Ed Nymeyer, a legendary figure in Arizona athletics who went on to coach Flowing Wells High School’s boys basketball and volleyball teams to state titles, has passed away at 89 from an illness.
Edwin Fred “Pudge” Nymeyer is preceded in death by his wife Donna Joyce Nymeyer, who passed away at age 86 in 2023. They were high school sweethearts at Globe High School, Class of 1955, and became married when they both attended Arizona.
Married for 65 years, they became fixtures in the Tucson community, known for their lifelong support of local education, fine arts and athletics.
Donna earned a degree in Education at Arizona. She started her teaching career as a Marana Junior High English teacher in 1959 before teaching in the language arts department at Pueblo High School in 1962. She became an accomplished musician and published her own Manual on Music Theory for her piano students. She earned awards for writing and directing drama productions in Tucson.
Ed’s exploits include leading the Wildcats in scoring for three consecutive seasons. By the end of his collegiate career, he had amassed 1,225 points, which stood as the school’s career scoring record at the time. Nymeyer was known to continue playing basketball after he turned 80.
He was the last athlete at Arizona to letter in three varsity sports — basketball, golf, and track.
“The best player with whom I’ve ever played, always in the right place at the right time doing the right thing, a blessing to our team, leaving me with great memories,” former Arizona teammate Ernie McCray reflected about Nymeyer in 2023.
McCray, a legendary figure at Tucson High and Arizona, is the first African-American basketball player to graduate at Arizona.
Nymeyer’s coaching career was primarily at Flowing Wells, where he guided the Caballeros to boys basketball titles in 1962-63 and 1967-68. He returned to the school after a short stint as an assistant coach at Pima Community College. He coached the girls volleyball team to the state championship in 1991. He also led the girls basketball team to the 1991 championship game.
In 1995, Nymeyer became the only coach in Arizona history to win at least 300 games in two different sports (boys basketball and girls volleyball).
Nymeyer, who spent 36 years at Flowing Wells as a coach and educator, is inducted in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Pima County Sports Hall of Fame and Arizona High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame.
Lacey Nymeyer, granddaughter of Ed and Donna, is also inducted in the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame as a swimmer. She was a two-time individual national champion and eight-time relay national champion. Her win in the 100 freestyle at the 2008 national championship helped Arizona make history and win the first team national title. The 26-time All-American was named the Pac-10 Women’s Swimmer of the Year in 2007. She was one of only four women in school history to be named the winner of the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year honor in 2009.
The passing of Ed Nymeyer comes after the recent death of another Flowing Wells legend, former wrestling coach and athletic director Pat Weber.
Weber, an inductee in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, was found dead early this month at a marina in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico, where he lived in retirement. He was 71.
Funeral arrangements for Ed Nymeyer are pending.
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