Mike Organ

USA TODAY Sports

As legendary Lipscomb basketball coach Don Meyer's fight with cancer nears an end, the legacy he hoped to leave already is firmly in place.

He saw to that over the last few months months.

Meyer, 69, has been admitted into hospice care at his home in Aberdeen, S.D.

He refused to allow an automobile accident six years ago, which led to having his lower left leg amputated and the discovery of cancer soon after, keep him from living life to the fullest, the way he had always done until the very end.

His health had started to decline in March when he was named one of the coaches for the inaugural National Association of Basketball Coaches and NAIA All-Star Game in Kansas City, Mo.

Being on the bench was probably the last place he felt like being, yet Meyer showed up.

"When you're an NAIA guy, it's a lifetime commitment," he said at the time.

Meyer didn't feel any better in April when the Don Meyer Evening of Excellence took place at Lipscomb's Allen Arena where longtime Cub Ernie Banks was the guest speaker.

But he traveled to Nashville, spent time with Banks before the event, delivered an inspirational message to the crowd and even stuck around afterward.

"Since the accident and the cancer diagnosis a lot of people would have expected him to slow down," said Lipscomb athletics director Philip Hutcheson, who played for Meyer from 1986-90. "But it's almost like it gave him even that much more energy and purpose to try to continue to teach and be a good influence in the lives of others. And that's what he always taught to anyone who ever played for him, so I guess I should not be surprised that that's been the way he has been when facing some tough times."

By the early part of May, Meyer was having trouble getting out of bed and had to be admitted to Avera St. Luke's Hospital in Aberdeen.

After a three-day stay and when it became apparent that he wasn't improving, Meyer returned to his home on Monday where hospice was called in.

It is the ending Meyer likely would have written for himself. His grit, resolve and determination to fight to the very end, to practice what he had preached to his players over his 42-year coaching career, has been met.

A statement released to The Tennessean from the family read: "As a family we are so proud of that perseverance. He is at peace, loved and getting exceptional care."

Meyer's resilience was never illustrated greater than in 2009 when he returned to coach Northern State after being involved in the wreck in the preseason of the 2008-09 basketball season.

It was during surgeries to try to save Meyer's leg when doctors discovered the cancer in his liver and intestines.

Rather than becoming discouraged, Meyer said after the prognosis that he considered it a blessing that his trauma doctor found the cancer.

"What's great about this is I would not have known about the cancer had I not had the wreck," Meyer said at the time. "God has blessed me with the one thing we all need, which is truth. I can now fight with all of my ability."

After being fitted for a prosthesis, Meyer returned to coach, often while seated in a wheelchair, for the next two seasons.

He retired in 2010 with a career record of 923-324, which ranks sixth all-time among men's college basketball coaches.

"He's fought hard; he lasted a lot longer than most people thought that he would," said Jerry Meyer, Don's son. "Since he was diagnosed with (cancer) he's exceeded the prognosis."

Meyer left Lipscomb in 1999 with a record of 665-179. The Bisons posted only one losing record in 24 seasons under Meyer.

He led the Bisons to the NAIA national championship in 1986 and a 35-4 record and the national tournament in 12 other seasons.

In 2009 Meyer received the Jimmy V ESPY Award for Perseverance, in 2010 he received the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2012 the Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball Award.

The family requested anyone wishing to send messages do so by using Meyer's Twitter account — @CoachDonMeyer — or on his Facebook page.

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Mike Organ writes for The Tennessean.