George Janky was a former Flyer and member of the University of Dayton Hall of Fame.
One of the most beloved Flyers, UD Hall of Famer Janky, passes away at age 74.
At Kettering Medical Center, George Janky, one of the greatest and most adored basketball players to ever don a University of Dayton uniform, passed away late on Friday night. He was 74.
In response to his death, the university issued the following statement:
The University of Dayton mourns the passing of George Janky, whose career bridged the Fieldhouse and Arena eras. He was a Hall of Famer on the court and an even better Flyer off it. We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family.
The big 6-foot-8 Janky, a member of the UD Hall of Fame, led the Flyers in scoring with 910 points and rebounding with 684 over his three varsity seasons from 1967 to 1970. Don Donoher outsmarted Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp, who pulled out all the stops, to snag Janky, a top-five recruit in the country from Chicago’s St. Rita High School, in one of the biggest recruiting coups of his career.
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The 1968 Flyers squad that defeated a strong Kansas club, 61-48, in Madison Square Garden to claim the National Invitational Tournament title had Janky as a sophomore center. In his next two seasons, UD qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
UD Arena
During the Flyers’ transition from the Fieldhouse to the brand-new UD Arena, which he incidentally assisted in building, he served as team captain his final year.
He earned $6.69 per hour working with Sheet Metal Local No. 224 to build the Arena’s roof the summer before that momentous season. The first game was won by Bowling Green 72-70 thanks to Janky’s 26 points and 15 rebounds.
He finished the year as the team’s MVP and the top scorer for Dayton. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1970 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and he had a short ABA career with the Pittsburgh Condors.
Early Life
George Janky died at the age of 74 years old. He holds an American nationality and he belongs to the white ethnicity.
