March 1, 2007

The Dayton Flyers dominated list of honorees in the 2007 Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame just like they did opponents in the 50s and 60s.

Former UD players Don May and Jim Paxson, coaches Tom Blackburn and Don Donoher, along with the Flyers 1962 and 1968 National Invitational Tournament championship teams, will be among the second group of OBHF honorees.

All four individual inductees are also members of the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame.

The event will be held on Saturday, May 19 at 6 p.m. EST at the Columbus Convention Center. Visit www.ohiohoopzone.com to purchase tickets online.

May, who attended Belmont High School in Dayton, ranks second in UD basketball history with 1,980 career points. An All-America selection in 1968, May's best performance came against the North Carolina Tar Heels when he sank 13 consecutive field goals en route to 34 points and a Flyer victory in the 1967 Final Four.

Following his career at UD, May played in the NBA with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Kansas City-Omaha Kings, Buffalo Braves and Atlanta Hawks.

Another local area product from Alter High School in Kettering, Paxson was the Flyers' Most Valuable Player from 1977 to 1979. In 1978 he led the Flyers in scoring, free-throw percentage, assists and steals. Paxson ranks fourth all-time in UD scoring with 1,945 career points.

Selected as the first pick for the Portland Trail Blazers in 1979 NBA draft, Paxson played nine years and was a two-time NBA All-Star. He currently serves in the front office for the Chicago Bulls.

Blackburn took over a UD program in 1947 following two post-war seasons with a combined 7-30 record. Noted as a strong disciplinarian, he quickly turned the program around and established Dayton as a national power.

In his Hall of Fame career, Blackburn led the Flyers to the National Invitation Tournament championship in 1962 and finished with a 352-141 record. In 1964, he lost his battle with cancer at the age of 58, but his legacy had long been established.

Coach Donoher, the 15th head coach in the program's history, was a star player for Blackburn on two NIT Tournament teams. He became the Flyers head coach in 1964 and took his first three teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Donoher also led the Flyers to an NCAA Tournament runner-up finish in 1967, the NCAA Regional Finals in 1984 and is the winningest coach in UD history with a 437-235 record. Also in 1984, coach Donoher was an assistant on the U.S. Olympic Team that won the gold medal.

Led by Flyer greats Garry Roggenburk, Gordy Hatton, the 1961-62 squad won the NIT Tournament Championship after going 24-6 overall. Dayton defeated Wichita State, Houston, Loyola Chicago and St. John's to capture the title.

Donoher's 1967-68 squad also captured the NIT Tournament Championship after finishing 21-9 overall. UD defeated West Virginia, Fordham, Notre Dame and Kansas.

Selections are made by a panel of Ohio College and NBA Hall of Fame players, Ohio high school and college coaches and former college All-America players, among others.

Among the ndividuals to be honored with the UD contingent are John Paxson, Jimmy Hull, Robin Freeman, Jim Snyder, Glen Hursey, Gus Johnson, Howard "Butch" Komives, Steve Mix, Scott May, Fred Schaus, Ron Harper, Dick Hempy, Paul Hogue, Jim Burson, Austin Carr, Lisa Cline, Dixie Jeffers and official Diane Plas.

Teams selected besides Dayton's, are Xavier's 1958 National Invitational Tournament champs, Columbus East's boys 1967, 1968, and 1969 teams that were 70-1 and won two state championships, and West Holmes High School's 1984, 1985, 1986 squads that had 109 consecutive wins and three straight state titles.

UD will honor these inductees and other Flyer basketball greats Oct. 9 during a celebration of Flyer basketball at UD Arena. Texas Tech head coach Bob Knight will be the keynote speaker. Call (937) 229-4433 for more information.