B. H. Born

Who was B. H. Born?

Bert H. "B. H." Born was an American retired basketball center. After graduating from Medicine Lodge High School in 1950, he played for the Kansas Jayhawks from 1951 to 1954. In the 1951–52 season, Born was a reserve behind Clyde Lovellette, averaging 1.6 points per game. The following season, he had 18.9 points per game for the Jayhawks as the team reached the NCAA Tournament final. Indiana defeated Kansas 69–68 in the championship game, but Born won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award. During the final, Born scored 26 points, compiled 15 rebounds, and blocked 13 shots.

Born posted an average of 19 points per game in the 1953–54 season, and competed for the U.S. national team in the 1954 FIBA World Championship. The Fort Wayne Pistons selected Born with the 22nd overall pick of the 1954 NBA Draft. However, he did not join the team. In the mid-1950s, he played for an Amateur Athletic Union team in Peoria, Illinois, and helped the Jayhawks recruit Wilt Chamberlain, a leading high school player at the time. In Peoria, Born was employed with Caterpillar Inc.'s tractor business for 43 years. In 1992, the University of Kansas retired Born's jersey, 23. He has also been inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.