University of Missouri-St. Louis mourns the passing of former head men's basketball coach and Hall of Famer Rich Meckfessel.
 
Meckfessel passed away Wednesday due to complications from a recent surgery in Savannah, Georgia. He was 81 years old.

Funeral arranagements have not yet been announced.
 
He coached the Rivermen for 17 seasons (1982-99) and also served as Interim Athletics Director from 1992-95.
 
The all-time wins leader in program history with a record of 214-252 (.459), Meckfessel was hired by former UMSL Athletic Director Chuck Smith to succeeded Tom Bartow as the program's third coach two months prior to the start of the 1982-83 season. He was named the MIAA Coach of the Year in 1984-85, 1988-89 and 1990-91 and the NCAA DII South Central Regional coach of the Year in 1984-85. His 1987-88 team won the MIA Tournament and reached the final 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament, while his 1990-91 team finished 22-6 and was ranked 16^th in the final national poll.
 
As Interim Athletics Director, Meckfessel was instrumental in moving UMSL from the MIAA to the GLVC in 1996-97.
 
Meckfessel was inducted into the UMSL Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.