Don Meineke
Donald E. Meineke (born 30 October 1930 in Dayton, Ohio; † September 3, 2013 ) was an American professional basketball player. He played on the position of the Power Forwards and Centers.
College
Meineke attended the University of Dayton and played there for three years from 1949-1952 for the basketball team, the Flyers. In these three years, he reached in his last under coach Tom Blackburn, the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournaments. He was top scorer in all three years of the team and was twice appointed team in an All-American. In total, he scored 1866 points for the Dayton Flyers and was taken into his University All- Century Team and in the Hall of Fame.
NBA
When NBA Draft 1952, he was drafted in 12th place of the Pistons, becoming the first player in NBA history, who won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. But this season he led the league also in disqualification and presented with 26 disqualifications in a season valid until today record. Meineke 1954-1955 played his last season with the Pistons and was able to reach the NBA Finals with them, but lost there against the Syracuse Nationals. After that he played for the Rochester Royals, then sat out a season before he decided to once again play for the relocated to Cincinnati Royals. After this season, he finished his career.
External links and sources
- Don Meineke - Player Profile on Basketball - reference.com (English)
- Dayton flyers