AMHERST, N.Y. - The Daemen University Division of Athletics was saddened this week to learn of the passing of former Athletic Director and Head Men's Basketball Coach Don Silveri. He was 77. 

A legend in the Western New York basketball community, Silveri led the Daemen men's basketball program from 1989-2014. In those 25 seasons, Silveri guided the program to 414 wins, the most of any Daemen coach ever, nine 20-win seasons, four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) tournament berths and two United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) tournament appearances. He earned Coach of the Year honors five times from the various conferences Daemen competed in during his tenure. 

"I am so sorry to hear about the passing of Don Silveri," said current Head Men's Basketball Coach Mike MacDonald. "Coach was a legend around Daemen, and I always enjoyed my time with him, especially the stories he would share about the teams and players he coached here. The MacDonald family and our current Wildcat team express our heartfelt condolences to the entire Silveri family." 

In addition to his coaching role, Silveri became Daemen's Athletic Director, a position he held from 2000-2011 when he oversaw a rapid expansion of the Athletic Department. Daemen's athletic offerings more than tripled during his tenure, and he played a prominent role in the administrative process that resulted in Daemen exiting the NAIA after nearly 30 years to pursue membership within Division II of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an affiliation which continues to this day. 

Silveri also led the men's basketball programs at Villa Maria College (1976-80, 2015-19) and Erie Community College (1982-86), amassing more than 600 wins in a career that spanned more than 40 years. He also served as head coach of the Mayagüez Tainos of the Superior League (Puerto Rico), coaching against the likes of Phil Jackson, P.J. Carlesimo, Henry Bibby and Gene Bartow each summer, from 1987-95. 

Silveri was inducted into the Daemen Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2017, he was inducted into the New York State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. 

"One of the first things I learned after coming to Daemen was just how revered Don Silveri is among the people he worked with and the student-athletes who competed here," said Vice President of Athletics Traci Murphy. "This profession, in its simplest terms, is to help young people develop into the best versions of themselves, and Don exemplified that for more than 40 years. We should all be so lucky to have had the kind of impact he did on all those he coached, mentored, and came in contact with. On behalf of the entire Division of Athletics at Daemen, we express our sincere condolences to the Silveri family."

Don was the beloved husband of Donna Silveri; devoted father of Leah Silveri-Hepworth and Terra Bialy; loving grandfather of Alexander, Samuel and Stella; cherished brother of Robert, David, Mary Jo, and the late Kenneth along with their spouses; also survived by several nieces and nephews. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Saturday, Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. at Saints Peter & Paul Church in Hamburg, N.Y. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Don Silveri Legacy Scholarship Fund through Daemen University.