SAN ANTONIO – Buddy Meyer was St. Mary’s University. No one was ever more associated with the school.
That’s why today’s announcement -- that Herman A. “Buddy” Meyer Jr. passed away -- is so devastating. The school confirmed Friday morning that Meyer had passed away at the age of 82 following complications from emergency surgery.
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Meyer impacted so many lives over the course of 41 years at St. Mary’s as a student-athlete, coach and athletics director.
His lifelong commitment to St. Mary’s began when he joined the men’s basketball team in 1961. He became the first Rattler athlete to be named All-Conference all four years, and he is still the sixth-highest scorer in school history with 1,581 points. At the conclusion of his playing career, Meyer turned to coaching where he was able to lead Antonian High School to a state championship in 1968. That same year, he joined the coaching staff of the St. Mary’s men’s basketball program as an assistant coach for Ed Messbarger. He then took over as head coach in 1978. Meyer reached the pinnacle of his coaching career in 1989, when he led the Rattlers to the NAIA National Championship and was named the NAIA National Coach of the Year.
During that time, Meyer also served as Athletics Director from 1980 to 2001. He retired in 2005 and was elected into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. That same year, the court at Bill Greehey Arena was named the “Buddy and Anna Meyer Court” in recognition of Meyer and his wife Anna.
In his retirement, Meyer would often attend Spurs workouts at their practice facility, visiting with the coaching staff and players. Before tip off of Friday night’s game against the Rockets in the AT&T Center, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was asked about Meyer’s passing.
“He was a wonderful man, and we got to know him because, in retirement, he really enjoyed coming to practices,” Popovich said. “He just loved being there, being in the environment, being in the gym. You got to realize what a wonderful guy he was. A sweet, loving man... He’ll be missed by a lot of people.”
Funeral arrangements are pending.