DEPAUL’S FEAST FOR de PAUL

Along with leading a mass and meal commemorating the feast day of St. Vincent de Paul (see photo), DePaul University also launched “What did Louise Say?,” an interactive database of quotes from St. Louise de Marillac that serves as a companion piece to January’s “What did Vincent Say?” release.

Assistant vice president for Vincentian Scholarship Scott Kelley told DePaul Newsline that the site will “showcase the profound wisdom of a woman is a co-founder of the Vincentian family.”

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THIS WEEK IN DEPAUL HISTORY

Last year, DePaul’s men’s basketball team finished last in the Big East under first-year coach Oliver Purnell. But 28 years ago this month, the Sporting News ranked the Blue Demons 1st in their preseason polls, who were helmed by first-year coach Joey Meyer-son of Ray.

Jeff Siegfried, sports editor for the DePaulia in 1984, summarized his reaction to the ranking thusly: “Uh-oh.” In 1983, Sporting News ranked Notre Dame 1st, but Notre Dame failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament that year. “Doesn’t it worry you that the Sporting News ranked the Demons #1 so early in the season?” wrote Siegfried. “Think of the pressure. Joey’s only in his first year. C’mon, be realistic.”

To be fair, the Demons were coming off a strong year: in Ray Meyer’s last season, the Demons were the Midwest Conference’s #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing to Wake Forest in overtime in the second round. But in Joey’s first season, DePaul fell to a #10 seed, and lost to Syracuse in the first round.

Joey remained DePaul’s head coach until 1997, but his tenure marked a decline for men’s basketball. Though he led the Demons to seven NCAA tournament appearances, the NCAA would later vacate four of these appearances due to rules infractions, and the Blue Demons finished with a 3-23 record in his final year.

Three months later, Ray Meyer resigned as DePaul’s principal goodwill ambassador and fundraiser, citing his son’s firing as one of the reasons for his departure. “I live with my family, and my family is kind of bitter about this whole thing,” Ray told the DePaulia in Sept. 1997. “They would be quite disturbed if I stayed on.”

Today, DePaul basketball fans may pine for the days of the Meyer dynasty. But behind a new citywide ad campaign (“Who’s Next?”), and a coach known for his ability to turn teams around, Purnell and the Blue Demons are looking to write their own history.