DENVER - University of Denver men's basketball alumnus and DU Athletics Hall of Famer Vince Boryla passed away on Sunday, March 27 at the age of 89. Boryla played basketball for the Pioneers from 1948-49.

Boryla is the only consensus All-American in Pioneer men's basketball history. He was also a two-time AAU All-American and later played (1949-54) and coached (1955-58) for the National Basketball Association's New York Knicks. He earned a spot on the NBA All-Star team in 1951. Boryla was also a member of the 1948 United States Gold Medal Winning Olympic Team.

After his playing career ended, Boryla moved into the front office for the American Basketball Association's Utah Stars and the NBA's Denver Nuggets. One of the University's most famous alumni, Boryla was inducted into the University of Denver Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996, the Hall's inaugural year. Boryla is also a member of the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame ('73), National Polish-American Hall of Fame ('84) and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame ('86). Boryla was also named the NBA's Executive of the Year for the 1984-85 season.

In 2013 the men's basketball program renamed the Pioneer Award to the Vince Boryla '49 Pioneer Award. The award is presented annually to the player or players who strive to do their very best each day and who continually sacrifice for the betterment of the program.

Basketball ultimately proved to be just one of Boryla's countless successful endeavors. He flourished in business and real estate ventures, and he has been incredibly generous sharing his wealth through philanthropic ventures. Most notably, Boryla funded the Vincent J. Boryla Lounge that is in the northeast corner of the Daniel L. Ritchie Center for Sports and Wellness concourse.

Boryla is survived by his wife Mary Jo, five children, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

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