CHICAGO (October 24, 2017) – The Loyola University Chicago men's basketball program mourns the passing of former student-athlete Art McZier, who passed away over the weekend. McZier was a standout player for the Ramblers from 1955-58.
 
"Art was a mentor to me and all the African-Americans who came to Loyola to play basketball," former Loyola basketball star Jerry Harkness said. "I owe a lot to Art. He took me under his wing and made the transition into college easier. In the Jesuit tradition, Art was definitely a person for others."
 
One of the first African-American players recruited to Loyola by then-coach George Ireland, the Evanston Township High School product went on to have a successful career with the Ramblers from 1955-58 as a member of the varsity squad. McZier finished his time at Loyola with 841 total rebounds, a total that ranks eighth on the school's all-time chart, and his 12.0 rebounds per game average ranks fourth in program history.
 
Of all of his accomplishments on the basketball court, McZier is best remembered by Loyola fans for catching an in-bounds pass from Frank Hogan and hitting a game-winning hook shot at the buzzer that lifted the Ramblers to a 57-56 victory over No. 12 Kentucky at Chicago Stadium on February 15, 1958. McZier finished that contest with 13 points.
 
McZier, who was a member of Loyola's All-Decade Team of the 1950s, went on to have a successful post-playing career, working in Washington, D.C., for the Department of Commerce and Small Business Administration.