NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- University of Dayton coaching greats Don Donoher and Maryalyce Jeremiah have been selected to be a part of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Basketball Legends Class. The A-10 Legends program salutes those who helped shape the basketball programs of A-10 member schools into what they have become today.
"The A-10 Legends program honors those who made an impact on their respective basketball programs that lasts even today," UD Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tim Wabler said. "Our two representatives guided our basketball programs to the highest level of success we have enjoyed to date. Coach Donoher holds a unique place in our history. Not only is he our winningest coach, and the man who took us to the national championship game, he was also a very successful Flyer basketball player . On top of that, he continues to be one of the greatest ambassadors the University has ever had. Dr. Jeremiah led us to a national championship in 1980, and her influence on women's college basketball during her entire career -- as a coach, administrator, and NCAA committee member -- has been profound."
No man has had a greater impact on University of Dayton basketball than Donoher, as both a player and coach. As a player, he was a three-year letterwinner and co-captain for legendary coach Tom Blackburn. UD's MVP as a senior, Donoher scored the game-winning basket in the Flyers' upset of No. 1-ranked Seton Hall. He is also Dayton's all-time winningest coach, with 437 wins in his 25 years as UD's head coach from 1964 to 1989. He was the first coach to take his alma mater to the NCAA Division I championship game after appearing in the tournament as a player. (There are now three). He was inducted into the University Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992 and was honored further by the University in 1998 when the Donoher Basketball Center was built adjacent to UD Arena.
Jeremiah's coaching tenure at the University of Dayton was brief, but her impact was undeniable. In two seasons at UD, she guided the Flyers to a combined 69-5 record, and an AIAW National championship in 1980 after finishing as the national runner-up in 1979. Her national championship team in 1980 was dominant. They had an average margin of victory of 27.3 points a game in the post-season, including a 30-point win in the national championship game over the College of Charleston. After UD, she went on to coach at the University of Indiana and Cal State Fullerton. She had well over 400 wins in her coaching career and is a member of four halls of fame.
The Men's Basketball Legends will be honored March 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. prior to the 2014 Men's Basketball Championship semifinals. The group will be saluted during a celebration awards brunch in the 40/40 Club, beginning at 10:30 a.m. prior to the A-10 men's semifinal games.
The Women's Basketball Legends will be recognized with a brunch on Friday, March 7 prior to the A-10 Women's Basketball Championship quarterfinals. The event will take place at the Richmond Marriot beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The men's group includes 13 former student-athletes, nine of which went on to play in the NBA, with two winning World Championships and one member Basketball Hall of Fame Inductee (Ed Macauley of Saint Louis). These Legends combined for seven All-American selections, two National Player of the Year awards and includes a pair of players who later returned to their alma maters to serve as head coaches.
The women's honorees include former student athletes that led their teams to conference championships, NCAA Tournament selections and WNIT appearances. The group includes a National Champion head coach, four former professionals, including a pair of WNBA members along with All-Americans, A-10 Players of the Year and a Regional NCAA Woman of the Year honoree.
"It is a pleasure and honor to welcome and congratulate the 2014 Atlantic 10 Conference Legends," stated A-10 Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. "They have distinguished themselves as leaders who have contributed greatly to their University and the A-10 in building the foundation of a great basketball tradition. It is my wish that each of them enjoy this award, as it is an honor well deserved."
