SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The University of San Francisco (USF) Athletics department is saddened to acknowledge the passing of former men's basketball standout Dave Lillevand.

Born on May 27, 1937 in Long Beach, Calif., Lillevand was ironically born on the same day as the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge. Raised in Alameda, Dave and his brother, Peter, attended St. Joseph's Grammar School and High School, and spent thousands of hours at local parks developing a variety of athletic skills, but particularly focusing on basketball.

Lillevand went on to be the captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior at St. Joseph's in 1955, which got the attention of Phil Woolpert at USF, who had just won an NCAA championship as head coach of the Dons that same year. He then went on to commit to USF and during Dave's first year in the program in 1956, (freshmen were not eligible to compete at that time), USF repeated as national champions.

With Bill Russell and KC Jones having moved on to the NBA, Lillevand and the 1957 team extended the all-time consecutive win streak to 60 games as USF went on to the Final Four, losing to a Wilt Chamberlain-led Kansas team. One of Lillevand's favorite memories from that game was when he found himself (at 5'10") in a jump ball against Chamberlain - where he was eye-level with Wilt's elbow. One year later, USF lost on a heartbreaker in the Sweet Sixteen when Elgin Baylor hit a 35-foot buzzer beater to lift the Seattle Chieftains over the Dons. Notably, Lillevand played in the first-ever game at War Memorial Gym (now War Memorial at the Sobrato Center) when it opened in 1958.

After obtaining his undergraduate degree from USF, Lillevand served as an Infantry First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army before returning to USF Law School, from which he graduated at the top of his class in 1963. Shortly after, he then began working for Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison, one of San Francisco's most respected law firms at the time.

Lillevand met his wife, Mary Lu Roberts, in 1964, and they wed in 1965 at Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco. The couple was together for 56 years until Mary Lu passed away in 2021. While living in Oakland, the Lillevand's had two children - Sara Rose and David Edward. Dave coached Sara and David's youth teams in several sports, with a highlight being David's Piedmont Middle School basketball team notching a 63-15 record over two seasons.

Retiring from his legal practice in 1962, Lillevand went on to coach the junior varsity girls' basketball team at Bishop O'Dowd High School before his daughter pulled him away to join the women's basketball coaching staff at Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay) where she was the head coach. Overall, the duo would coach 10 years together at the university.

Lillevand is survived by his brother Peter (Margit), son David, daughter Sara and daughter-in-law Maryann. He was affectionately known as "Papa" by his adoring grandchildren Conor, Dominic, Helen, Jacob, Kevin, Margo, and Nicholas; "Uncle Dave" to dozens of cousins, nieces, and nephews; and "Coach" to hundreds.

Funeral services will be held at St. Joseph's Basilica in Alameda at 11:30 am on July 29, 2025.

Donations in Lillevand's memory can be made to the Lillevand Family Student-Athlete Endowment at Saint Joseph Notre Dame High School in Alameda or to any charity meaningful to the contributor.

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