Phather Phil’s Prayer
Heavenly Father many times when we are in quiet time with You, we run through happy memories that make us smile. But, lurking in the shadows come the thoughts of our transgressions which make us frown. Let us not dwell on our transgressions with a frown, rather help us accept them with a smile. If it were not for our errors we would not have had a successful life. Mistakes are what made us adjust our goal, our attitude, our direction. We thank You Lord for giving us the nudge to rethink our actions and do what You created us to do. This makes us smile and we pray You smile in turn. Amen!
Today’s Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Celia Agnew | Ellie Parker |
| Rick Altvater | Greg Wasmund |
| Dave Borchers | Greg Griffin |
| Coach Donoher | Speaker |
| Ron Kuker | Charlie Tapp |
| Gary Miller | Donna Huss |
| Criss Somerlot | Joe Madden |
| Carol Weiland | Jay McAlpine |
All Photos from the Meeting are Here
Today’s Speaker
Gary Aiken introduced Don Donoher, who from 1964 to 1989 was the head men’s basketball coach at the University of Dayton. He compiled a record of 437-275. In 1968 they won the NIT championship and in 1967 they were the runners-up in the NCAA. Donoher was the athletic director from 1976 to 1980. Donoher became coach after Tom Blackburn lost his battle with cancer in 1964. Blackburn was head coach from 1947 to 1964.
Donoher started off by thanking Gary and wondering why Gary asked him to speak. He said, “I am 86 years old and I can’t remember what I had for breakfast.”
He informed us that the UD Arena renovation is in phase 2 of 3 of a 3-year project. This year, the walk way around the concourse will be moved to the outside walls of the arena. UD thinks they can get another 40-50 years of use out of the original structure with these modifications and save a lot on the way.
Basketball was created in 1891 and 10 years later the UD Flyers started in 1901. He said, “People think I was the first coach. But actually, for the first several years there was no coach at UD.”
Donohor played the first game at the UD Fieldhouse when he was a freshman in 1950 under coach Blackburn. It held about 5800 fans. World War II delayed the building of the Fieldhouse.
Most colleges years ago were independent and not in conferences. The tournament that existed only served to benefit Madison Square Gardens. The NCAA was created, and they created their own tournament.
As a freshman, Donoher mainly sat the bench. His second year he was mostly sitting on the bench, but he still got to go to the NCAA tournament in Chicago. It was the last year a team could play in both the NIT and the NCAA tournament. During this game UD set a record for the most personal fouls in the NCAA tournament with 41 fouls – a record that still stands today.
Thomas J. Frericks, athletic director, made the decision to participate in the NCAA instead of the NIT. There was much more money in the NCAA. The UD Fieldhouse has been renamed to the Thomas J. Frericks Center. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Frericks_Center
At one-point, Frerick’s was able to create 36 extra seats on both sides of the Fieldhouse by moving both teams benches closer together, but he knew they needed another facility. Frericks had the dream and plans for the facility that he finally got built, UD Arena. Having the UD Arena in our community is huge. The updates facility, which includes air conditioning, will help keep the NCAA First Four. The NCAA knows Dayton knows how to host a tournament and how to do it very well.
Questions and Answers
Who is a player you coached that stands out in your memory?
One player is 7 ft Center Henry Finckel. To afford school, Finckel took a job at a shipyard as a sandblaster. Twice Finckel was drafted by the NBA after his Sophomore and Junior year but Finckel chose to continue to play for the UD Flyers. This happened just as Donoher became head coach. UD made it to the Sweet Sixteen and the next year to the Final Four. Donoher said, “Thank goodness he came back his Senior year or we would have been one and done.” The first year without Finckel they still made the finals and that made it big enough to get the UD arena built
What are your thoughts on Anthony Grant as head coach of basketball at UD?
Anthony Grant is Quality from top to bottom and he is going to do well. As a sophomore player he shined. Anthony’s father was 6 foot 2 and a big guy who had 6 kids and he knew how to run a family with discipline. Grant and his team right now are recruiting.
Could you tell us about your relationship with Bobby Knight?
At the NIT tournament in 1968, Knight was coaching Army. Some rep from the NIT came into the locker room with nice watches to give out. Knight threw the rep and his watches out into the hallway. Donohor asked Knight for some help in preparing for a game in which UD was playing against the team Knight had just beaten and Knight said OK, send someone. The information helped. Donohor asked again after Knight’s Army had been knocked out of the NIT tournament and again Knight said to send someone up. This time he got their insights and tapes on Notre Dame, who had just knocked Army out of the tournament and UD won. Before the next round in the tournament. Knight sent a letter that said, “Congrats, I know nothing about Kansas, I assume UD pays you a salary, so maybe you can figure this one out on your own.” Donohor said, ”If you are his friend that is good, if you were his enemy, well that isn’t as good.”
If there were 10 seconds left in a game, you were down by one point, and you could pick any player you coached to get the ball, who would you pick?
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Dennis Glidden | October 24 |
| Patrick Swan | October 24 |
| Fred Pfeiffer | October 26 |
| Brent Richburg | October 28 |
| Shawn Thacker | October 28 |
| Bob Bargmeyer | October 29 |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| Charlie Goodwin | October | 28 | 10/28/2008 | 10 |
| Jessica King | October | 28 | 10/28/2008 | 10 |
| Karen Sirmans | October | 28 | 10/28/2008 | 10 |
| Mike Brubaker | October | 28 | 10/28/2008 | 10 |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Ronald Kuker | Charlie Tapp | 1st Reading |
Sergeants at Arms
No time for Sergeants this week
Happy Bucks!
No time for Happy Bucks this week