Donald Gene Dyer (1933–2021)

Basketball coach Don Dyer, with 601 collegiate victories to his name, became the winningest college coach in Arkansas history. All of the wins came while he was the head coach at Henderson State University (HSU) and the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). He is the winningest coach in the history of both institutions. As a result of his success, Dyer was inducted into a number of athletic halls of fame.

Donald Gene Dyer was born in Monroe County, Arkansas, on October 18, 1933, to farmer Edward Thomas Dyer and Julia Stinnett Dyer. He was one of the couple’s four sons. His father died when he was one year old.

Dyer grew up in Clarendon (Monroe County). After graduating from high school in 1952, he enrolled at Henderson State Teachers College (now HSU). During his college years, he participated in football, basketball, and track. After his junior and senior football seasons, he was named to the All Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference (AIC). During his final year at Henderson, he was voted the school’s best athlete.

Dyer was also a member of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), a required program at the time. After graduating with a BSE in physical science in 1955, he was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was inducted into the U.S. Army, serving through 1957. In 1962, he received his MSE in counselor education from Henderson.

After his military service, he accepted a coaching position at DeValls Bluff (Prairie County). By 1958, he was coaching at England (Lonoke County), where his girls’ basketball team won two state championships.

Married in 1962, he and his wife Mary had one child, a son.

In 1963, Dyer returned to Henderson as the men’s head basketball coach. During his sixteen-year tenure at Henderson, he compiled a record of 316 victories and 132 losses, winning eight AIC championships and four National Association Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 17 Championships, as well as finishing as national runner-up in 1976. The next season, his team finished third nationally.

After the conclusion of the 1977–78 season, Dyer left Henderson and, in 1979, accepted the head coaching position at Henderson’s AIC rival, UCA. Dyer compiled a record of 285 wins and 145 losses at UCA. His teams won three AIC championships and were NAIA national runners-up in 1991 and 1992. During his time at UCA, Dyer coached many outstanding players, including National Basketball Association superstar Scottie Pippen.

After over thirty years in the coaching profession, Dyer retired after the 1992–93 season. His collegiate career record was 601 wins and 277 losses. He was runner-up for National Coach of the Year for Small Colleges in 1975–76. He was inducted into the National Association Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, the Henderson Hall of Honor in 1997, and the UCA Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

Dyer died on May 12, 2021. He is buried in Shady Grove Cemetery in Clarendon.

For additional information:
East, Steve. “UCA’s Dyer Gets Honor from NAIA.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 21, 1992, p. 2C.

Gladstone, Mitchell. “Dyer Dies at Age 87, Known for Work Ethic.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 14, 2021, pp. 1C, 7C. Online at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2021/may/14/dyer-dies-at-age-87-known-for-work-ethic/ (accessed March 15, 2024).

Obituary of Don Dyer. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, May 15, 2023. https://www.arkansasonline.com/obituaries/2021/may/15/don-dyer-2021-05-15/ (accessed March 1, 2024).

Mike Polston
Central Arkansas Library System