Donoher, who would go on to become Dayton’s winningest coach, and Harris helped secure a commitment from Riazzi, who joined them in coach Tom Blackburn’s program in 1953. For the next 72 years, Riazzi was a Flyer, staying close to his former teammates and remaining in Dayton.
“They stayed close together,” Tony said, “which was one of the coolest things to see. Even as they started to age, they were closely connected and tightly knit because of all that they accomplished.”
Carmen, a 5-foot-11 guard who ranks 142nd in school history in scoring with 451 points, died on Saturday at 90 in Kettering.
Riazzi is survived by his wife of 66 years, Ann, who he met at the University of Dayton. The couple had 10 children, 26 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Tony, a 1999 Alter graduate, is the youngest of the 10.
“We joked that he wanted to have enough (kids) to have two teams,” Tony said. “He absolutely loved being a dad and loved being a grandpa. He adored his kids. He wanted them to be successful. He wanted them to be happy. He supported and stepped up and did so many things quietly for all of us. It was never something where he wanted to be thanked or shown gratitude. He just wanted to quietly help and make our lives better and make sure that we were safe and cared for and happy and had what we needed.”
One of the Riazzi siblings, Maureen, had special needs and died at 33 in 1994. The family established a fund in her name in 2001 with the Dayton Foundation to benefit “organizations that educate and care for Montgomery County residents with developmental disabilities.” In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be in Riazzi’s honor to the Maureen “Reenie” Riazzi Fund.
“Mom and dad spent 30-plus years caring for her and sacrificing so much of themselves and their lives to make sure that Reenie was taken care of,” Tony said, “but they also made sure that we were taken care of. Our lives were still full and happy and active. They never made excuses. They just wanted to be there for us and to make sure that we knew that we had their love and support always. That never wavered from Day 1 to the very end.”
Riazzi’s career overlapped with three of the program’s top-15 all-time leading scorers: Bill Uhl Sr.; John Horan; and Jack Sallee. He was in the same class as UD Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, plus Al Sicking and Bill Almashy. They all played for Blackburn, who led the program during the first golden age of UD basketball.
According to a 1957 story by Ritter Collett in the Journal Herald, Almashy nicknamed the 1957 class “the Hollywood squad” because they had nothing to do but “sit around and look pretty” when they were sophomores stuck behind stars like Uhl and Horan.
Riazzi remained close to his former teammates and the Dayton program for the rest of his life.
“The cherished friendships he made as a part of those teams remained for life,” Riazzi’s obituary read. “For the nearly seven decades that followed his graduation, Flyers basketball and the University of Dayton community remained deeply important parts of his life and legacy. He spoke openly about how special a place Dayton and the university were to him, and for years declared that he would always be ‘forever a Flyer.’”
In an era when freshmen couldn’t play varsity basketball, Riazzi had his first big moment as a sophomore in the 1954-55 season. In a 79-73 victory against Saint Francis (Pa.) in the second round of the NIT, he made a shot with three seconds remaining to send the game to overtime.
Riazzi averaged 2.9 points in 26 games. Dayton finished 25-4 that season and reached the NIT championship game, losing to Duquesne.
As a junior, Riazzi averaged 3.8 points in 25 games. Dayton recorded its highest ever ranking in the Associated Press poll, climbing to No. 2 in the 1955-56 season. That’s still the highest ranking it has ever achieved. The Flyers were 25-4 that season and lost to Louisville in the NIT final.
As a senior in the 1956-57 season, Riazzi averaged 10.4 points. He was a team captain and won the team MVP award that season. Dayton finished 19-9, losing in the second round of the NIT.
Dayton played in the NIT seven times in the 1950s and won its first two championships in the following decade.
“The NCAA (tournament) at that time wasn’t really meaningful,” Riazzi told the Dayton Daily News in 1996. “It was just starting to gain attention. The NIT was the tournament everybody wanted to get to.”
In 2011, the men’s basketball offices at UD’s Cronin Center were named the “Carmen J. Riazzi Basketball Suite.”
A donation by the Riazzi family helped make the Cronin Center renovation possible.
“Dayton basketball is very special to me and my family and the Dayton community has been very good to me,” Riazzi said in 2011. “These facilities were a need for the University. It means so much to me to be part of this program and I’m so thankful to everyone for being here.”
Tim Wabler, then the director of athletics at Dayton, called Riazzi a “gritty, whatever-it-takes kind of player at the University of Dayton and a winner.”
Riazzi, who built a career in sales and electronics, remained a fan of the Flyers throughout his life. He watched every game at home in his recliner and attended many games, including a couple last season.
Tony found his dad’s MVP trophy last week, but his dad didn’t display mementos at the house.
“My dad was very humble, very quiet about his accomplishments,” Tony said. “For somebody who was such a giant and someone who was revered and loved by his teammates and accomplished so much, he preferred to kind of either be recognized as part of the team or kind of just be in the background. He wanted his game to speak for itself. He performed in the spotlight and always stepped up and rose to the moment, but he wasn’t big on self promotion.”
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at UD’s Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. A celebration of Riazzi’s life will take place from 2-6 p.m. Saturday at the Boesch Lounge at UD Arena.
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