Legendary coach Don Meyer now has his name on the court inside Allen Arena. With a coaching record of 655-179 in 24 years of coaching the Bisons, Meyer is undoubtedly the biggest name in Lipscomb sports history.
It’s only fitting that his name be on the court in Allen. Though Meyer never coached a game inside the arena, the court will forever carry his name.
“For all he has done on the court and all he has done with the records and accomplishments, this is what it is all about,” said Lipscomb Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson.
“For the first time, and for everyone here, the court is officially yours.”
Meyer, who is hardly ever overwhelmed, was very gracious about the court’s naming in his honor.
“I want to thank God for letting me have enough time to see all thee guys for another time,” Meyer said, speaking to the nearly 70 former players that attended the ceremony. “That means a whole lot more than anything else.”
Meyer’s family also joined him on the court, which was also fitting because one of Meyer’s biggest points during his career was to love those around you – especially family.
“I have been very lucky to have had the family I have had,” Meyer said. “They made a lot of sacrifices to be a coach’s family.”
Meyer was humbled by the day, and it self-admittedly made him tired. However, Meyer was still colorful as ever.
“McQuiddy was the kind of gym that if you had 11 people in it was loud as the Boston Garden,” Meyer said. “McQuiddy was special.”
Meyer has retired from coaching, but he is still active in the coaching role. Today, he leads talks and seminars with his “Don Meyer Leadership Tour.” In the talks, he explains how to build successful relationships that mean something, as well as defeating the everyday battles of life.
“When you leave coaching, you have to have something to do, or you are going to go crazy,” Meyer said. “I’m alive because of the stuff that I get to do.”
Meyer went on to say that sometimes we don’t always know what lies ahead of us, but instead, “God lays that out for you.”
Meyer was eager to explain that during his time at Lipscomb, he wanted his team to be the face of the university.
“I’ve always wanted what we did in the program, that would be the front porch of the university,” he said. “People could look at our kids and see what Lipscomb’s all about.”
“The thing about our guys was that they were great people.”
Meyer said that life is all about memories, “if you can remember them.”
“I really thought the last day of coaching was the best day of anything else I could have been doing,” Meyer said. “There were not many days that were not the best days when I was here, working with our players.”