EUGENE KLAUS - Men's Basketball 1963-1967
Eugene Klaus was born in Delphos, Ohio. He went to High School at Delphos St. John where he played under former UD Flyer standout Bob Arnzen. He then went on to play for the University of Dayton starting in the year 1963. He was an education major and has a true passion for education the youth.
In his time at UD, Klaus continually worked to improve his game. Coming off the bench as a sophomore, Klaus average 6 points and 4.5 rebounds a game. He bumped those averages up to 8.7 points and 4.1 rebounds a game his junior season. His senior season saw remarkable success. Klaus was the floor general of the 1967 NCAA Runner Up Dayton Flyers who lost to Kareem Abdul-Jabar and the UCLA Bruins. During this season, Klaus average 9.2 points a game and 2.1 rebounds. Klaus lead the Dayton Flyers team that knocked off #6 Western Kentucky, #8 Tennessee, and #4 North Carolina en route to the NCAA Championship. Despite spraining his ankle in the previous game, Klaus’s 15point, 8 rebound, and 3 assist performance propelled the Flyers over the UNC Tar heels.
Throughout his career, Klaus appeared in 82 games and scored 671 points, currently 63rd in career scoring at UD. He scored a career high of 23 points verse rival Xavier on September 14th, 1967. Klaus has appeared in more NCAA Tournament games, eleven, than any other Flyer. After his playing days at UD, Klaus went on to achieve Master of Science Degree in Guidance Counseling from Wright State University and a Master of Science in School Administration from UD. He has served time on the Southwest Board of Ohio High School Athletic Association since 1993 and is currently the principal of Northmont High School in Englewood, Ohio.
