hospital stay from a car accident in September 2008. Meyer ended up losing part of his left leg, and during the operations, physicians discovered cancer in his liver and intestines.

Meyer returned to the sidelines for the 2008-09 season and posted a 19-11 record along with an NCAA regional appearance. He won his 903rd career game Jan. 10, 2009, to surpass Bob Knight as the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA history. He announced his retirement from coaching this spring after consulting with physicians. He posted a career record of 923-324.

For his comeback, Meyer was awarded the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance at the 2009 ESPY Awards. He received the Legends of the Hardwood Award at the Final Four in April.

John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
1973 – John Bunn
1974 – John Wooden
1975 – J. Walter Kenny
1976 – Henry P. Iba
1977 – Clifford B. Fagan
1978 – Curt Gowdy
1979 – Eddie Gottlieb
1980 – Arnold “Red” Auerbach
1981 – Ray Meyer
1982 – Daniel Biasone
1983 – Robert J. Cousy
1984 – Lawrence F. O’Brien
1985 – Lee Williams
1986 – Grady W. Lewis
1987 – David R. Gavitt
1988 – Haskell Hillyard
1989 – George E. Killian
1990 – Pat Summitt
1991 – Morgan B. Wootten
1992 – Will Robinson
1993 – Joe Vancisin
1994 – William Wall
1995 – Pete Carlesimo
1996 – Vic Bubas
1997 – C.M. Newton
1998 – Tex Winter
1999 – The Harlem Globetrotters
2000 – Meadowlark Lemon
2001 – Tom Jernstedt
2002 – Harvey Pollack
2003 – Joe O’Brien
2004 – Zelda Spoelstra
2005 – Marty Blake
2006 – Betty Jaynes
2007 – Thomas “Satch” Sanders
2008 – Val Ackerman
2009 – Johnny “Red” Kerry
2010 – Don Meyer