Putting the fan in ‘fanatic'

From junior high school until  the day she dies, Eileen Dolan ’67 soars higher than most any basketball fan.

“UD was the only school I wanted to go to,” Dolan said. “I am a Flyer fan through and through. That fact will make my obituary.”

As a teenager, she caught a UD game on television, and that sparked a love affair with the
Flyers that is still going strong. 

Though she lives in Texas now, she makes sure she can see her Flyers, even if she has to hop on a plane to do so. 

“I have watched the Flyers play in seven or eight different states,” she said. “Anytime they are within 1,000 miles, I will go watch them play.” 

Throughout the season, she records every televised game so she can watch them again over the summer when she starts longing for the season to start.

“But if they lose a game, I delete those after watching,” she laughed.

Dolan is a longtime donor to the Dayton Flyers Champions & Scholars Fund, which supports UD’s student-athletes. Though she is on a fixed income, she said, she knows how important it is to support her beloved Flyers.

Giving back is a way to keep even more connected, she explained, an opportunity to let the players and coaches feel cared for.

 “It may not be much, but maybe it can help them get some laundry done.”