Don Boven was an American basketball player, coach, and university instructor who had a successful college career at Western Michigan University followed by a professional basketball career before becoming a long-serving coach and instructor at his alma mater. He played shortly in the National Basketball Association, and has played for teams like the Milwaukee Bucks, Waterloo Hawks, and Baltimore Bullets.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Donald E. Boven was born on March 6, 1925, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States of America. He stood 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 210 pounds during his playing career.
Boven was the second of four sons born to Thomas Boven and Jessie Knapper, immigrants from Groningen in the Netherlands.
| Position | Small Forward |
| Height / weight | 1.93 m / 95 kg |
| Born | 6 Mar 1925 |
| Died | 10 Mar 2011 (86 years) |
| Nationality |
United States
|
| Team History | |
Fort Wayne Pistons
|
1953 |
Baltimore Bullets
|
1953 |
|
Fort Wayne Pistons
|
1953 |
|
Waterloo Hawks
|
1949 - 1951 |
After his professional basketball career, Boven married Charlotte Kniese on April 25, 1953. The couple had three children and lived near Mattawan, Michigan on a small lake. Charlotte passed away in June 2010, and Don died from amyloidosis in his heart on March 10, 2011, just four days after his 86th birthday.
High School and College Career
Boven attended Kalamazoo Central High School, where he lettered in football, baseball, and basketball. After graduating in 1943, he enlisted in the United States Army and served in Europe during World War II as a Gunnery Sergeant with the American Third Army.
He arrived at Utah Beach two days after D-Day and fought at the Battle of the Bulge.
Following the war, Boven enrolled at Western Michigan University on the G.I. Bill. From 1946 to 1949, he was an outstanding athlete, earning 11 varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball. On the basketball court, Boven set the career scoring record with 1,099 points, was named a second-team All-American as a junior, and a first-team All-American as a senior.
In his final year, he received the University’s Academic-Athletic Excellence Honor Medal.
Professional Career
After college, Boven received offers to play professional football with the Cleveland Browns and baseball with the Chicago Cubs, but chose basketball instead.
He began his professional career with the Waterloo Hawks in 1949.
In the 1950-51 season, Boven led the National Professional Basketball League in scoring with 781 points while still with the Hawks. When the Waterloo franchise folded, he signed with the Milwaukee Hawks for the 1951-52 season. During that year, he set an NBA record by fouling out of six consecutive games, a record that still stands as of 2016.
Boven finished his professional career in 1953 after brief stints with the Baltimore Bullets and Fort Wayne Pistons.
Coaching Career
After retiring as a player, Boven began a long career at Western Michigan University.
He initially served as an assistant coach for the football, basketball, and baseball teams while teaching sports and physical education classes.
Boven continued teaching at Western Michigan for 32 years, earning a master’s degree in education during this time. He also played semi-professional baseball for the Sutherland Paper Company team until the late 1950s and worked summers as the director of Kalamazoo’s playground program.
After retiring from Western Michigan in 1985, Boven served as Texas Township Clerk for 12 years and remained active in basketball circles as a member of the National Basketball Retired Players Association. In 1975, he was inducted into Western Michigan’s Hall of Fame.
Career Highlights:
- 1949 - First-team All-American (Western Michigan)
- 1950-51 - Led NPBL in scoring (781 points)
- 1975 - Inducted into Western Michigan University Hall of Fame
