THE DON MEYER AWARD

Dalton State's Tony Ingle is the recipient of the 2017 Don Meyer award, which is presented annually to the top NAIA coach in America.

April 4, 2017

2017 DON MEYER AWARD

PHOENIX, AZ -- Dalton State’s Tony Ingle is the recipient of the 2017 Don Meyer award. The award is presented annually to the top NAIA coach in America.

Tony Ingle is a legend in the coaching profession and the top coach in NAIA this season. He led the Roadrunners to a 29-5 record this season and another appearance in the NAIA National Tournament, which the program won in 2015.

Ingle is the only person to coach at the high school, junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II and Division I levels as a head coach. He’s also won 35 games in a season as a player and as a coach and led Kennesaw State to the NCAA Division II national championship before helping the program transition to the Division I level. 

“Coach Ingle has done just about everything in his coaching career,” said CollegeInsider.com’s Angela Lento. “He truly is one of the legends of the profession.”

Ingle is also an author and motivational speaker. He and his wife Jeanne have five children and five grandchildren.

In 38 seasons at Hamline, Lipscomb and Northern State, Don Meyer compiled an astounding 923-324 record. He led Lipscomb to the NAIA national championship in 1986, and coached the two highest-scoring players in the history of college basketball, John Pierce and Philip Hutcheson. Also, his 1989-90 team at Lipscomb won a record 41 games and was the highest scoring team in college history. 

In 2010, he received the John Bunn Award at the Basketball Hall of Fame. Meyer retired from coaching in February 2010. Coach Meyer lost his long battle with cancer on May 18, 2014, at the age of 69.