Don Warnke

Donald Leroy Warnke


Born:
April 8, 1920
Michigan City, IN

Died:
April 14, 1970
Flagstaff, AZ


Career
Michigan City High School - Indiana (High School)
1941-42 Valparaiso University (College)
1942-43 Valparaiso University (College)
1943-44 Valparaiso University (College) 
1944-45 Cleveland Allmen Transfers (NBL)
1945-46 Youngstown Bears (NBL)
1948-49 Valparaiso University (College) Head Coach

At 6'10, Warnke and his brother Wally were ineligible for the military draft (Wally eventually was permitted to enlist). They both followed their Michigan City High School Loren Ellis when Ellis took the head coaching job at Valpo.
Warnke coached basketball for a season at Valpo, where he was also the baseball coach.

Died of a heart attack in 1970 shortly after his 50th birthday.

Some sources say he also went to college at St Mary's in Texas, and Washington State, but I see no evidence of that.

Source:
Vidette Messenger, April 16, 1970
Getting To Know the World's Tallest Team, NWI.com, Paul Oren, January 28, 2015


Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/w/warnkdo01n.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=warnkdo01