Loretto, Pa. –Saint Francis University was deeply saddened on Thursday afternoon to learn of the passing of former Red Flash men's basketball great Norm Van Lier.
Van Lier was a member of the Saint Francis men's basketball team from 1967-69, and left his legacy at the school by leading the team to a 55-20 record in three seasons. When Van Lier left Saint Francis as a second round pick by the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1969, he was the second-leading scorer in program history behind Maurice Stokes. Van Lier currently sits ninth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,410 career points in just three seasons. He is 11th in rebounds (769) and 10th in rebounding average (10.3 rpg), fifth in free throws made (376). His 18.8 ppg at the school are sixth.
“The Saint Francis family is saddened by the sudden passing of one of our all-time greats and one of the most popular Saint Francis basketball players of all time, Norm Van Lier,” said Director of Athletics
Bob Krimmel. The Red Flash athletic family extends our deepest sympathy to the entire Van Lier family. He will forever be remembered for his engaging personality and ability to bring a smile to the people who always sought to be around him.
“I was honored to represent Saint Francis at Norm's induction to the WPIAL Hall of Fame last summer and to sit with his family on that special evening. He was an outstanding player, and an even better person to those who knew him and had the opportunity to watch him play at Saint Francis. We were blessed to have Norm on campus for our Alumni Basketball Night in November when he spoke of his love for Saint Francis. No one could have predicted that would be his final visit to the school he helped elevate in the world of basketball. Norm Van Lier will always have a special place in our hearts and we are forever thankful for Norm's decision to leave Midland , Pennsylvania to attend the college among the pines. Norm made our campus a better place for everyone.”
After Van Lier's playing days in Loretto, he became a three-time NBA All-Star and spent 10 seasons in the league, competing for the Cincinnati Royals, Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks. He averaged 11.8 ppg and 4.7 rpg during his NBA career, and had over 5,000 assists and 700 steals. “Stormin' Norman ” was picked to the NBA All-Defensive first or second team eight times. He retired after the 1979 season with 8,770 points and 5,217 assists.
“This is a shock to all of us here within the Saint Francis University family,” said Saint Francis first-year head coach Don Friday. “Just this past fall, I along with our players, had the pleasure of meeting Norm Van Lier and having him address our team. The statistics, and the wins and losses throughout his collegiate and NBA career, attested to the fine man he was. But the words and the wisdom, and the stories and the bonds he formed in his life through the game of basketball… those messages, I speak for myself and my players, we'll never forget them. Norm told me on more than one occasion the affection that he had for Saint Francis University, and how he pledged to help us restore the glory back to the school on the mountain.”
Van Lier was most recently working as a broadcaster, covering the Chicago Bulls, on Comcast SportsNet.
