Hall of Fame
Donald W. Bauer graduated from Bethany Lutheran College in 1950. While at Bethany, Bauer lettered in baseball and basketball and was voted the conference’s Most Valuable Player in 1950. In basketball, he led the team and the conference in scoring for two years with an average of 20 points per game. In the 1949-50 season, the Bethany basketball team took home the conference championship. Also in the same year, the team finished second in the State Junior College Championship.
Bauer went on to earn his Bachelor of Science degree from Concordia University in River Forest, Illinois, and his Masters from the University of Wisconsin. While at Concordia, he led the basketball team in scoring in 1953 and ’54, was elected to the all-tournament (Concordia Tourney) team both years, and was voted Most Valuable Player in the Concordia Tourney in 1954. Bauer also played in the National VFW Tournament representing Minnesota. He taught and coached all sports in Lutheran elementary schools for 40 years. He also served as a professional counselor in drug abuse at St. Luke’s Hospital; counseled parents of incorrigible children, was a leader of “Tough Love” in the Phoenix area, and served as youth director in many churches in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Arizona.
Bauer retired from teaching and now lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his wife, Denise. The Bauer’s have two sons, one daughter, and four grandchildren who all live in Phoenix. Bauer stays busy doing church work and watching all of his grandchildren participate in sports.
