A.O. Duer

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A man affectionately known as “Mr. NAIA”, Duer spent a quarter of a century working to improve intercollegiate basketball and promote equality in college athletics. Duer pioneered the integration of basketball with the inclusion of an all-black school in the 1954 tournament. A member of the AAU and the U.S. Basketball Association Ethics Committee, Duer was appointed the executive secretary of the NAIA in 1949 replacing upon the death of Emil Liston and he led the movement to change the organization’s name to NAIA after it grew to more than 500 members. Duer remained as the director of the NAIA National Basketball Championship tournament through 1975. He was also a member of the U.S. Basketball Association Ethics Committee between 1960 and 1964 and also served on the Board of Directors of the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Basketball Hall of Fame…Duer coached 10 seasons at Pepperdine, posting a record of 176-102, including 8-4 in four NAIB national tournaments and 0-2 in one NCAA tournament. His 1945 team placed second and his 1946 team reached the semifinals of the NAIB tournament. In five of his final six seasons, he won 20 or more games including a record of 26-9 in the 1945-46 campaign. Duer continues to be honored to this day as the NAIA A.O. Duer Scholarship is awarded annually to one junior men’s athlete and one junior women’s athlete (regardless of sport) in recognition of their character and outstanding academic and athletic excellence.  He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.