Don Boven
From Hoopedia
Donald E. Boven (born March 6, 1925, in Kalamazoo, Michigan), known as Don Boven is a retired American basketball player and coach. He stood 6'4" (1.93 m), weighed 210 pounds (95 kg), and played most of his career as a small forward.
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Personal Life
Boven was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1925. He was the second of four sons born to Thomas Boven and Jessie Knapper. His parents were immigrants from the Netherlands, having come from Groningen. Boven attended Kalamazoo Central High School and graduated in 1943. After the completion of his basketball career, Boven married Charlotte Kniese on 25 April 1953 and the couple had three children.
Basketball Career
Western Michigan
After completing high school, Boven began attending Western Michigan University and playing basketball in 1946. At Western, Boven set the career scoring record with 1,099 points between 1946 and 1949, though this record has since been broken. Boven also remains among the top ten for free throws made and free throws attempted. As a junior, Boven was named a second team All-American and in 1949, the senior was named a first team All-American. After completing college, Boven was selected by the Indianapolis Olympians in the 6th round of the 1949 Basketball Association of America Draft.
Professional Career
Boven began his career playing for the Waterloo Hawks in 1949-50 season. The team finished fifth in the NBA Western Division with a 19-43 record. Boven averaged about 10 points and two assists per game. When the Waterloo franchise folded, Boven was signed with the Milwaukee Hawks for a season. This team also finished fifth in the west and Boven put up similar numbers. One distinction came during that season. Boven was tied for third most personal fouls in the NBA behind George Mikan and Vern Mikkelsen. He also set a record by fouling out of six consecutive games that season. Though this record was nearly broken in 1982 and skirted by Shaquille O'Neal in 2007, it still stands as of 2008.
In the 1952-53 season, Boven played for the Fort Wayne Pistons. Though his stats were a little bit lower than his previous two seasons, the Pistons made it to the playoffs after finishing with a record of 36-33. Boven and the Pistons competed in the Western Division semifinals, beating the Rochester Royals two games to one. The Pistons then lost to George Mikan and the eventual NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers in the Western Division Finals. This was Boven's last season in the NBA and he finished his career with averages of 9 points, 2 assists, and 4 rebounds per game.
College Coaching
Boven returned to his alma mater in 1958 to become head coach of the Western Michigan Broncos. He coached for eight seasons, throught the 1965-66 season. His career record was 75-112.
