DePaul Mourns the Passing of Men’s Basketball Alum Bill Schyman

7/8/2022 3:30:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL

Schyman played at DePaul from 1950-53 before being the first deaf player ever selected in the NBA Draft

CHICAGO – DePaul men's basketball alum Bill Schyman Jr. recently passed away at home in Stroudsburg, Pa. The Chicago native played for Ray Meyer from 1950-53 and before getting drafted into the NBA by the Baltimore Bullets.

Schyman was born with a loss of hearing and is known as the first deaf person to be drafted into the NBA. Following his professional career that included traveling with the Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the Washington Generals, he led the Deaf Olympic Team to a gold medal in 1965.

He coached at Gallaudet University and was also inducted into the USA Deaf Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. He was also inducted into the DePaul Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.

As a three-year starter for the Blue Demons, Schyman averaged double figures as a junior and senior. During his junior season, he averaged 11.5 points per game followed by a scoring average of 10.6 during his senior season. DePaul won 51 games over his three seasons under Coach Meyer.