History of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry
Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 7:01 am.
History of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry – Part I
1. Introduction
2. Context of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry
3. History of Dayton and the University of Dayton
4. History of Chicago and DePaul University
5. The Coaches
6. The Pre-Meyer Era: 1920-21 to 1941-42
7. The Ray Meyer Era: 1942-43 to 1983-84
8. The Joey Meyer Era: 1984–85 to 1996–97
9. The Post-Meyers’ Era: 1997–98 to 2004-05
10. The Big East Era: 2005-06 to Present
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1. Introduction
The former Dayton-Xavier Rivalry was nationally known for many decades, but the former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry is also an integral and important part of the history of Dayton Flyers basketball. Younger Big East fans may not appreciate that DePaul once had many great basketball teams prior to their joining the Big East, and the Blue Demons had a great rivalry with the Flyers in years gone by. The former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry had it all:
DePaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball - Wikipedia
What went wrong? - DePaul Arena Project
DePaul won their first and only college basketball national championship in 1945 by virtue of beating Bowling Green 71-54 in the 1945 National Invitation Tournament, but that proud accomplishment was tempered by the fact that many of the country’s basketball programs did not field teams for the 1944-45 season. The 8-team NIT field included Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) and the 8-team 1945 NCAA Tournament included some lesser-known teams.
The DePaul Blue Demons have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 22 times. Their combined record is 21–25. Their appearances in the tournament from 1986–1989 have been vacated by the NCAA thus their official record is 15–21. The Blue Demons have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 16 times and their combined record is 17–17.
The Dayton Flyers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 18 times. Their combined record is 19–20. The Flyers have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 24 times and their combined record is 40–22. The Flyers are three-time NIT Champions (1962, 1968, 2010), and five-time runners-up (1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, and 1958).
DePaul Blue Demons History and Records Archive – DePaul University – March 19, 2020
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2. Context of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry
In order to provide perspective for the former Dayton-DePaul rivalry, it is instructive to review the number of games the two teams have played against each other, against selected common opponents, and how the two teams have fared. Note that the information below includes the 2019-20 season.
DePaul Blue Demons Record Book • All-Time Series Records – DePaul University – Updated March 19, 2020
Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide – University of Dayton – November 5, 2019
3. History of Dayton and the University of Dayton
Please see the following two threads: History of the Former Dayton-Xavier Rivalry and History of the Former Dayton-Marquette Rivalry.
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4. History of Chicago and DePaul University
1581 - Vincent de Paul was born in April 24, 1581 in the village of Pouy, in the Province of Guyenne and Gascony, the Kingdom of France, to peasant farmers. He was ordained on September 23 1600, at the age of nineteen and died on September 27, 1660.
1737 - Father Vincent de Paul was canonized in Rome by Pope Clement XII, becoming Saint Vincent de Paul.
......... Saint Vincent de Paul ........
1780’s - The first known permanent settler in Chicago was explorer Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who is commonly known as the ‘Founder of Chicago’.
December 3, 1818 – Illinois became the 21st state.
August 12, 1833 - The Town of Chicago was organized with a population of about 200. Within seven years it grew to more than 6,000 people.
March 4, 1837 - The City of Chicago was incorporated, and for several decades was the world's fastest-growing city.
1868 - The Lincoln Park Zoo opens in Chicago.
April 29, 1870 – The Chicago Cubs played their first game.
October 8–10, 1871 - The Great Chicago Fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles of the city, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless.
1876 - Chicago became known as the ‘Windy City’ and involved Chicago's rivalry with Cincinnati.
1890’s – All four of my Irish Catholic grandparents were born in Dayton and all four were fortunate enough to have celebrated their 80th birthdays during the 1970’s. They remembered the local Wright Brothers making their historic flight in 1903, survived The Great Dayton Flood in 1913, and watched local astronaut Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1969. I am very blessed to have more than twenty years of memories of my grandparents, and to have heard their amazing stories about their parents (who grew up in the aftermath of the American Civil War), and their grandparents (who emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in the late 1840’s during The Great Famine). My four grandparents had a total of 15 children and 73 grandchildren – many of whom went to the University of Dayton, Marquette University, and Notre Dame University. For whatever reasons, there are no DePaul alumni in my extended family.
May 1-October 30, 1893 – The Chicago World’s Fair takes place to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair was the large water pool, represented the voyage Columbus took to the New World.
January 17, 1899 - Alphonse “Al” Capone was born in New York City to Italian immigrant parents.
1901 – The Chicago White Sox played their first game.
1903 - The St. Mary’s Institute ‘Saints’ (later becoming the Dayton Flyers) played their first intercollegiate basketball game.
1907 DePaul University adopted ‘Blue Demons’ as its nickname. At the time, the athletic teams had red uniforms with a large ‘D’ on the front. After an announcer referred to the players as the ‘D-men’, the moniker stuck and eventually evolved into ‘Demons.’ The ‘Blue’ was part of an attempt to distinguish the university's players from those of its now-defunct high school, DePaul Academy.
October, 1907 – The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series, sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four games.
October, 1908 – The Chicago Cubs won their second World Series, beating the Detroit Tigers again in five games. The Cubs would suffer a drought of 108 years until they won their third World series – in October, 2016.
The 1908 DePaul University basketball team
1911 – DePaul University began admitting women in and awarded degrees to its first female graduates in 1912. It was one of the first Catholic universities to admit female students in a co-educational setting.
April 15, 1912 – The RMS Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. ship's time and sunk. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died.
December 18, 1913 – Ray Meyer was born in Chicago, the son of a candy wholesaler and the youngest of 10 children.
1914 – DePaul University began offering courses in Chicago's Loop, the precursor of DePaul's second primary campus.
June 28, 1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo, precipitating Wold War I.
1915 – DePaul University completed their affiliation with the Illinois College of Law University and became the DePaul University College of Law.
April 20, 1916 - The Chicago Cubs played their first home game at Wrigley Field, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
April 6, 1917 - America entered Wold War I after President Woodrow Wilson called for war on Germany on April 2, 1917.
October 2017 - The Chicago White Sox won their first Wold Series, defeating the New York Giants in six games.
Spring 1918 - The Spanish Flu Pandemic was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic lasting more than 12 months from spring 1918 to early summer 1919. It infected 500 million people and it is estimated to have killed anywhere from 17 million to 50 million people, and possibly as high as 100 million. A large factor in the worldwide occurrence of this flu was increased travel. Modern transportation systems made it easier for soldiers, sailors, and civilian travellers to spread the disease. Another factor was lies and denial by governments, leaving the population ill-prepared to handle the outbreaks.
June 28, 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles, formally ending World War I, was signed.
1919 – The Chicago Bears are founded.
October 1919 – The Black Sox Scandal erupted.
October 28, 1919 – Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act.
1919 - Al Capone left New York for Chicago at the invitation of Johnny Torrio, who was imported by crime boss James "Big Jim" Colosimo as an enforcer.
January 16, 1920 – Prohibition began in the United States.
1920 - St. Mary’s Institute changed its name to the 'University of Dayton'.
1920 – Page 134 of the Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide shows that DePaul University beat the University of Dayton 33-20 in the first recorded basketball game between the two schools, but does not give the date nor location of the game.
1923 – The DePaul Blue Demons played their first intercollegiate basketball game (according to their published archives). Robert L. Stevenson was the first head coach in DePaul basketball history. In his one season as coach during the 1923–24 season, he coached the Blue Demons to a record of 8–6.
January 1925 - Al Capone was ambushed, leaving him shaken but unhurt. Twelve days later, Johnny Torrio was returning from a shopping trip when he was shot several times. After recovering, he effectively resigned and handed control to Capone, age 26, who became the new boss of an organization that took in illegal breweries and a transportation network that reached to Canada, with political and law-enforcement protection. Capone used more violence to increase revenue. An establishment that refused to purchase liquor from him often got blown up, and as many as 100 people were killed in such bombings during the 1920s.
Late 1920’s – Ray Meyer fed a passion for sports at the Lawson School playground on Chicago's West Side. He dabbled in basketball there and at St. Agatha's grade school, but early on, baseball was his favorite sport.
1928-29 basketball season – the first ‘official’ game between UD and DePaul was played at DePaul. The Flyers won the game 22-18.
February 14, 1929 – Al Capone was widely assumed to have been responsible for ordering the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in an attempt to eliminate Bugs Moran, head of the North Side Gang. Moran was the last survivor of the North Side gunmen; his succession had come about because his similarly aggressive predecessors Vincent Drucci and Hymie Weiss had been killed in the violence that followed the murder of original leader Dean O'Banion.
September, 1929 - Ray Meyer originally intended to become a priest, but after two years at Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, he enrolled at St. Patrick Academy. Part of his reason for transferring to St. Patrick Academy was his growing fascination with basketball.
October 28, 1929 - The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash.
March 1930 - Al Capone was listed as the number one "Public Enemy" on the unofficial Chicago Crime Commission's widely publicized list.
March 13, 1931 - Al Capone was charged with income tax evasion for 1924, in a secret grand jury. On June 5, 1931, Capone was indicted by a federal grand jury on 22 counts of income tax evasion from 1925 through 1929. A week later, Eliot Ness and his team of Untouchables inflicted major financial damage on Capone's operations, and led to his indictment on 5,000 violations of the Volstead Act (Prohibition laws).
October 17, 1931 – Al Capone was convicted on three counts of income tax evasion and was sentenced a week later to 11 years in federal prison.
1932 – Ray Meyer started at guard for the St. Patrick team that won the National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at Loyola University.
March 6, 1933 - Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was fatally wounded in Miami during a failed assassination attempt on President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt.
June, 1933 – Ray Meyer graduated from St. Patrick Academy in Chicago.
September, 1933 – Ray Meyer enrolled at Northwestern University, but he left after a brief stay. "He just didn't fit in with the class of people there," his brother Ben would recall, though Meyer would later say he quit to help out financially at home. Ray Meyer’s basketball play had impressed a Notre Dame backer who persuaded Irish coach George Keogan to offer Meyer a scholarship for the next academic year.
December 5, 1933 - Repeal of Prohibition was accomplished with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment Under its terms, states were allowed to set their own laws for the control of alcohol.
July 22, 1934 – Gangster John Dillinger was shot and killed by three FBI Special Agents at 10:40 PM outside at Chicago's Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
September, 1934 – Ray Meyer enrolled at Notre Dame University, receiving a basketball scholarship. ==> Notre Dame Fighting Irish Basketball.
1936-38 – Ray Meyer was Notre Dame's captain his junior and senior seasons, when the Irish had a combined 40-6 record. In 1938 he received Notre Dame's Byron V. Kanaley Award, which goes to the senior letterman who demonstrates highest academic achievement and leadership.
March, 1938 – The first National Invitational Tournament (NIT) was played, with a six-team field.
June, 1938 – Ray Meyer graduated from Notre Dame University with a bachelor's degree in sociology and took a job with the Chicago Relief Association helping Chicago's poor. He hated it.
March, 1939 – The first NCAA Tournament was played, with an eight-team field.
May 27, 1939 – Ray Meyer married Margaret Mary Delaney, whom he had coached at St. Agatha. Soon afterward he started work in the catering department at the La Salle Hotel, for whose basketball team he played in an Amateur Athletic Union league.
August, 1939 – The DePaul Blue Demons football team was eliminated as part of the financial cutbacks implemented as a result of the Great Depression.
September 1, 1939 – Germany invaded Poland, precipitating World War II.
December, 1940 – Ray Meyer was offered $1,700 to become basketball coach at Joliet Catholic High School. He held out for $100 more, and the deal fell through. Within days, however, he returned to Notre Dame to become assistant coach under George Keogan, who had become ill. He stayed two seasons, at times serving as acting head coach when Keogan's health limited his activity.
December 8, 1941 – The United States declared war on Japan.
December 11, 1941 – The United States declared war on Germany.
April 17, 1942 – Following the resignation of DePaul’s basketball coach Bill Wendt, Ray Meyer was offered and accepted the position, brining Meyer home to Chicago, where he began his only head-coaching job for a salary of $2,500.
Paul Blue Demons Basketball History and Important Dates – DePaul University – June 18, 2019
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5. The Coaches
DePaul Blue Demons Coaching History – DePaul University Archives
Chasing Ghosts: DePaul's sad journey from name brand to also-ran – ESPN - June 25, 2019
DePaul Coach (Seasons) • Overall W-L (Pct.) • Conference W-L (Pct.)
1920-21 to 1941-42: 6 coaches
1942-43 to 1983-84: Ray Meyer • 724-354 (.672) ==> Inducted into College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006
1984–85 to 1996–97: Joey Meyer • Overall: 231-158 (.594) • Conf: 24–48 (.333)
1997–98 to 2001–02: Pat Kennedy • Overall: 67–85 (.441) • Conf: 28–52 (.350)
2002–03 to 2004–05: Dave Leitao • See 2015-16 to Present for combined records.
2005–06 to 2009–10: Jerry Wainwright • Overall: 59–80 (.424) • Conf: 20–51 (.282)
2010–11 to 2014–15: Oliver Purnell • Overall: 54–105 (.340) • Conf: 15–75 (.167)
2015-16 to Present: Dave Leitao • Overall: 106–116 (.477) • Conf: 46–74 (.383)
Dayton Coach (Seasons) • Overall W-L (Pct.) • Conference W-L (Pct.)
1903–04 to 1946-47: 15 coaches
1947-48 to 1963-64: Tom Blackburn • 352–141 (.714)
1964-65 to 1988-89: Don Donoher • 437–275 (.614) ==> Inducted into College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015
1989-90 to 1993-94: Jim O'Brien • Overall: 61–87 (.412) • Conf: 27–37 (.422)
1994-95 to 2002-03: Oliver Purnell • Overall: 155–116 (.572) • Conf: 61–69 (.469)
2003-04 to 2010-11: Brian Gregory • Overall: 172–94 (.647) • Conf: 70–58 (.547)
2011-12 to 2016-17: Archie Miller • Overall: 139–63 (.688) • Conf: 68–34 (.667)
2017-18 to Present: Anthony Grant • Overall: 64–31 (.674)• Conf: 39–15 (.722)
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6. The Pre-Meyers Era: 1920-21 to 1941-42
Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide – Page 134 – University of Dayton – November 5, 2019
1920-21 • unknown • Lost 20-33.
1928-29 • at DePaul • Won 22-18.
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7. The Ray Meyer Era: 1942-43 to 1983-84
7.1 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1942-1954
7.2 1955 - The NCAA Tournament Becomes More Prestigious than the NIT
7.3 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1955-1984
7.4 Dayton vs. DePaul Game Results 1942-1984
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7.1 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1942-1954
Season • Team • Coach (W-L Record) • Postseason • No. of Teams in Tournament Fields
1942–43 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (19–5) • NCAA Final Four • [8 NIT teams + 8 NCAA teams = 16 post-season tournament teams]
1943–44 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (22–4) • NIT Runner Up • [8 NIT + 8 NCAA = 16]
1944–45 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (21–3) • NIT Champions • [8 NIT + 8 NCAA = 16]
1947 • Tom Blackburn was named as the new coach of the Dayton Flyers.
1947–48 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (22–8) • NIT Semifinals • [8 NIT + 8 NCAA = 16]
1950–51 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (27–5) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 16 NCAA = 28]
1951–52 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (28–5) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 16 NCAA = 28]
1951–52 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (28–5) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 16 NCAA = 28]
1952–53 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (19–9) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 22 NCAA = 34]
1953–54 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–7) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36]
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7.2 1955 – The NCAA Tournament Becomes More Prestigious than the NIT
The NIT Was Awesome Until the NCAA Ruined Basketball – OZY – January 16, 2018
7.3 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1955-1984
Season • Team • Coach (W-L Record) • Postseason • No. of Teams in Tournament Fields
1954–55 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–4) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36]
1955–56 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (16–8) • NCAA First Round • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1955–56 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–4) • NIT Runner Up• [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1956–57 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (19–9) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 23 NCAA = 35]
1957–58 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–4) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36]
1958–59 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (13–11) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 23 NCAA = 35]
1959–60 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (17–7) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1959–60 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (21–7) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1960–61 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (17–8) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36 ]
1960–61 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (20–9) • NIT Final Four • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36 ]
1961–62 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (24–6) • NIT Champions • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1962–63 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (15–8) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1963–64 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (21–4) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1964–65 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (17–10) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [14 NIT + 25 NCAA = 39]
1964–65 • Dayton • Don Donoher (22–7) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [14 NIT + 25 NCAA = 39]
1965–66 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (18–8) • NIT First Round • [14 NIT + 22 NCAA = 36]
1965–66 • Dayton • Don Donoher (23–6) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [14 NIT + 22 NCAA = 36]
1966–67 • Dayton • Don Donoher (25–6) • NCAA Runner-up • [14 NIT + 23 NCAA = 37]
1967–68 • Dayton • Don Donoher (21–9) • NIT Champions • [16 NIT + 23 NCAA = 39]
1968–69 • Dayton • Don Donoher (20–7) • NCAA First Round • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1969–70 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–8) • NCAA First Round • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1970–71 • Dayton • Don Donoher (18–9) • NIT First round • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1973–74 • Dayton • Don Donoher (20–9) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1975–76 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (20–9) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 32 NCAA = 48]
1977–78 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (27–3) • NCAA Elite Eight • [16 NIT + 32 NCAA = 48]
1977–78 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–10) • NIT Quarterfinals • [16 NIT + 32 NCAA = 48]
1978–79 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (26–6) • NCAA #2 Seed - Final Four • [24 NIT + 40 NCAA = 64]
1978–79 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–10) • NIT Second round • [24 NIT + 40 NCAA = 64]
1979–80 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (26–2) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1980–81 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (27–2) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1980–81 • Dayton • Don Donoher (18–11) • NIT Second round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1981–82 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (26–2) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1981–82 • Dayton • Don Donoher (21–9) • NIT Quarterfinals • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1982–83 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (21–12) • NIT Runner Up • [32 NIT + 52 NCAA = 84]
1983–84 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (27–3) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 53 NCAA = 85]
1983–84 • Dayton • Don Donoher (21–11) • NCAA Elite Eight • [32 NIT + 53 NCAA = 85]
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7.4 Dayton vs. DePaul Game Results 1942-1984
Game Results: Red font: Dayton win/DePaul loss • Blue font: DePaul win/Dayton loss
Dec 8, 1956 • Alumni Hall • Lost 59-67.
Jan 30, 1957 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 75-58. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 4, 1958 • Alumni Hall • Won 69-60.
Feb 12, 1958 • UD Fieldhouse • AP #14 Dayton Won 62-53. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 10, 1959 • Alumni Hall • Won 62-60.
Feb 11, 1959 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 88-69. Attendance: 5,808
Feb 17, 1960 • Alumni Hall • Lost 66-70.
Mar 5, 1960 • Alumni Hall • Won 67-66.
Jan 7, 1961 • UD Fieldhouse • Lost 64-75. Attendance: 5,808
Mar 4, 1961 • Alumni Hall • Lost 83-84.
Jan 27, 1962 • Alumni Hall • Won 90-88, 2OT.
Mar 10, 1962 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 77-61. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 19, 1963 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 57-56. Attendance: 5,808
Mar 9, 1963 • Alumni Hall • Lost 66-68.
Jan 18, 1964 • Alumni Hall • Lost 83-89.
March 6, 1964 - 58-year-old Tom Blackburn died of cancer.
March 6, 1964 - 32-year old Don Donoher was named the Dayton Flyers’ new head coach - only hours after Tom Blackburn’s death.
March 7, 1964 - AP Poll # 8 DePaul beat Dayton 79-73 at UD Fieldhouse in Don Donoher’s debut as an NCAA head coach. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 16, 1965 • UD Fieldhouse • Lost 59-63. Attendance: 5,808
Mar 6, 1965 • Alumni Hall • Won 71-64. Attendance: 4,017
Mar 13, 1965 • NCAA TOURNAMENT • Memorial Coliseum • Won 75-69. Attendance: 10,500
Jan 8, 1966 • Alumni Hall • Won 81-70. Attendance: 4,541
Feb 26, 1966 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 76-73. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 21, 1967 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 81-65. Attendance: 5,882
Mar 4, 1967 • Alumni Hall • Lost 79-84. Attendance: 4,362
Jan 20, 1968 • UD Fieldhouse • Lost 65-70. Attendance: 5,882
Feb 17, 1968 • Alumni Hall • Won 70-58. Attendance: 3,017
Jan 18, 1969 • Alumni Hall • Won 86-83. Attendance: 3,648
Mar 1, 1969 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 63-57. Attendance: 5,882
Jan 17, 1970 • UD Arena • Won 79-75. Attendance: 13,450
Feb 21, 1970 • Alumni Hall • Won 74-63. Attendance: 3,920
Jan 16, 1971 • Alumni Hall • Won 76-71. Attendance: 3,201
Feb 20, 1971 UD Arena • Won 92-60. Attendance: 13,150
Jan 15, 1972 • UD Arena • Lost 72-75. Attendance: 12,684
Jan 27, 1973 • Alumni Hall • Won 82-74. Attendance: 4,212
Jan 26, 1974 • UD Arena • Won 85-71. Attendance: 11,856
Jan 25, 1975 • Alumni Hall • Lost 80-86. Attendance: 4,260
Jan 31, 1976 • Alumni Hall • Lost 72-84. Attendance: 3,739
Jan 22, 1977 • UD Arena • Lost 67-74. Attendance: 12,180
Jan 21, 1978 • Alumni Hall • Lost 70-74 to AP #5 DePaul. Attendance: 5,115
Jan 20, 1979 • UD Arena • Won 68-64 OT. Attendance: 12,921
Feb 9, 1980 • Alumni Hall • Lost 63-65 to AP #1 DePaul. Attendance: 5,498
Mar 4, 1981 • UD Arena • Lost 64-84 to AP #2 DePaul. Attendance: 13,455
Jan 9, 1982 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 69-71 to AP #5 DePaul. Attendance: 12,320
Jan 21, 1983 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 52-56. Attendance: 12,339
Mar 12, 1983 • UD Arena • Won 80-71 Attendance: 11,411
Feb 18, 1984 • UD Arena • Won 72-71 Attendance: 12,723
Feb 22, 1984 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 59-79 to AP # 5 DePaul. Attendance: 13,027
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8. The Joey Meyer Era: 1984–85 to 1996–97
Jan 26, 1985 • UD Arena • Won 65-64 over AP # 5 DePaul. Attendance: 13,495
Feb 6, 1985 Rosemont Horizon • Won 67-63 over AP #18 DePaul. Attendance: 16,803
Jan 4, 1986 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 52-66. Attendance: 12,731
Feb 1, 1986 • UD Arena • Won 77-64. Attendance: 12,893
Jan 3, 1987 • UD Arena • Lost 64-80 to AP # 7 DePaul. Attendance: 12,452
Feb 7, 1987 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 65-88 to AP #5 DePaul. Attendance: 14,280
Jan 14, 1988 • Rosemont Horizon • Won 79-72. Attendance: 10,935
Mar 1, 1988 • UD Arena • Lost 77-92. Attendance: 11,740
Feb 7, 1989 UD Arena • Lost 50-78. Attendance: 11,248
Dec 20, 1989 • Rosemont Horizon • Won 86-73. Attendance: 8,405
Jan 3, 1991 • UD Arena • Lost 73-81. Attendance: 11,633
Jan 3, 1994 • UD Arena • Lost 86-98. Attendance: 10,241
Feb 17, 1994 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 77-100. Attendance: 6,748
Feb 5, 1995 • UD Arena • Lost 71-85. Attendance: 10,194
Mar 4, 1995 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 78-103. Attendance: 7,469
Dec 30, 1996 • UD Arena • Won 71-49. Attendance: 11,604
1984–85 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (19–10) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1984–85 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–10) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1985–86 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (18–13) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1985–86 • Dayton • Don Donoher (17–13) • NIT First round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1986–87 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (28–3) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1987–88 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (22–8) • NCAA Second Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1988–89 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (21–12) • NCAA Second Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1989–90 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (20–15) • NIT Quarterfinals • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1990–91 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (20–9) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1991–92 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (20–9) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1993–94 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (16–12) • NIT First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1994–95 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (17–11) • NIT First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
Depaul Fires Coach Joey Meyer - The Chicago Tribune – April 28, 1997
9. The Post-Meyers’ Era: 1997–98 to 2004-05
Dec 23, 1997 • Rosemont Horizon • Won 70-57. Attendance: 3,395
Dec 30, 1998 • UD Arena • Won 70-59. Attendance: 11,641
Mar 18, 2004 • NCAA TOURNAMENT • HSBC Arena • Lost 69-76 2OT. Attendance: 18,698
Dec 1, 2004 • Allstate Arena • Lost 59-70. Attendance: 8,787
1997–98 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (21–12) • NIT Second round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1998–99 • DePaul • Pat Kennedy (18–13) • NIT Second Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1999–00 • DePaul • Pat Kennedy (21–12) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1999–2000 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (22–9) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
2000–01 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (21–13) • NIT First Round • [32 NIT + 65 NCAA = 97]
2001–02 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (21–11) • NIT First Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2002–03 • DePaul • Dave Leitao (16–13) • NIT First Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2002–03 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (24–6) • NCAA First Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2003–04 • DePaul • Dave Leitao (22–10) • NCAA Second Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2004–05 • DePaul • Dave Leitao (20–11) • NIT Second Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
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10. The Big East Era: 2005-06 to Present
It's Official: DePaul To Join BIG EAST Conference – DePaul University – November 4, 2003
Dec 10, 2005 • UD Arena • DePaul 61, Dayton 54 Attendance: 12,302
DePaul Blue Demons Coaches’ Records in the Big East Conference
2005–06 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 12–15 (5–11) • T-13th
2006–07 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 20–14 (9–7) • 8th • NIT Quarterfinals • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 97]
2007–08 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 11–19 (6–12) • 13th
2008–09 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 9–24 (0–18) • 16th/Last
2009–10 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 8–23 (1–17) • 16th/Last
2010–11 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 7–24 (1–17) • 16th/Last
2011–12 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 12–19 (3–15) • 16th/Last
2012–13 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 11–21 (2–16) • 15th/Last
2013–14 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 12–21 (3–15) • 10th/Last
2014–15 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 12–20 (6–12) • 7th
2015–16 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 9–22 (3–15) • 9th
2016–17 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 9–23 (2–16) • 10th/Last
2017–18 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 11-20 (4-14) • T-9th/Last
2018–19 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 19-17 (7-11) • T-8th/Last • CBI Runner Up
2019–20 • DePaul • Dave Leitao •16-16 (3-15) • 10th/Last
History of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry – Part I
1. Introduction
2. Context of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry
3. History of Dayton and the University of Dayton
4. History of Chicago and DePaul University
5. The Coaches
6. The Pre-Meyer Era: 1920-21 to 1941-42
7. The Ray Meyer Era: 1942-43 to 1983-84
8. The Joey Meyer Era: 1984–85 to 1996–97
9. The Post-Meyers’ Era: 1997–98 to 2004-05
10. The Big East Era: 2005-06 to Present
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1. Introduction
The former Dayton-Xavier Rivalry was nationally known for many decades, but the former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry is also an integral and important part of the history of Dayton Flyers basketball. Younger Big East fans may not appreciate that DePaul once had many great basketball teams prior to their joining the Big East, and the Blue Demons had a great rivalry with the Flyers in years gone by. The former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry had it all:
DePaul Blue Demons Men's Basketball - Wikipedia
Ray Meyer coached at DePaul for over 40 years, from 1942 to 1984. After going to the Final Four of the 1979 NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament, Meyer's team was the No. 1 seed in its regional three years in a row in 1980, 1981 and 1982. Success continued with multiple NCAA appearances under his son, Joey Meyer, throughout the 1980s.
DePaul was independent for much of its basketball history. DePaul joined the Great Midwest Conference in 1991 which later merged with the Metro Conference in 1995 to become Conference USA, in which DePaul was a member through 2005. DePaul left for the Big East Conference for the 2005–06 season, and remained a member of the reconfigured Big East in 2013.
Lack of Success since 1989
Since the 1989-90 season, DePaul has won one NCAA tournament game in the 29 seasons that have transpired. DePaul has not qualified for the NCAA Tournament since the 2003-04 season, and has been to only two NCAA Tournaments since 1991-92. The Blue Demons have not been to postseason play at all since 2006-07. DePaul has finished last in the Big East eight of the past ten seasons concluding with a tie for last in the 2017-18 season.
What went wrong? - DePaul Arena Project
From 1981-1986 DePaul was in the Top 25 year in and year out for home game attendance and most of the years they were Top Ten in fans, but what happened to those days? When Legendary coach Ray Meyer retired in 1984 after 42 seasons of coaching DePaul basketball, his son Joey Meyer stepped in and did pretty well, taking the team to the post season 7 out of his first 8 seasons at DePaul. Times would not be good though from 1986-1989 the Demons got caught for multiple NCAA violations and had to vacate all NCAA tournament appearances and wins. Attendance took a turn for the worst during this time of woe and has not recovered since.
DePaul won their first and only college basketball national championship in 1945 by virtue of beating Bowling Green 71-54 in the 1945 National Invitation Tournament, but that proud accomplishment was tempered by the fact that many of the country’s basketball programs did not field teams for the 1944-45 season. The 8-team NIT field included Muhlenberg College (Allentown, PA) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY) and the 8-team 1945 NCAA Tournament included some lesser-known teams.
The DePaul Blue Demons have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 22 times. Their combined record is 21–25. Their appearances in the tournament from 1986–1989 have been vacated by the NCAA thus their official record is 15–21. The Blue Demons have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 16 times and their combined record is 17–17.
The Dayton Flyers have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 18 times. Their combined record is 19–20. The Flyers have also appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 24 times and their combined record is 40–22. The Flyers are three-time NIT Champions (1962, 1968, 2010), and five-time runners-up (1951, 1952, 1955, 1956, and 1958).
DePaul Blue Demons History and Records Archive – DePaul University – March 19, 2020
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2. Context of the Former Dayton-DePaul Rivalry
In order to provide perspective for the former Dayton-DePaul rivalry, it is instructive to review the number of games the two teams have played against each other, against selected common opponents, and how the two teams have fared. Note that the information below includes the 2019-20 season.
DePaul Blue Demons Record Book • All-Time Series Records – DePaul University – Updated March 19, 2020
No. of Games Played – Opponent (All-Time W-L) • First Game • Last Game
127 – Marquette (48-79) • 1917-18 • 2019-20
106 - Notre Dame (44-62) • 1911-12 • 2018-19
69 - Dayton (34-35) • 1920-21 • 2005-06
61 - Saint Louis (34-27) • 1924-25 • 2008-09
46 - St. John’s (20-26) • 1931-32 • 2019-20
44 – Providence (12-32) • 1960-61 • 2019-20
43 – Georgetown (11-32) • 1941-42 • 2019-20
38 – Creighton (16-22) • 1937-38 • 2019-20
38 – Villanova (8-30) • 1938-39 • 2019-20
27 – Xavier (11-16) • 1938-39 • 2019-20
26 - Seton Hall (8-18) • 1941-42 • 2019-20
20 – Butler (7-13) • 1938-39 • 2019-20
11 – UConn (1-10) • 2003-04 • 2012-13
Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide – University of Dayton – November 5, 2019
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Page 132: Dayton vs. Big East Conference Teams: 175-166 • Pages 133-143: ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
No. of Games Played – Opponent (All-Time W-L) • First Game • Last Game
160 – Xavier (84-76) • 1920-21 • 2015-16
69 - DePaul (35-34) • 1920-21 • 2005-06
64 - Saint Louis* (36-28) • 1951-52 • 2018-19
41 - Notre Dame (13-28) • 1908-09 • 1994-95
35 – Marquette (14-21) • 1966-67 • 2008-09
24 – Butler (11-13) • 1924-25 • 2012-13
11 – Creighton (7-4) • 1960-61 • 2009-10
11 - Seton Hall (7-4) • 1948-49 • 2011-12
10 - St. John’s (5-5) • 1939-40 • 1973-74
10 – Villanova (5-5) • 1952-53 • 2009-10
8 – Providence (6-2) • 1962-63 • 2014-15
3 – Georgetown (1-2) • 1951-52 • 1983-84
3 – UConn (2-1) • 1981-82 • 2014-15
* Includes UD’s two wins over Saint Louis on January 18, 2020 and February 8, 2020.
3. History of Dayton and the University of Dayton
Please see the following two threads: History of the Former Dayton-Xavier Rivalry and History of the Former Dayton-Marquette Rivalry.
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4. History of Chicago and DePaul University
1581 - Vincent de Paul was born in April 24, 1581 in the village of Pouy, in the Province of Guyenne and Gascony, the Kingdom of France, to peasant farmers. He was ordained on September 23 1600, at the age of nineteen and died on September 27, 1660.
1737 - Father Vincent de Paul was canonized in Rome by Pope Clement XII, becoming Saint Vincent de Paul.
......... Saint Vincent de Paul ........
1780’s - The first known permanent settler in Chicago was explorer Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, who is commonly known as the ‘Founder of Chicago’.
December 3, 1818 – Illinois became the 21st state.
August 12, 1833 - The Town of Chicago was organized with a population of about 200. Within seven years it grew to more than 6,000 people.
March 4, 1837 - The City of Chicago was incorporated, and for several decades was the world's fastest-growing city.
1868 - The Lincoln Park Zoo opens in Chicago.
April 29, 1870 – The Chicago Cubs played their first game.
The professional baseball team known as the ‘Chicago Cubs’ for the last 115 years began in the late 1860’s and was officially known as ‘The Chicago Base Ball Club’. It was common at the time for sportswriters to refer to teams by their uniform colors, and it happens that Chicago's club, which, adopted white and were immediately tagged by reporters as ‘White Stockings’. On April 29, 1870, the ‘Chicago White Stockings’ played their first game against the Union Club of St. Louis, and soundly defeated the Unions 7–1.
During the 1875 season, the White Stockings president William Hulbert poached Cap Anson from Philadelphia Athletics. Anson's mark was so deep that by the mid-1890s sportswriters had dropped the ‘White Stockings’ name in favor of the ‘Chicago Colts’, or more commonly, ‘Anson's Colts’. The ‘Colts’ name remained in circulation through the 1905 season. The name ’Cubs’ first appeared in print in 1902 and gained popularity over the next four years, before becoming the sole nickname in 1906.
October 8–10, 1871 - The Great Chicago Fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles of the city, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless.
1876 - Chicago became known as the ‘Windy City’ and involved Chicago's rivalry with Cincinnati.
1890’s – All four of my Irish Catholic grandparents were born in Dayton and all four were fortunate enough to have celebrated their 80th birthdays during the 1970’s. They remembered the local Wright Brothers making their historic flight in 1903, survived The Great Dayton Flood in 1913, and watched local astronaut Neil Armstrong walk on the moon in 1969. I am very blessed to have more than twenty years of memories of my grandparents, and to have heard their amazing stories about their parents (who grew up in the aftermath of the American Civil War), and their grandparents (who emigrated to the U.S. from Ireland in the late 1840’s during The Great Famine). My four grandparents had a total of 15 children and 73 grandchildren – many of whom went to the University of Dayton, Marquette University, and Notre Dame University. For whatever reasons, there are no DePaul alumni in my extended family.
Wikipedia wrote:
1789 • Georgetown University is founded • Catholic (Jesuit)
1818 • Saint Louis University is founded • Catholic (Jesuit)
1831 • Xavier University is founded • Catholic (Jesuit)
1842 • Villanova University is founded • Catholic (Augustinian)
1842 • Notre Dame University is founded • Catholic (Holy Cross)
1850 • University of Dayton is founded • Catholic (Marianist)
1851 • Northwestern University is founded • Private
1855 • Butler University is founded • Private (Christian)
1856 • Seton Hall University is founded • Catholic (Diocesan)
1870 • Loyola University Chicago is founded • Catholic (Jesuit)
1870 • St. John's University is founded • Catholic (Vincentian)
1878 • Creighton University is founded • Catholic (Jesuit)
1881 • Marquette University is founded • Catholic (Jesuit)
1881 • University of Connecticut is founded • Public
1890 • University of Chicago is founded • Private
1898 • DePaul College is founded • Catholic (Vincentian)
1907 • The college is re-chartered as ’DePaul University’
1917 • Providence College is founded • Catholic (Dominican)
1998 • DePaul University became the largest Catholic university by enrollment in the United States.
May 1-October 30, 1893 – The Chicago World’s Fair takes place to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair was the large water pool, represented the voyage Columbus took to the New World.
January 17, 1899 - Alphonse “Al” Capone was born in New York City to Italian immigrant parents.
1901 – The Chicago White Sox played their first game.
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team based on the South Side of Chicago. They are one of eight charter members of the American League, having played in Chicago since the inaugural 1901 season.
1903 - The St. Mary’s Institute ‘Saints’ (later becoming the Dayton Flyers) played their first intercollegiate basketball game.
1907 DePaul University adopted ‘Blue Demons’ as its nickname. At the time, the athletic teams had red uniforms with a large ‘D’ on the front. After an announcer referred to the players as the ‘D-men’, the moniker stuck and eventually evolved into ‘Demons.’ The ‘Blue’ was part of an attempt to distinguish the university's players from those of its now-defunct high school, DePaul Academy.
October, 1907 – The Chicago Cubs won their first World Series, sweeping the Detroit Tigers in four games.
October, 1908 – The Chicago Cubs won their second World Series, beating the Detroit Tigers again in five games. The Cubs would suffer a drought of 108 years until they won their third World series – in October, 2016.
The 1908 DePaul University basketball team
1911 – DePaul University began admitting women in and awarded degrees to its first female graduates in 1912. It was one of the first Catholic universities to admit female students in a co-educational setting.
April 15, 1912 – The RMS Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic at 11:40 p.m. ship's time and sunk. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers and crew aboard, more than 1,500 died.
December 18, 1913 – Ray Meyer was born in Chicago, the son of a candy wholesaler and the youngest of 10 children.
1914 – DePaul University began offering courses in Chicago's Loop, the precursor of DePaul's second primary campus.
June 28, 1914 - Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was assassinated in Sarajevo, precipitating Wold War I.
1915 – DePaul University completed their affiliation with the Illinois College of Law University and became the DePaul University College of Law.
April 20, 1916 - The Chicago Cubs played their first home game at Wrigley Field, defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7–6 in 11 innings.
April 6, 1917 - America entered Wold War I after President Woodrow Wilson called for war on Germany on April 2, 1917.
October 2017 - The Chicago White Sox won their first Wold Series, defeating the New York Giants in six games.
Spring 1918 - The Spanish Flu Pandemic was an unusually deadly influenza pandemic lasting more than 12 months from spring 1918 to early summer 1919. It infected 500 million people and it is estimated to have killed anywhere from 17 million to 50 million people, and possibly as high as 100 million. A large factor in the worldwide occurrence of this flu was increased travel. Modern transportation systems made it easier for soldiers, sailors, and civilian travellers to spread the disease. Another factor was lies and denial by governments, leaving the population ill-prepared to handle the outbreaks.
June 28, 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles, formally ending World War I, was signed.
1919 – The Chicago Bears are founded.
October 1919 – The Black Sox Scandal erupted.
The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate led by Arnold Rothstein, Aiden Clayton, and Aaron Nelson.
October 28, 1919 – Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act.
1919 - Al Capone left New York for Chicago at the invitation of Johnny Torrio, who was imported by crime boss James "Big Jim" Colosimo as an enforcer.
January 16, 1920 – Prohibition began in the United States.
1920 - St. Mary’s Institute changed its name to the 'University of Dayton'.
1920 – Page 134 of the Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide shows that DePaul University beat the University of Dayton 33-20 in the first recorded basketball game between the two schools, but does not give the date nor location of the game.
1923 – The DePaul Blue Demons played their first intercollegiate basketball game (according to their published archives). Robert L. Stevenson was the first head coach in DePaul basketball history. In his one season as coach during the 1923–24 season, he coached the Blue Demons to a record of 8–6.
January 1925 - Al Capone was ambushed, leaving him shaken but unhurt. Twelve days later, Johnny Torrio was returning from a shopping trip when he was shot several times. After recovering, he effectively resigned and handed control to Capone, age 26, who became the new boss of an organization that took in illegal breweries and a transportation network that reached to Canada, with political and law-enforcement protection. Capone used more violence to increase revenue. An establishment that refused to purchase liquor from him often got blown up, and as many as 100 people were killed in such bombings during the 1920s.
Late 1920’s – Ray Meyer fed a passion for sports at the Lawson School playground on Chicago's West Side. He dabbled in basketball there and at St. Agatha's grade school, but early on, baseball was his favorite sport.
1928-29 basketball season – the first ‘official’ game between UD and DePaul was played at DePaul. The Flyers won the game 22-18.
February 14, 1929 – Al Capone was widely assumed to have been responsible for ordering the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in an attempt to eliminate Bugs Moran, head of the North Side Gang. Moran was the last survivor of the North Side gunmen; his succession had come about because his similarly aggressive predecessors Vincent Drucci and Hymie Weiss had been killed in the violence that followed the murder of original leader Dean O'Banion.
September, 1929 - Ray Meyer originally intended to become a priest, but after two years at Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago, he enrolled at St. Patrick Academy. Part of his reason for transferring to St. Patrick Academy was his growing fascination with basketball.
October 28, 1929 - The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash.
March 1930 - Al Capone was listed as the number one "Public Enemy" on the unofficial Chicago Crime Commission's widely publicized list.
March 13, 1931 - Al Capone was charged with income tax evasion for 1924, in a secret grand jury. On June 5, 1931, Capone was indicted by a federal grand jury on 22 counts of income tax evasion from 1925 through 1929. A week later, Eliot Ness and his team of Untouchables inflicted major financial damage on Capone's operations, and led to his indictment on 5,000 violations of the Volstead Act (Prohibition laws).
October 17, 1931 – Al Capone was convicted on three counts of income tax evasion and was sentenced a week later to 11 years in federal prison.
1932 – Ray Meyer started at guard for the St. Patrick team that won the National Catholic Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at Loyola University.
March 6, 1933 - Chicago Mayor Anton Cermak was fatally wounded in Miami during a failed assassination attempt on President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt.
June, 1933 – Ray Meyer graduated from St. Patrick Academy in Chicago.
September, 1933 – Ray Meyer enrolled at Northwestern University, but he left after a brief stay. "He just didn't fit in with the class of people there," his brother Ben would recall, though Meyer would later say he quit to help out financially at home. Ray Meyer’s basketball play had impressed a Notre Dame backer who persuaded Irish coach George Keogan to offer Meyer a scholarship for the next academic year.
December 5, 1933 - Repeal of Prohibition was accomplished with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment Under its terms, states were allowed to set their own laws for the control of alcohol.
July 22, 1934 – Gangster John Dillinger was shot and killed by three FBI Special Agents at 10:40 PM outside at Chicago's Biograph Theater on Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park, Chicago.
September, 1934 – Ray Meyer enrolled at Notre Dame University, receiving a basketball scholarship. ==> Notre Dame Fighting Irish Basketball.
1936-38 – Ray Meyer was Notre Dame's captain his junior and senior seasons, when the Irish had a combined 40-6 record. In 1938 he received Notre Dame's Byron V. Kanaley Award, which goes to the senior letterman who demonstrates highest academic achievement and leadership.
March, 1938 – The first National Invitational Tournament (NIT) was played, with a six-team field.
June, 1938 – Ray Meyer graduated from Notre Dame University with a bachelor's degree in sociology and took a job with the Chicago Relief Association helping Chicago's poor. He hated it.
March, 1939 – The first NCAA Tournament was played, with an eight-team field.
May 27, 1939 – Ray Meyer married Margaret Mary Delaney, whom he had coached at St. Agatha. Soon afterward he started work in the catering department at the La Salle Hotel, for whose basketball team he played in an Amateur Athletic Union league.
August, 1939 – The DePaul Blue Demons football team was eliminated as part of the financial cutbacks implemented as a result of the Great Depression.
September 1, 1939 – Germany invaded Poland, precipitating World War II.
December, 1940 – Ray Meyer was offered $1,700 to become basketball coach at Joliet Catholic High School. He held out for $100 more, and the deal fell through. Within days, however, he returned to Notre Dame to become assistant coach under George Keogan, who had become ill. He stayed two seasons, at times serving as acting head coach when Keogan's health limited his activity.
December 8, 1941 – The United States declared war on Japan.
December 11, 1941 – The United States declared war on Germany.
April 17, 1942 – Following the resignation of DePaul’s basketball coach Bill Wendt, Ray Meyer was offered and accepted the position, brining Meyer home to Chicago, where he began his only head-coaching job for a salary of $2,500.
Paul Blue Demons Basketball History and Important Dates – DePaul University – June 18, 2019
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5. The Coaches
DePaul Blue Demons Coaching History – DePaul University Archives
Chasing Ghosts: DePaul's sad journey from name brand to also-ran – ESPN - June 25, 2019
DePaul Blue Demons
Icon: Ray Meyer • Seasons coached: 1942-1984
Key accomplishments: 13 NCAA tournaments, 2 NCAA Final Fours (1943, 1979), 1 NIT championship (1945)
Ranking the Ray Meyer Chasers:
DePaul Coach (Seasons) • Overall W-L (Pct.) • Conference W-L (Pct.)
1920-21 to 1941-42: 6 coaches
1942-43 to 1983-84: Ray Meyer • 724-354 (.672) ==> Inducted into College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006
1984–85 to 1996–97: Joey Meyer • Overall: 231-158 (.594) • Conf: 24–48 (.333)
1997–98 to 2001–02: Pat Kennedy • Overall: 67–85 (.441) • Conf: 28–52 (.350)
2002–03 to 2004–05: Dave Leitao • See 2015-16 to Present for combined records.
2005–06 to 2009–10: Jerry Wainwright • Overall: 59–80 (.424) • Conf: 20–51 (.282)
2010–11 to 2014–15: Oliver Purnell • Overall: 54–105 (.340) • Conf: 15–75 (.167)
2015-16 to Present: Dave Leitao • Overall: 106–116 (.477) • Conf: 46–74 (.383)
Dayton Coach (Seasons) • Overall W-L (Pct.) • Conference W-L (Pct.)
1903–04 to 1946-47: 15 coaches
1947-48 to 1963-64: Tom Blackburn • 352–141 (.714)
1964-65 to 1988-89: Don Donoher • 437–275 (.614) ==> Inducted into College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015
1989-90 to 1993-94: Jim O'Brien • Overall: 61–87 (.412) • Conf: 27–37 (.422)
1994-95 to 2002-03: Oliver Purnell • Overall: 155–116 (.572) • Conf: 61–69 (.469)
2003-04 to 2010-11: Brian Gregory • Overall: 172–94 (.647) • Conf: 70–58 (.547)
2011-12 to 2016-17: Archie Miller • Overall: 139–63 (.688) • Conf: 68–34 (.667)
2017-18 to Present: Anthony Grant • Overall: 64–31 (.674)• Conf: 39–15 (.722)
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6. The Pre-Meyers Era: 1920-21 to 1941-42
Dayton Flyers 2019-20 Media Guide – Page 134 – University of Dayton – November 5, 2019
1920-21 • unknown • Lost 20-33.
1928-29 • at DePaul • Won 22-18.
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7. The Ray Meyer Era: 1942-43 to 1983-84
7.1 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1942-1954
7.2 1955 - The NCAA Tournament Becomes More Prestigious than the NIT
7.3 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1955-1984
7.4 Dayton vs. DePaul Game Results 1942-1984
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7.1 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1942-1954
Season • Team • Coach (W-L Record) • Postseason • No. of Teams in Tournament Fields
1942–43 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (19–5) • NCAA Final Four • [8 NIT teams + 8 NCAA teams = 16 post-season tournament teams]
1943–44 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (22–4) • NIT Runner Up • [8 NIT + 8 NCAA = 16]
1944–45 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (21–3) • NIT Champions • [8 NIT + 8 NCAA = 16]
1947 • Tom Blackburn was named as the new coach of the Dayton Flyers.
1947–48 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (22–8) • NIT Semifinals • [8 NIT + 8 NCAA = 16]
1950–51 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (27–5) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 16 NCAA = 28]
1951–52 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (28–5) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 16 NCAA = 28]
1951–52 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (28–5) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 16 NCAA = 28]
1952–53 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (19–9) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 22 NCAA = 34]
1953–54 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–7) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36]
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7.2 1955 – The NCAA Tournament Becomes More Prestigious than the NIT
The NIT Was Awesome Until the NCAA Ruined Basketball – OZY – January 16, 2018
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When selecting its field, NIT organizers had a simple goal: Put the nation’s best teams in a single elimination competition — no matter where the selected schools were located.
“In those years, the NIT was a more prestigious tournament than the NCAA,” former DePaul head coach Ray Meyer wrote in his autobiography Coach. “It was played in New York, while the NCAA was played on scattered campuses in smaller towns. The schools took home thousands of dollars as their share of the gate receipts for playing in Madison Square Garden. In the NCAA eliminations, they were lucky to make expenses. So the NIT meant a lot more to a struggling private school like DePaul.”
7.3 Selected DePaul and Dayton Season Summaries and Coaching Records 1955-1984
Season • Team • Coach (W-L Record) • Postseason • No. of Teams in Tournament Fields
1954–55 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–4) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36]
1955–56 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (16–8) • NCAA First Round • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1955–56 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–4) • NIT Runner Up• [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1956–57 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (19–9) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 23 NCAA = 35]
1957–58 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (25–4) • NIT Runner Up • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36]
1958–59 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (13–11) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 23 NCAA = 35]
1959–60 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (17–7) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1959–60 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (21–7) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1960–61 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (17–8) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36 ]
1960–61 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (20–9) • NIT Final Four • [12 NIT + 24 NCAA = 36 ]
1961–62 • Dayton • Tom Blackburn (24–6) • NIT Champions • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1962–63 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (15–8) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1963–64 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (21–4) • NIT Quarterfinals • [12 NIT + 25 NCAA = 37]
1964–65 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (17–10) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [14 NIT + 25 NCAA = 39]
1964–65 • Dayton • Don Donoher (22–7) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [14 NIT + 25 NCAA = 39]
1965–66 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (18–8) • NIT First Round • [14 NIT + 22 NCAA = 36]
1965–66 • Dayton • Don Donoher (23–6) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [14 NIT + 22 NCAA = 36]
1966–67 • Dayton • Don Donoher (25–6) • NCAA Runner-up • [14 NIT + 23 NCAA = 37]
1967–68 • Dayton • Don Donoher (21–9) • NIT Champions • [16 NIT + 23 NCAA = 39]
1968–69 • Dayton • Don Donoher (20–7) • NCAA First Round • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1969–70 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–8) • NCAA First Round • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1970–71 • Dayton • Don Donoher (18–9) • NIT First round • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1973–74 • Dayton • Don Donoher (20–9) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [16 NIT + 25 NCAA = 41]
1975–76 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (20–9) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [12 NIT + 32 NCAA = 48]
1977–78 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (27–3) • NCAA Elite Eight • [16 NIT + 32 NCAA = 48]
1977–78 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–10) • NIT Quarterfinals • [16 NIT + 32 NCAA = 48]
1978–79 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (26–6) • NCAA #2 Seed - Final Four • [24 NIT + 40 NCAA = 64]
1978–79 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–10) • NIT Second round • [24 NIT + 40 NCAA = 64]
1979–80 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (26–2) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1980–81 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (27–2) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1980–81 • Dayton • Don Donoher (18–11) • NIT Second round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1981–82 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (26–2) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1981–82 • Dayton • Don Donoher (21–9) • NIT Quarterfinals • [32 NIT + 48 NCAA = 80]
1982–83 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (21–12) • NIT Runner Up • [32 NIT + 52 NCAA = 84]
1983–84 • DePaul • Ray Meyer (27–3) • NCAA #1 Seed - Second Round • [32 NIT + 53 NCAA = 85]
1983–84 • Dayton • Don Donoher (21–11) • NCAA Elite Eight • [32 NIT + 53 NCAA = 85]
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7.4 Dayton vs. DePaul Game Results 1942-1984
Game Results: Red font: Dayton win/DePaul loss • Blue font: DePaul win/Dayton loss
Dec 8, 1956 • Alumni Hall • Lost 59-67.
Jan 30, 1957 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 75-58. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 4, 1958 • Alumni Hall • Won 69-60.
Feb 12, 1958 • UD Fieldhouse • AP #14 Dayton Won 62-53. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 10, 1959 • Alumni Hall • Won 62-60.
Feb 11, 1959 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 88-69. Attendance: 5,808
Feb 17, 1960 • Alumni Hall • Lost 66-70.
Mar 5, 1960 • Alumni Hall • Won 67-66.
Jan 7, 1961 • UD Fieldhouse • Lost 64-75. Attendance: 5,808
Mar 4, 1961 • Alumni Hall • Lost 83-84.
Jan 27, 1962 • Alumni Hall • Won 90-88, 2OT.
Mar 10, 1962 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 77-61. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 19, 1963 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 57-56. Attendance: 5,808
Mar 9, 1963 • Alumni Hall • Lost 66-68.
Jan 18, 1964 • Alumni Hall • Lost 83-89.
March 6, 1964 - 58-year-old Tom Blackburn died of cancer.
March 6, 1964 - 32-year old Don Donoher was named the Dayton Flyers’ new head coach - only hours after Tom Blackburn’s death.
Don Donoher played three years of varsity basketball for Coach Tom Blackburn at the University of Dayton. Following graduation from Dayton in 1954, Donoher served a two-year enlistment in the United States Army. Returning to Dayton after the end of his service, Donoher accepted a part-time basketball scout position offered by Blackburn. In February 1963, Blackburn made Donoher the University's first full-time assistant coach.
Blackburn had been suffering from cancer for most of the 1963-64 season. On March 6, 1964, Tom Blackburn died from cancer – just 26 hours before the season finally against rival DePaul - and Don Donoher was formally named his successor. However, Dayton credits the entire 1963-64 season to Blackburn.
March 7, 1964 - AP Poll # 8 DePaul beat Dayton 79-73 at UD Fieldhouse in Don Donoher’s debut as an NCAA head coach. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 16, 1965 • UD Fieldhouse • Lost 59-63. Attendance: 5,808
Mar 6, 1965 • Alumni Hall • Won 71-64. Attendance: 4,017
Mar 13, 1965 • NCAA TOURNAMENT • Memorial Coliseum • Won 75-69. Attendance: 10,500
Jan 8, 1966 • Alumni Hall • Won 81-70. Attendance: 4,541
Feb 26, 1966 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 76-73. Attendance: 5,808
Jan 21, 1967 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 81-65. Attendance: 5,882
Mar 4, 1967 • Alumni Hall • Lost 79-84. Attendance: 4,362
Jan 20, 1968 • UD Fieldhouse • Lost 65-70. Attendance: 5,882
Feb 17, 1968 • Alumni Hall • Won 70-58. Attendance: 3,017
Jan 18, 1969 • Alumni Hall • Won 86-83. Attendance: 3,648
Mar 1, 1969 • UD Fieldhouse • Won 63-57. Attendance: 5,882
Jan 17, 1970 • UD Arena • Won 79-75. Attendance: 13,450
Feb 21, 1970 • Alumni Hall • Won 74-63. Attendance: 3,920
Jan 16, 1971 • Alumni Hall • Won 76-71. Attendance: 3,201
Feb 20, 1971 UD Arena • Won 92-60. Attendance: 13,150
Jan 15, 1972 • UD Arena • Lost 72-75. Attendance: 12,684
Jan 27, 1973 • Alumni Hall • Won 82-74. Attendance: 4,212
Jan 26, 1974 • UD Arena • Won 85-71. Attendance: 11,856
Jan 25, 1975 • Alumni Hall • Lost 80-86. Attendance: 4,260
Jan 31, 1976 • Alumni Hall • Lost 72-84. Attendance: 3,739
Jan 22, 1977 • UD Arena • Lost 67-74. Attendance: 12,180
Jan 21, 1978 • Alumni Hall • Lost 70-74 to AP #5 DePaul. Attendance: 5,115
Jan 20, 1979 • UD Arena • Won 68-64 OT. Attendance: 12,921
Feb 9, 1980 • Alumni Hall • Lost 63-65 to AP #1 DePaul. Attendance: 5,498
Mar 4, 1981 • UD Arena • Lost 64-84 to AP #2 DePaul. Attendance: 13,455
Jan 9, 1982 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 69-71 to AP #5 DePaul. Attendance: 12,320
Jan 21, 1983 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 52-56. Attendance: 12,339
Mar 12, 1983 • UD Arena • Won 80-71 Attendance: 11,411
Feb 18, 1984 • UD Arena • Won 72-71 Attendance: 12,723
Feb 22, 1984 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 59-79 to AP # 5 DePaul. Attendance: 13,027
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8. The Joey Meyer Era: 1984–85 to 1996–97
Jan 26, 1985 • UD Arena • Won 65-64 over AP # 5 DePaul. Attendance: 13,495
Feb 6, 1985 Rosemont Horizon • Won 67-63 over AP #18 DePaul. Attendance: 16,803
Jan 4, 1986 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 52-66. Attendance: 12,731
Feb 1, 1986 • UD Arena • Won 77-64. Attendance: 12,893
Jan 3, 1987 • UD Arena • Lost 64-80 to AP # 7 DePaul. Attendance: 12,452
Feb 7, 1987 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 65-88 to AP #5 DePaul. Attendance: 14,280
Jan 14, 1988 • Rosemont Horizon • Won 79-72. Attendance: 10,935
Mar 1, 1988 • UD Arena • Lost 77-92. Attendance: 11,740
Feb 7, 1989 UD Arena • Lost 50-78. Attendance: 11,248
Dec 20, 1989 • Rosemont Horizon • Won 86-73. Attendance: 8,405
Jan 3, 1991 • UD Arena • Lost 73-81. Attendance: 11,633
Jan 3, 1994 • UD Arena • Lost 86-98. Attendance: 10,241
Feb 17, 1994 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 77-100. Attendance: 6,748
Feb 5, 1995 • UD Arena • Lost 71-85. Attendance: 10,194
Mar 4, 1995 • Rosemont Horizon • Lost 78-103. Attendance: 7,469
Dec 30, 1996 • UD Arena • Won 71-49. Attendance: 11,604
1984–85 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (19–10) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1984–85 • Dayton • Don Donoher (19–10) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1985–86 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (18–13) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1985–86 • Dayton • Don Donoher (17–13) • NIT First round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1986–87 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (28–3) • NCAA Sweet Sixteen • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1987–88 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (22–8) • NCAA Second Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1988–89 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (21–12) • NCAA Second Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1989–90 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (20–15) • NIT Quarterfinals • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1990–91 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (20–9) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1991–92 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (20–9) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1993–94 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (16–12) • NIT First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1994–95 • DePaul • Joey Meyer (17–11) • NIT First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
Depaul Fires Coach Joey Meyer - The Chicago Tribune – April 28, 1997
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------While Ray Meyer guided the Demons to a 724-354 record, his son's teams struggled in recent years. They lost their last 13 games last season to finish 3-23. That came on the heels of an 11-18 mark the previous season.
9. The Post-Meyers’ Era: 1997–98 to 2004-05
Dec 23, 1997 • Rosemont Horizon • Won 70-57. Attendance: 3,395
Dec 30, 1998 • UD Arena • Won 70-59. Attendance: 11,641
Mar 18, 2004 • NCAA TOURNAMENT • HSBC Arena • Lost 69-76 2OT. Attendance: 18,698
Dec 1, 2004 • Allstate Arena • Lost 59-70. Attendance: 8,787
1997–98 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (21–12) • NIT Second round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1998–99 • DePaul • Pat Kennedy (18–13) • NIT Second Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1999–00 • DePaul • Pat Kennedy (21–12) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
1999–2000 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (22–9) • NCAA First Round • [32 NIT + 64 NCAA = 96]
2000–01 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (21–13) • NIT First Round • [32 NIT + 65 NCAA = 97]
2001–02 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (21–11) • NIT First Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2002–03 • DePaul • Dave Leitao (16–13) • NIT First Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2002–03 • Dayton • Oliver Purnell (24–6) • NCAA First Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2003–04 • DePaul • Dave Leitao (22–10) • NCAA Second Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
2004–05 • DePaul • Dave Leitao (20–11) • NIT Second Round • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 105]
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10. The Big East Era: 2005-06 to Present
It's Official: DePaul To Join BIG EAST Conference – DePaul University – November 4, 2003
NEW YORK - The BIG EAST Conference announced that five institutions have accepted invitations for membership into the league. Those schools are: University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, University of Louisville, Marquette University, and the University of South Florida. The additions were authorized by a vote of the league’s Presidents.
“DePaul has capitalized on an extraordinary opportunity to join the BIG EAST and we look forward to the rivalries we will develop in this new league”, said the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., president of DePaul. “have great respect for the leadership and the universities in Conference USA. We have made many good friends there, and we wish the conference well as it pursues its own destiny.”
“I am excited for student-athletes, coaches, alumni and fans”, said Jean Lenti Ponsetto, DePaul’s Director of Athletics. “This invitation to the BIG EAST allows us to renew rivalries with some old friends and positions DePaul to compete against institutions who share similar philosophies both academically and athletically.” All five universities, which currently compete in Conference USA, will begin BIG EAST Conference play in the 2005-06 academic year.
Dec 10, 2005 • UD Arena • DePaul 61, Dayton 54 Attendance: 12,302
DePaul Blue Demons Coaches’ Records in the Big East Conference
2005–06 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 12–15 (5–11) • T-13th
2006–07 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 20–14 (9–7) • 8th • NIT Quarterfinals • [40 NIT + 65 NCAA = 97]
2007–08 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 11–19 (6–12) • 13th
2008–09 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 9–24 (0–18) • 16th/Last
2009–10 • DePaul • Jerry Wainwright • 8–23 (1–17) • 16th/Last
2010–11 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 7–24 (1–17) • 16th/Last
2011–12 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 12–19 (3–15) • 16th/Last
2012–13 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 11–21 (2–16) • 15th/Last
2013–14 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 12–21 (3–15) • 10th/Last
2014–15 • DePaul • Oliver Purnell • 12–20 (6–12) • 7th
2015–16 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 9–22 (3–15) • 9th
2016–17 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 9–23 (2–16) • 10th/Last
2017–18 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 11-20 (4-14) • T-9th/Last
2018–19 • DePaul • Dave Leitao • 19-17 (7-11) • T-8th/Last • CBI Runner Up
2019–20 • DePaul • Dave Leitao •16-16 (3-15) • 10th/Last
