Former DePaul men’s basketball head coach, Joey Meyer (’71), passed away late Friday afternoon at the age of 74, surrounded by his family. Details regarding a public service will be announced at a later date.
Meyer spent a total of 30 years at DePaul as a player, assistant coach and head coach. He was a player and assistant under his father, Ray, before taking over at the helm of the program from 1984-1997. In total, as a head coach, he led DePaul to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in his first eight seasons. His lengthy list of accomplishments, includes 1987 Chevrolet National coach of the Year and leading DePaul to the program’s first conference title, winning the 1992 Great Midwest Conference regular season championship.
Meyer led the Blue Demons to back-to-back Sweet Sixteen appearances in his second and third seasons. At the time of the 1986 NCAA Tournament, DePaul was the second all-time 12-seed to reach the Sweet Sixteen. Meyer’s 231 career wins at DePaul remain the second-most in program history, behind his father, Ray.
Born in Chicago, on April 2, 1949, Meyer grew up around basketball from his first steps. He had an outstanding prep career at DePaul Academy, helping his team to the 1967 Chicago Catholic League Championship and the Chicago City Championship. Meyer went on to play for the Blue Demons, under his father. When he graduated in 1971, Meyer was the fourth-leading scorer in school history with 1,233 points. He still ranks among the Blue Demons career leaders in scoring average and field goals made.
Following his time as DePaul’s head coach, Meyer served as the head coach of the Chicago Skyliners in the American Basketball Association, before taking over the head coaching role in the NBA Development League. He won two Development League Championships and tallied 226 total victories. After retiring from coaching, Meyer remained involved in the world of basketball as a WGN-AM broadcaster and a regional scout for the Los Angeles Clippers.
In 2009, Meyer was inducted into the Chicago Catholic League Hall of Fame as a player and was inducted in the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021, joining his father Ray (1974) and brother Tom (2000). Meyer is also a member of the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame and was named one of 125 ‘Faces of DePaul’.
