Don Otten
Otten in his senior season at Bowling Green | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1921 Bellefontaine, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | September 18, 1985 (aged 64) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bellefontaine (Bellefontaine, Ohio) |
| College | Bowling Green (1942–1946) |
| Playing career | 1946–1953 |
| Position | Center |
| Number | 15, 13, 17, 14 |
| Career history | |
| 1946–1950 | Buffalo Bisons / Tri-Cities Blackhawks |
| 1950 | Washington Capitols |
| 1950 | Baltimore Bullets |
| 1950–1951 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1951–1953 | Milwaukee Hawks |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,294 (10.5 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 928 (6.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 297 (1.4 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Donald Frederick Otten (April 18, 1921 – September 18, 1985) was an American professional basketball player.
A 6'10" center from Bellefontaine High School (Ohio) and Bowling Green State University, Otten began his professional career in 1946 with the Buffalo Bisons turned Tri-Cities Blackhawks of the National Basketball League. During the 1948–49 NBL season, Otten averaged 14.0 points per game and earned league MVP honors. As a result of this first season in the NBL, Otten would be one of eight former Buffalo Bisons players to continue playing for the team following their move from Buffalo, New York to Moline, Illinois (which represented what was called the "Tri-Cities" area at the time) to play for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks team that became the present-day Atlanta Hawks. The Blackhawks joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1949, and Otten continued playing until 1953, competing for Tri-Cities as well as the Washington Capitols, Baltimore Bullets, Fort Wayne Pistons, and Milwaukee Hawks. He averaged 10.5 points per game in his NBA career. Don's brother Mac Otten also played in the NBA. In 1949, Don and Mac became the first ever pair of brothers to play for the same team in the NBA.
Otten is tied with Lew Hitch at first for the NBA record for most personal fouls in a game, with eight. He set the record in a November 24, 1949 game between Tri-Cities and the Sheboygan Red Skins. NBA Rule 3, Section I permits a player to remain in the game after fouling out if no other players are available on the bench.