March 17
Men's Basketball -
2006 - The basketball world lost Ray Meyer. The Hall of Fame coach led the Blue Demons for 42 seasons and won 724 games. In 2003, DePaul named the floor at Allstate Arena "Ray & Marge Meyer Court" in honor of the legendary mentor.
His career included 37 winning seasons of which 12 seasons had 20 wins or more and he took his teams to 21 post-season appearances. Led DePaul to the NCAA Final Four playoffs in 1985. His 724 career victories and 354 losses place him in the top 20 coaches of NCAA Division 1 schools. Named the 1979 Eastman Kodak Coach of the Year. Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979 and was a member of the Illinois and Chicago Sports Halls of Fame, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the DePaul Hall of Fame.
NY Times Obituary - Click HERE
ESPN Obituary - Click HERE
1978 - DePaul defeated Louisville, 90-89, in double overtime at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan. and advanced the Blue Demons to the Elite Eight for a match-up against rival Notre Dame.
Dave Corzine turned in one of the all-time great performances scoring 46 points, a mark that trailed only "big man" George Mikan's 53-point effort in 1945 against Rhode Island. The Blue Demons would need each and every one of Corzine's buckets to squeak out the victory over Louisville. The Blue Demon center would seal the victory with a hook shot with six second remaining on the clock as the result of a great entry pass from point guard Randy Ramsey.
According to Coach Ray Meyer's Book, Coach, co-authored by Ray Sons, Corzine came into the Louisville game with a lot to prove. The previous summer, Corzine had played for Denny Crum on the World University Games in Bulgaria. Corzine had been relegated to a back-up to Crum's own center Rick Gallon.
"He (Corzine) asked to be given the ball in this game. Corzine backed up his case against Gallon by playing one of his greatest games. He owned that game, scoring 46 points. I don't think he shot his 21 baskets from a total distance of as much as 30 feet."
Following the 1978 season, Corzine earned honorable mention All-America honors. He would close out his career as the all-time leading scorer with 1,896 points, passing Mikan's 1,870 points. Corzine currently stands third all-time.
The Arlington Heights native also is the greatest rebounder in Blue Demon history, evidenced by the fact that he has nearly 200 more rebounds than any other player in DePaul's storied history (1,151 rebounds).
Corzine was picked as the 18th overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft. Corzine would play in the NBA for 13 seasons for a number of teams including The San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic. In all, Corzine played in 891 games and scored 7,615 points in the NBA.
Corzine was a iron man during his NBA career. In stretch of 10 seasons from 1980-89, he played 78 or more games each season. In three of those seasons, he led the league in games played. Corzine also ranks in the NBA's top 100 all-time in career block shots with 848 blocks (all-time list Click HERE.
Women's Basketball
1990 - DePaul lost a NCAA second-round match-up against Washington, 77-68, in a game played in Seattle. The Blue Demons were led by Beth Hasenmiller's 19 points. The loss was DePaul's first loss in a NCAA Championship.
DePaul had debuted three days earlier with a 73-63 vcitory over Western Kentucky in Alumni Hall. Entering the tournament as an at-large selection, the Blue Demons proved they belonged behind newly-inducted Hall of Famer Melanee Ehrhardt's 23 points and Veronica Ross' 13 assists.
The 1990 season has set the stage for DePaul's current NCAA success. On Monday evening, the Blue Demons were invited to their eight-consecutive NCAA Championship. Sunday's opening round match-up against Vanderbilt will mark the 15th appearance by a DePaul team in the NCAA Tournament.
