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 Coach
Don MeyerNSU:
47-35 (three seasons) Don Meyer is Northern State University’s 20th head men’s basketball coach and led the program into the new millennium. Prior to
Northern, Meyer spent 24 years coaching NAIA I David Lipscomb University
in Nashville, Tenn. There he reached the 700-win plateau faster than
any other coach in the history of college basketball. His career record
stands at 749-256. That mark places him in the company of only 12 other
four-year college coaches achieving that many wins. Meyer’s Lipscomb
Using
a motion offense similar to Northern’s, Meyer’s teams led
the nation in scoring in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995, averaging
more than 100 points per game in each of those seasons. Meyer also coached
college basketball’s first and second all-time leading scorers,
former Lipscomb Bisons John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson. Meyer’s
son, Jerry, broke college basketball’s career assist record while
playing for his father at Lipscomb. Bison Marcus Bodie holds the single-season
and career record for steals in college basketball. Bison Andy McQueen
holds the career 3-point field
Meyer’s name is respected nationally in the coaching ranks. In eight years, more than 10,000 coaches from all over the nation have attended the Don Meyer Coaches Academy. Recently, his academy has featured Utah’s Rick Majerus and Tennesee’s Pat Summitt as keynote speakers. Meyer also produces instructional books and a 30-tape series “Building a Championship Program” that has helped coaches at every level from high school to the NBA. Programs using the tapes include perennial Division I powerhouses Duke, Kansas, Wake Forest, North Carolina, and NBA franchises like the Utah Jazz and Seattle Supersonics. He also built the summer Bison Basketball Camps into the most successful players’ camp in the country, drawing 4,500 campers annually. During the past year, Meyer’s coaches’ and players’ camps have been huge successes in Aberdeen. Meyer has also given motivational speeches throughout the country and published numerous articles for many coaching publications. A native of Wayne, Neb., Meyer had aspirations as a youngster of one day being a major league baseball player. Not only was he an outstanding baseball player, but he also excelled in the game that would become his life – basketball. Meyer attended the University of Northern Colorado and graduated in 1967. While at UNC, Meyer played baseball and basketball. On the baseball field, he posted a career pitching record of 22-2 and caught the attention of pro scouts. On the basketball court, Meyer led UNC to the 1966 NCAA college division playoffs and was named NCAA All-American. Meyer began his coaching career at Western State (Colo.) where he was an assistant from 1968-70. From there he went to the University of Utah where he served as an assistant basketball coach from 1970-72 and earned a Ph.D. Meyer received his first head coaching position in 1972 when he was hired by Hamline University in St.Paul, Minn. He spent three seasons there where he had a record of 37-41. Meyer took a program at Hamline that had a 30-177 record the six previous seasons. After a 5-20 record in his first season, Meyer turned things around, recording 16-10 and 16-11 records the next two seasons. Hamline reached the NCAA Division III Elite Eight in Meyer’s last year with the institution. In the early years at Lipscomb, Meyer used the rules of the game to get the most talent out of his players. Often playing opponents bigger, stronger and faster than Lipscomb, Meyer’s slow-down fundamental-style won many games. As the game and rules changed over the years, Meyer changed with the times to develop in his Lipscomb teams the most explosive offense in the nation. In 1982 the Bison made it to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City for the first time. Soon after, the Bison became a permanent fixture at the national tournament. THE
MEYER FILE: Notes: Fastest coach to 700 wins in the history of college basketball. Enters 2001-02 season as the 12th winningest coach in the history of men's collegiate basketball. |
teams
spent a decade winning more games than any other team in the country,
averaging more than 32 wins per season for 10 years before his move
to Northern. His 1989-90 team set a college basketball record with 41
wins. Meyer’s Bison teams made 13 national tournament appearances,
winning the NAIA National Championship in 1986. Meyer was named NAIA
National Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1990, and was selected to the
NAIA Hall of Fame at the age of 47. He also assisted coach Mike Krzyzewski
with the Olympic Sports Festival South Team in 1983.
goals
made record. Meyer’s system has produced three National Players
of the Year and 22 All-Americans. Two of his Lipscomb players have received
the GTE Academic Excellence Award for basketball.