Don Kojis obit

Milwaukee native Don Kojis, Marquette's all-time leading rebounder dies at 82

 

He was not on the list.

Don Kojis looms large in the history of Marquette basketball.

Standing 6 feet 5 inches, the Milwaukee native had the typical frame of a college forward. But Kojis often had to play center on undersized Marquette teams from 1958-61, and he dominated the boards for the then-Warriors. He is still the program's all-time leading rebounder despite playing three seasons because freshmen were ineligible for the varsity when he was in school.

Kojis, who went on to play in the NBA from 1963-74, died at 82 on Friday, the school announced.

Kojis was a standout player at Notre Dame High School He was recruited to MU by Jack Nagle, but Eddie Hickey took over as head coach when Kojis joined the varsity.

Kojis scored 1,504 points – 17th on the career list – and was a two-time All-American at MU. He pulled down 1,222 rebounds, still the most in program history. MU has retired Kojis' No. 44 jersey.

Jim McIlvaine, who played at MU from 1990-94 and had a seven-year career in the NBA, was awed the first time he met Kojis just over a decade ago at a retired NBA players' meeting.

"It was in Las Vegas," McIlvaine said. "His son was out there, Matt. (Former MU star) Maurice Lucas was on that trip with us.

"He introduced himself to us. I said, 'Don, I thought you were dead.' He laughed. He hadn't been around Marquette much."

McIlvaine, a former radio broadcaster for MU, is a keen student of the program's history.

"I read the record books when I was in school," McIlvaine said. "And I knew he was Marquette's all-time leading rebounder and not by a small margin either.

"And for as much as you want to attribute that to, well, people shot poorly back then so there was a lot of rebounds to be had. But the truth of the matter is he was undersized and was a tremendous leaper."

Kojis transferred those skills to the professional level. He was drafted by Chicago in 1961, but opted to play for the Phillips Oilers in the National Industrial Basketball League.

He landed in the NBA with Baltimore in 1963. He played for six teams in 12 seasons, averaging 12.2 points per game. His best season came with the San Diego Rockets in 1968-69 when he scored 22.5 points per game. He played with Elvin Hayes, John Block and Stu Lantz. Kojis was a two-time NBA all-star. He played for Johnny Red Kerr and the Chicago Bulls.

Kojis and his family stayed in San Diego after his pro career ended. He ran Whispering Winds, a Catholic family camp, for 34 years.

"That kept him more than busy and was very  fulfilling, I know," said McIlvaine, who is involved with Camp Anokijig in Wisconsin. "Whenever we talked, we usually shared notes on how things were going with the camps."

Kojis returned to MU for the program's 100th anniversary event in 2017.

"Marquette's always been in his heart, I know that," McIlvaine said. "We had great talks about it."

Career history

1961–1963           Phillips 66ers

1963–1964           Baltimore Bullets

1964–1966           Detroit Pistons

1966–1967           Chicago Bulls

1967–1970           San Diego Rockets

1970–1972           Seattle SuperSonics

1972–1975           Kansas City-Omaha Kings