Ray Meyer took DePaul to Final Fours in 1942 and again in 1979. 37 years. I wonder if any other coaches had that big of a spread between their first and last Final Fours.

(04-29-2022 04:57 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Ray Meyer took DePaul to Final Fours in 1942 and again in 1979. 37 years. I wonder if any other coaches had that big of a spread between their first and last Final Fours.

Wow! I didn’t realize he was there that long. His run with Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings and Rod Strickland was a great run. Always puzzled why they have had limited success since then.

(04-29-2022 05:58 PM)Karl B Wrote:  

(04-29-2022 04:57 PM)MICHAELSPAPPY Wrote:  Ray Meyer took DePaul to Final Fours in 1942 and again in 1979. 37 years. I wonder if any other coaches had that big of a spread between their first and last Final Fours.

Wow! I didn’t realize he was there that long. His run with Mark Aguirre, Terry Cummings and Rod Strickland was a great run. Always puzzled why they have had limited success since then.

One of the big reasons for DePaul’s success in the 1970s-80s, as explained to me by Jim Platt who was an assistant at DePaul to Ray Meyer during that era, was the Chicago TV station WGN. It was the very early days of cable TV across the country, and WGN was a very common choice in a those early cable lineups. And, WGN broadcast all of DePauls home games. So when virtually no one else could provide it, DePaul could offer their recruits, and more importantly their families, a chance to be seen on a regular basis on TV regardless of where the player was from. As CableTV expanded with Regional Sports Networks, etc., DePaul lost that unique edge. And you know the rest of the story!