UCLA Alumnus Dave Meyers Passes Away

Dave Meyers, a three-year UCLA basketball letterwinner, passed away Friday, Oct. 9, after a nearly year-long battle with cancer. He was surrounded by family members at his home in Temecula, Calif., and was 62 years old.

Meyers was a three-year basketball letterwinner for UCLA under head coach John Wooden from 1973-75, helping lead the Bruins to NCAA titles in 1973 and 1975. He served as the Bruins’ team captain in 1975, his senior season.

Last March, Meyers was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor during the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas. He was also inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame in 1992. Last season, he was able to join his former UCLA teammates during a Bruins’ home game in Pauley Pavilion on March 1, as UCLA celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1975 NCAA Championship.

A senior and All-American leader on the Bruins’ 1975 squad, Meyers helped lead UCLA to its 10th NCAA title that season after averaging 18.3 points and 7.9 points per game on Coach Wooden’s final NCAA title-winning squad. Meyers was the No. 2 selection in the 1975 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meyers was part of a five-man trade that brought Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers from the Milwaukee Bucks. He played for Milwaukee from 1976 through 1980. Following his NBA career, Meyers became a school teacher in Lake Elsinore, Calif., and taught for more than 30 years.

A standout player at Sonora High School (La Habra, Calif), Meyers earned CIF Player of the Year honors and prep All-America acclaim as a senior when he averaged 23 points and 16 points per game.

As a freshman for the Bruins in 1972, Meyers earned the Seymour Armond Memorial Award as the most valuable player on the freshman team, leading that squad to a 17-5 record as the Bruins’ No. 2 scorer (20.7 ppg).

As a sophomore in 1973, his first year on the varsity squad, Meyers came off the bench and averaged 4.9 points and 2.9 rebounds. UCLA’s team posted a perfect 30-0 record that season, as Meyers was named the outstanding defensive player of the year (Irv Pohlmeyer Memorial Trophy).

Meyers averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game during his junior season (1973-74), leading the Bruins to a 26-4 overall record. That season, he was honored with UCLA’s Bruin Bench Award, bestowed upon the player with the most improvement in all-around play and mental attitude.

Meyers is survived by his wife of 40 years, Linda, and his adult children – daughter, Crystal, and son, Sean. His older survivors include his mother, Pat, and eight siblings – Ann Meyers Drysdale, Patty Meyers, Mark Meyers, Cathy Meyers, Jeff Meyers, Susan Meyers, Coleen Lindsey and Bobby Meyers.