UCAFANS.COM | GO UCA BEARS!

Received word late yesterday of the death of former UCA mens basketball Coach Don Dyer.

Although I don't have the official numbers, when Dyer retired following the 1992 season, he was the winningest college coach in Arkansas at any level.

Dyer led the Bears to two consecutive trips to the NAIA National Championship game in Kansas City in 1990 and 1991 losing both times to Oklahoma City.

In fact, the last time UCA mens basketball was relevant was when Dyer led the program.

Funeral services for Coach Dyer will be Wednesday afternoon at 1 O'Clock at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Conway. A reception will follow at 2:30 p.m. at the Hall of Fame room at Estes Stadium on the UCA campus.

RIP Coach.

https://ucasports.com/news/2021/5/14/mens-basketball-legendary-coach-don-dyer-dies-at-87.aspx

CONWAY, Ark. _ Don Dyer, the legendary college basketball coach who won more games than any other men's college basketball coach at two different Arkansas universities, passed away Thursday at the age of 87.

Dyer, an Arkansas Sports Hall of Famer, won 316 games at Henderson State University from 1963 to 1978, then won 285 more at the University of Central Arkansas from 1979 to 1993. Dyer coached the first Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference program to play in the NAIA national championship game when HSU played for the NAIA title in 1976.

At UCA, Dyer's teams played in two NAIA national championship games in 1991 and 1992. Dyer was the only coach to take two different programs to the NAIA championship game.

"I'm very sad to hear of the passing of Coach Dyer,' said Anthony Boone, UCA's men's basketball coach. "He had a huge impact on UCA, Conway, and the state of Arkansas as one of the all-time greats coaching basketball and mentoring young men. His family, friends, former players, and all who were impacted by him are in my thoughts and prayers.'

Dyer, from Clarendon, Ark., is credited with orchestrating the development of six-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Scottie Pippen at UCA. Dyer brought Pippen to UCA as a walk-on and he left four years later as the No. 5 selection in the 1987 NBA Draft.

Dyer was also a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame (1992), the UCA Sports Hall of Fame (2004) and the Henderson State Hall of Honor (1997).

"The state of Arkansas lost one of its coaching greats,' said long-time UCA media relations director Steve East. "The number of young men he impacted over his long, illustrious career is remarkable. There is a reason his coaching peers all recognize him as one of the best to ever coach in the state of Arkansas.'

Funeral services for Dyer will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Conway, Ark., with a reception to follow at 2:30 in the Hall of Fame Room at Estes Stadium on the UCA campus.