Lipscomb University

Actor Rob Lowe presents Don Meyer with the “Jimmy V Award for Perseverance” at the ESPYs July 15 in Los Angeles.

ESPN honors Meyer's Perserverance

You will have to look hard to find another person on the planet who is more passionate about coaching than Don Meyer.
You don’t have to be around the legendary basketball coach long to recognize that he has a deep love for the sport and a life-long desire to teach the fundamentals of the game.

This passion has consumed him… and it has saved his life.

On Sept. 5 of last year, Meyer’s life changed forever when the car he was driving crashed into a semi- truck carrying 90,000 pounds of grain through the South Dakota countryside. He was riding alone in his Toyota Prius, leading a six-car caravan to his team’s annual retreat when his car drifted into the path of the semi. The impact knocked the driver’s side doors into the air while the mangled car came to rest in a ditch.

Meyer, who coached the Bisons for 24 years, somehow clung to life in the midst of the mass of twisted metal that only moments before was his car. Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove his spleen and reattach his diaphragm. As Meyer fought for survival, his thoughts quickly turned to basketball. Before he could even speak, he wrote a note to his family that asked simply, “How long before I can coach?”

He endured the amputation of his left leg below the knee and eight surgeries. He broke his ribs and his left lung collapsed. He spent weeks in the hospital fighting intense pain and learning to live again. And, if the injuries sustained in the accident weren’t enough, doctors discovered that cancer had invaded Meyer’s liver and small intestine. It’s a discovery that would have never been made were it not for the accident.

“The accident was a blessing,” said Meyer, coach at NCAA Division II Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D. “That’s what it was. Without it, we would not have known about the cancer until it was too late. It was also a blessing that I hit a semi and not a car, because the crash could have killed someone in a smaller vehicle.”

Former players, coaches and friends from across the country were drawn to Meyer’s bedside in the weeks following the accident. Many more called and sent notes. This was a force that helped sustain Meyer during the tough days in the hospital.

His insatiable desire to get back on the court pushed Meyer to fight through the pain of rehab. Throughout the daily workouts the words of another basketball legend filled his mind.

“I thought about advice that John Wooden’s father gave him. He told him, ‘Don’t whine. Don’t complain. Don’t make excuses.’ When I was going through rehab and was in pain I thought of those words. These phrases slapped me in the face every day in rehab as I looked around and saw others who were worse off than I was,” he said.

Meyer refused to let the pain and his broken body keep him from doing what he loves most. At 5:45 a.m. the morning after he was released from the hospital nearly two months after the accident, Meyer was at practice, in his wheelchair with his still-healing stump, calling out instructions to his players.

“No matter how old or how young you are you’ve always got to keep learning,” he said. “I love to see how a team can improve and kids can improve. That’s why I coach. There’s nothing better than that.”

Meyer’s players have obviously learned a lot from their master teacher. His Bison teams won the NAIA National Championship in 1986 and set what still stands as the collegiate record for victories in a season (41 in 1989-90). Meyer's Bison teams spent a decade winning more games than any other team in the country, averaging more than 32 wins per season for 10 years before his move to Northern and made 13 national tournament appearances. Meyer was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1990, and was selected to the NAIA Hall of Fame at the age of 47. Meyer’s teams led the nation in scoring in 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995, averaging more than 100 points per game in each of those seasons.

‘I love to see how a team can improve and kids can improve. That’s why I coach.’

Meyer also coached college basketball’s first and second all-time leading scorers, former Bisons John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson. Former Bison Marcus Bodie holds the single-season and career record for steals in college basketball. Former Bison Andy McQueen holds the career three-point field goals made record. And, Meyer’s system produced three NAIA National Players of the Year and 22 All-Americans.

“Coach Meyer has a daily passion for teaching. He has the ability to get the most out of each individual, on the floor as a player, but more importantly off the floor as a person,” said Scott Sanderson, head coach of the Bison basketball team since 1999.

At Northern State, crowds are always near the top of Division II attendance charts as they’ve watched Meyer lead the Wolves to NCAA post-season play five out of the last six seasons. Under his tutelage the Wolves set the second best record in school history in 2007-08, going 29-4 and have notched seven straight 20-win seasons. They have appeared in the North Central Region Championship game twice (2008 and 2006). Meyer’s squads have won four regular season or Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament titles and have finished among the top three teams in the league for the last eight consecutive years. In 2002 Meyer earned NSIC Coach of the Year honors.

Not only did Meyer push himself to coach every game this season, he also reached a coaching milestone that solidified his spot in NCAA men’s basketball history. On January 10, Meyer earned career win 903 as his Northern State Wolves defeated the University of Mary, which pushed him past Bobby Knight to become the winningest men’s college basketball coach of all time. He finished the season with a 910-310 lifetime coaching record.

The win was more than just putting another mark in Meyer’s “W” column. It was a sign that Meyer had “survived.”

“I thought it was a great night. When you come up on milestones you think back to all the people that you’ve worked with through the years to help get you to that point. It was kind of special with all that happened this year. But you can’t think about milestones much because you always have something else you need to concentrate on like the next game,” said Meyer.

On April 28 Meyer returned to Lipscomb for the first time since his accident. He took center stage as the featured speaker at the inaugural Don Meyer Evening of Excellence. More than 600 people attended a VIP dinner and more than 2,000 filled Allen Arena for Meyer’s keynote address. Included in the crowd were many former athletes, fans and friends of the program.

“I really enjoyed getting back to see so many people at Lipscomb. It was a great evening,” he said.

Instead of focusing on the life-changing events of the past, Meyer imparted to the audience advice that extends past the basketball court.

‘Peace is not the absence of troubles, trials and torment, but calm in the midst of them.’

“Always pick up trash. Leave a place better than it was when you first found it. Always say ‘please’ and ‘thank you,’ ‘yes ma'am’ and ‘yes sir.’ A lot of times it is the little things that make the difference in a ball game, in business, in the classroom or in life. And, take notes so that you can continually learn and improve,” Meyer imparted to the audience as if speaking to his team.

“Places like Lipscomb and Northern State are places where quality and excellence are important. You have to be a competitor. If you are competing you don’t have time to complain. Competitors are too busy getting things done.”

The evening served as a catalyst for Meyer to reconnect to the Lipscomb community and to launch the new National Bison Club, which helps provide the daily support that athletics teams need such as airline tickets and van and bus rentals for away games, hotel rooms and food.

Meyer’s struggle for survival in the days following the accident and his remarkable comeback is a story that caught the attention of the national media. Sports Illustrated, major newspapers from across the country and sports radio call-in shows all tracked the progress of this coach who has touched the lives of thousands through his career. Meyer was also the subject of several indepth features on ESPN, including a segment on the network’s E60 program.

Just last month, Meyer received perhaps the biggest affirmation of how he has weathered the circumstances life threw at him. On July15, Meyer received the “Jimmy V Award for Perseverance” from ESPN at the annual ESPY Awards held at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. The award was presented to Meyer by actor Rob Lowe.

“There are many here tonight whose excellence has been reflected in the bright glare of the world’s spotlight. (Don Meyer) has achieved his greatness quietly and steadily often with a minimum of fanfare. His is a name not many have heard of. Yet to coaches like Bobby Knight, Pat Summit and the legendary John Wooden he is, quite simply, the man,” said Lowe at the awards presentation.

“Tonight we honor more than Don Meyer’s record. We honor an unbelievable triumph of will powered by faith, tenacity and a love of coaching.”

During the presentation Meyer received two standing ovations from a crowd filled with the country’s top college and professional athletes and coaches.

“We use three ‘F’ words in our program. Faith. Family. Friends. Faith that God has a reason for sparing my life at this time so I can try to serve others for a few more years. Family for my wife, Carmen, and children, Jerry, Brooke and Brittany who have given me constant care, concern and prayer. Friends. Like our current and former players and coaches all over the country who encouraged me with emails, phone calls and visits and spent nights sitting with me in the hospital,” he said.

“I’ve also learned from this odyssey that peace is not the absence of troubles, trials and torment, but calm in the midst of them.”