Homage to the ’67 Flyers, in stained glass

Glass, basketball, and Flyer pride… what do they all have in common? For Will Turey ’69, an artist and sports enthusiast, these three passions are coming together at the perfect time. This weekend, the Class of 1969 will be celebrating its Golden Flyer reunion on campus, and their class donation showcases a slice of UD’s history.

Turey created two glass murals highlighting the 1967 men’s basketball program. That year, center Dan Obrovac ’69 and forward Donnie May ’68 were part of the Flyers team that competed in the finals of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. It’s been UD’s only finals appearance.

“It was high times — it was a good time to be at Dayton,” said Turey, who let his memories guide his artistic vision.

Now more than 50 years later, the historic accomplishment will be on permanent display in Roesch Library for Flyer sports fans to enjoy. The Class of 1969 donated the works to the University Libraries art collection. Obrovac and May are depicted in Turey’s 2-foot by 2-foot square murals. Both players are captured in athletic poses that resemble original photographs taken during the historic game, including 6-foot-10 Obrovac’s historic winning of the tip-off against 7-foot-2 Lew Alcindor, now known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, of the UCLA Bruins. According to Turey, these murals reflect the style of his other pieces of art.

“Somebody who’s viewing one of my murals, even if you’ve never played that sport, you get what it might feel like to be at that point of full extension…,” said Turey, who makes his art in Georgetown, Connecticut.  “You get to dwell on it as a visual.”

Turey said he feels that his murals celebrate the city of Dayton’s passion for basketball, and he hopes current UD students believe that a national title is still possible. As for those planning to attend Reunion Weekend, Turey invites alumni to visit the library and be transported back in time.

“I’m happy that our class is leaving our mark,” he said. “Since we were there at the time, we got to experience it, and we can rekindle that moment.”