Former Flyer basketball player Reichert dies at 61

Mike Reichert, University of Dayton basketball. UD Athletics photo

Mike Reichert, University of Dayton basketball. UD Athletics photo

Mike Reichert, who helped the Dayton basketball team to success in the early 1980s, died unexpectedly at the age of 61 on April 3.

The 6-foot-8 Reichert, who starred at Celina High School, played with UD Hall of Famers Roosevelt Chapman and Mike Kanieski and started as a senior in 1982-83. He was fourth on the team in scoring that season with a 9.0 average and second in rebounding with a 6.9 mark.

The Flyers finished 18-10 with wins over Marquette, DePaul and Temple.

Reichert is survived by wife Frannye and four sons.

Former UD coach Don Donoher attended the funeral Sunday in Yellow Springs, where Reichert had lived for years and coached high school golf.

“He had a good senior year. We felt like we got a bad deal when we were passed up for the NIT. We didn’t get to go. But he was a good player,” Donoher said.

“He was a really good defensive player — sort of like Pat Murnen was (in the early 1970s). Those guys were two peas in a pod.”

Donoher said some of Reichert’s ex-teammates attended the ceremony, including Damon Goodwin and Kanieski.

Donoher said Gov. Mike Dewine, a Yellow Springs native, also attended the visitation.

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