Table of Contents
Dean Meminger #14
Nickname: “The Dream”
Position: Guard
Height: 6'0''
Weight: 175 lbs.
Born: May 13, 1948 in Walterboro, SC
Died: August 23, 2013 in Harlem, NY
High School: Rice H.S., New York, NY
High School Career
Meminger was a highly-sought after recruit, after becoming only the second high school player in New York City history to be named All-City, three years in a row (Lew Alcindor was the first).
During his recruitment, he narrowed his college choices to five: UCLA, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Providence and St. Joe's.
“UCLA was already established,” Meminger said. “I knew that I could start there. . . . I met with John Wooden and (assistant coach) Denny Crum at UCLA. The lifestyle was different for me, California laid back. Everything was on a silver plate. What was the challenge? . . . Wooden told me I would be the heir to Mike Warren. With Kareem we could win more titles.”
Marquette University
One of the greatest players ever to don a Marquette basketball jersey, Dean Meminger helped Marquette to a glittering record of 78-9 during his career including a 46-0 mark at the Milwaukee Arena. He averaged 16.3 ppg as a sophomore and was the team’s leading scorer for two years, averaging 18.8 points in the 1969-70 season and 21.2 points in 1970-71. He was named team captain and selected by his teammates as the Most Valuable Player of the 1971 team which went undefeated during the regular season (26-0), and advanced to the NCAA Mideast Regional. He closed out his college as the school’s No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 1,637 points.
Dean was the MVP of the NIT in 1970, in which Marquette topped St. John’s for the championship. Meminger was also named to the All-Tournament team of the NIT, and the All- Tournament teams of the 1969 and 1971 NCAA. Meminger was also a part of the first all-black, consensus All-America team in 1971.
Coach Al McGuire once remarked that Meminger was “quicker than 11:15 mass at a seaside resort.”
He was inducted into Marquette's Hall of Fame in 1988.
Stats
| G | FGM | FGA | FG% | FTM | FTA | FT% | PTS | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-69 | 29 | 172 | 409 | .421 | 131 | 233 | .562 | 475 | 16.4 |
| 1969-70 | 29 | 184 | 400 | .460 | 178 | 279 | .638 | 546 | 18.8 |
| 1970-71 | 29 | 216 | 425 | .508 | 184 | 250 | .736 | 616 | 21.2 |
| TOTALS | 87 | 572 | 1234 | .464 | 493 | 762 | .647 | 1637 | 18.8 |
All-Time Marquette Rankings
- 11th, Points (1,637)
All-Time Career Leader Rankings
- 4th, Scoring Average (18.8)
- 9th, Field Goals Made (572)
- 10th, Field Goals Attempted (1,234)
- 2nd, Free Throws Made (493)
- 1st, Free Throws Attempted (762)
All-Time Single Game Rankings
- 1st in free throws made (tied with two others), 16 vs. St. Louis (February 12, 1970)
- 2nd in free throw attempts, 21 vs. Creighton (February 28, 1970)
- 3rd in free throw attempts (tied with two others), 20 vs. St. Louis (February 12, 1970)
All-Time Single Season Rankings
- 7th, Points (616)
- 6th, Scoring Average (21.2)
- 3rd, Free Throws Made (184)
- 4th, Free Throws Made (178)
- 1st, Free Throws Attempted (279)
- 3rd, Free Throws Attempted (250)
- 7th, Free Throws Attempted (233)
All-Time Senior Season Rankings
- 4th (tie), Points (616)
- 3rd, Scoring Average (21.2)
- 8th, Field Goals Made (216)
- 3rd, Free Throws Made (184)
- 2nd, Free Throws Attempted (250)
All-Time Junior Season Rankings
- 7th, Points (546)
- 7th (tie), Scoring Average (18.8)
- 10th, Field Goals Made (184)
- 3rd, Free Throws Made (178)
- 1st, Free Throws Attempted (279)
All-Time Sophomore Season Rankings
- 5th, Points (475)
- 7th, Scoring Average (16.4)
- 9th, Field Goals Made (172)
- 4th, Field Goals Attempted (409)
- 3rd, Free Throws Made (131)
- 1st, Free Throws Attempted (233)
Accolades
- 1969 Milwaukee Classic MVP
- 1969 NCAA All-Tournament Team
- 1970 Milwaukee Classic MVP
- 1970 NIT All-Tournament Team
- 1970 NIT MVP
- 1969-70 Chuck Taylor Converse All-American
- 1969-70 NEA All-American
- 1971 NCAA All-Tournament Team
- 1970-71 AP All-American
- 1970-71 UPI All-American
- 1970-71 Chuck Taylor Converse All-American
- 1970-71 Helms All-American
- 1970-71 NABC All-American
- 1970-71 NEA All-Americann
- 1970-71 Sporting News All-American
- 1970-71 USBWA All-American
Professional Career
Following his graduation, he was a first-round NBA draft pick by New York. He went on to enjoy a seven-year pro career with New York and Atlanta.
Coaching Career
Meminger was the head coach of the following teams:
- New York Stars of the defunct Women's Basketball League in 1979-80. He wins Coach of the Year honors. But the team folded, and he was signed by the WBL's San Francisco Pioneers to be their head coach in January 1981.
- Albany Patroons (their inaugural CBA season in 1982)
“The team's first year in the league was not a strong one, and former New York Knicks head coach Dean Meminger had trouble finding quality players to win games. And because of a dispute between the NBA and the CBA over the existence of the CBA's Detroit Spirits franchise in NBA territory, the few players qualified to be called up were ignored by the NBA - including Albany forward Mike Davis. Meminger was later replaced by another former New York Knick, Phil Jackson.” CBAMuseum.com - Albany Patroons
- Long Island Knights of the USBL in 1987
- Manhattanville College (NY), an NCAA Division III school, from 2003-2004. He stepped down before the 2004-05 basketball season citing “personal reasons.” In his one year there, the Valiants finished 18-10 and earned a berth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament. Meminger, Manhattanville coach, featured in Daily News
Personal
His son, Dean Meminger, Jr., is staff reporter for web-news group, NY1.
While in town to receive a community award, Meminger passed away in the Casablanca Hotel in Harlem, NY on August 23, 2013.
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