'Dave Downey was a really, really good guy' — and more

Feb. 17—CHAMPAIGN — To most University of Illinois basketball fans, Dave Downey was the legend who once scored 53 points in a game at Indiana. Still a school record.

To his many family and friends, Dave was so much more.

Dave, who passed away Dec. 27 at age 84, was celebrated during a touching but happy ceremony Monday morning at the State Farm Center.

The event opened with a pair of tunes by singer Willie Nelson, a favorite of country music enthusiast Dave: "Help Me Make It Through The Night" and "The City of New Orleans."

Dave's son Jay, the first of four speakers, talked eloquently and thoughtfully about his dad.

He opened with a reference to the State Farm Center, where Dave closed his Illinois career in the then-Assembly Hall. Dave left Illinois as the school's career scoring leader and still stands No. 25.

"This gymnasium is very special to us and special to me."

Dave's jersey hangs from the rafters, serving as a constant reminder of his basketball brilliance.

"I also thought back about all the games I've attended here with him going back to the mid-60s," Jay said. "I've added that up to be at least 1,000 games. Boy, did we see a lot of great teams and basketball players."

Basketball was only a small part of Dave's contribution to his family and community.

"One of the greatest lessons Dave gave us wasn't something he lectured about," Jay said. "It was how he lived his life. He taught my sisters Jill and Jennifer and me by example to treat every person with the same dignity and respect, regardless of race or gender, which meant a lot to us.

"To him, people were people who deserved to be met with fairness and kindness. That really describes my father."

Jay remembered Dave coming home in his 1967 Corvette, which he could hear four blocks away.

"I knew it would be dinner time soon," Jay said.

Dave was always available to shoot hoops, have a catch, throw a football, and play ping-pong and pool in the basement.

Jay and Dave worked together in the insurance business for almost 30 years.

"He was very visionary," Jay said. "He always wanted to find out what the next big thing in insurance was going to be, on the cutting edge."

After his dad's passing, Jay heard from an endless line of former colleagues.

"The common theme was he was one of the smartest people they knew, but was still humble and had a way of presenting his thoughts that didn't upset people that might be on the opposite side of the table."

They all closed with, "He was a very good person."

Special tribute

Dave's wife, Jane, followed Jay during the event with a prayer and reading.

A video was shown that included interviews done with Dave over the years.

In one, Dave talked about how he got started in the game.

"My dad made me a hoop and he made it too small," Dave said. "I spent the first several years shooting at a hoop that the ball would barely go through."

Teammate Bill Small talked about Dave's style on the court.

Small recalled Dave's historic game at Indiana.

"From the get-go, it was up and down, up and down, Dave was getting open and Dave was shooting," he said.

Dave talked about the moment.

"For me, it was a capstone to an athletic career," he said. "I knew that for one time, I had played the game as well as I could play it. And I didn't need to play any more that way."

The two final speakers were Dave's close friends: former UI President Joe White and former WCIA general manager Russ Hamilton.

Dave was on the search committee that recommended White to the UI Board of Trustees.

"When Dave talked to me about UI, he always put education first, including his own undergraduate and law school education," White said. "He had his priorities straight."

He mentioned the phrases Dave often used.

"How are you Dave?" was always answered with "Better than I deserve."

"Keep on, keeping on."

"Sorry, I don't give advice. I only give feedback."

Hamilton knew of Dave growing up. They met later in life.

"Dave and I hit it off immediately," Hamilton said. "Within months, it seemed like we could finish each other's sentence."

Dave and Hamilton talked about Monday's ceremony.

What did Dave want Hamilton to say?

"Just tell them we were good friends," Hamilton said. "I said 'Nothing else?' He said 'If you have the time, tell them I was a good guy.'

"Dave is gone but not forgotten. I can tell you from the bottom of my heart, Dave Downey was a really, really good guy."

Accepting the challenge

Dave helped support local organizations: The UI Foundation, the United Way, the Community Foundation, the Carle College of Medicine, Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club, UI athletics and the Canton library.

In 2005, Dave was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

"He never complained about his situation," Jay said.

"He kept trying. He just never gave up."

Dave was able to make it to his high school alma mater in Canton, where the court is named in his honor.

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