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Remembering amazing DePaul triumphs
Mark Aguirre, Skip Dillard, Dallas Comegys, Rod Strickland, Andy Laux: names that hearken back to DePaul's Mens' basketball teams of the early 80s.
It was around this time that the small, inter-city Blue Demon team moved all home games from the cozy, 5,300 seat Alumni Hall at the inter-section of Belden and Sheffield in Chicago to the sprawling 17,500 seat Horizon in Rosemont to accommodate ever-growing fan interest. Games televised nationally helped stretch DePaul's fan base far beyond its Chi-town faithful. Longtime head coach Ray Meyer paced the sidelines for De-Paul during those glory years, capping off a 42-year career at the only school he ever coached for. While Meyer never reached the summit of a NCAA Basketball championship, his soft-spoken demeanor established the likable legend as a sentimental fan and media favorite. The Blue Demons did battle with many of the nation's top Division I powerhouses. At several junctures between 1979 and 1981, DePaul's Men's Basketball Team was ranked number one in the nation. On Monday, December 1, 1980, DePaul played its first game in the new Horizon digs against Gonzaga in front of 11,370 spectators. From that humble beginning, the Blue Demons began a memorable highlight reel, including these sold-out thrillers:
With seconds remaining in regulation, Dallas Comegys intentionally missed a free throw, allowing Rod Strickland to grab the rebound and score a basket leading to overtime. The Blue Demons eventually won the game 83-75 in front of a national television audience, advancing to the "Sweet 16." Against their inter-city rivals, Kenny Patterson hit a 55-foot jump shot at the buzzer to beat the Wildcats 67-65 in front of regional television cover-age. This game marked the end of Ray Meyer's 42-year DePaul career before turning over the head coaching reigns to his son, Joey. The Blue Demons clobbered Marquette 64-49 in front of a national television audience. |
