Coach Don Meyer featured Feb. 25 at ‘heart healthy’ event
A night of heart-healthy fun, dessert and information, featuring Northern State men’s basketball coach Don Meyer’s “Lessons for the Heart,” will be held Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Aberdeen Ramkota Convention Center, 1400 Eighth Ave. N.W.
Meyer is one of college basketball’s most successful coaches. He made NCAA men's basketball history when he took over sole possession of the top spot of the career victories chart, passing up Bobby Knight's mark of 902 wins. Meyer claimed his 903rd career victory on Jan. 10, 2009, leading the Wolves past the University of Mary 82-62 in front of 6,654 cheering fans.
Coach Meyer’s journey to the top of the all-time career wins list took an unexpected turn when he was involved in a life-threatening car accident in early September 2008, while leading a caravan of players to a team retreat. The accident resulted in the loss of part of his left leg. However, despite that setback, a cancer diagnosis and an eight-week stay in the hospital, Meyer returned to the sidelines for the 2008-09 season. He led the Wolves to their second straight appearance in the Division II national tournament last March.
Meyer's difficult journey to the top garnered national media attention, topped by his award of the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance at the 2009 ESPY Awards.
Booths open at 6:30 p.m., with dessert at 7 p.m. and the program to follow at the event sponsored by Avera St. Luke’s, Avera Cardiology Specialists and Dacotah Bank. In addition to Coach Meyer’s talk, participants will see a special heart video and meet Dr. Lou Kumar, an interventional cardiologist with Avera Cardiology Specialists of Aberdeen. He, along with Dr. Navin Gupta, has helped “pump up” services at Avera St. Luke’s, which offers comprehensive cardiovascular services in a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week cardiology program. Dr. Kumar and Dr. Gupta work with the Cardiac Cath Lab team at Avera St. Luke’s to do interventional procedures such as coronary angioplasty and stent placement.
Tickets for the special Feb. 25 heart event are $10 each or $72 for a table of eight, available during business hours at Avera St. Luke’s Administration office at the hospital, 305 S. State St., and at Dacotah Bank downtown through Feb. 22. Seating is limited, and no tickets will be sold at the door.
