Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Mourns the Loss of Don Ritter
12/31/2016 2:14:00 PM | Baseball, Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Athletics community is saddened by the passing of 2011 Hall of Fame inductee Donald (Don) Ritter, who passed away on Dec. 28.
Ritter excelled on the basketball court and the baseball diamond. He won basketball letters in 1947, 1948 and 1949, leading the team in scoring in 1948 and serving as captain in 1949.
In baseball, Ritter earned letters from 1947-49, and he was a first team All-Big Ten selection and a first team All-American in 1949, when IU won a share of the Big Ten championship. Ritter received IU's Balfour Award in baseball and the school's Gimbel Award in 1949. He ranks fourth on the IU career batting average list with a .389 clip.
When he graduated from high school, Ritter enrolled at IU in 1943. His college experience was interrupted by World War II, where he served in the Pacific Theater as a B-24 Bomber Navigator. Upon his return from military service, he continued at IU and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physical education in 1949.
Ritter was married to his beloved wife Joan Hunter in 1949. The marriage lasted 50 years until her death. He was remarried in 2000 to Carol Trexler until her passing in 2009. Ritter is survived by his two children; Steven E. Ritter and his wife Cindy, Gary D. Ritter and his wife Suzanne.
The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, at Mowell Funeral Home in Peachtree City, Ga. Visitation will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2017, at Mowell Funeral Home. Burial will follow the funeral at Westminster Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be sent to the United Service Organization (USO), https://www.uso.org/.
Ritter excelled on the basketball court and the baseball diamond. He won basketball letters in 1947, 1948 and 1949, leading the team in scoring in 1948 and serving as captain in 1949.
In baseball, Ritter earned letters from 1947-49, and he was a first team All-Big Ten selection and a first team All-American in 1949, when IU won a share of the Big Ten championship. Ritter received IU's Balfour Award in baseball and the school's Gimbel Award in 1949. He ranks fourth on the IU career batting average list with a .389 clip.
When he graduated from high school, Ritter enrolled at IU in 1943. His college experience was interrupted by World War II, where he served in the Pacific Theater as a B-24 Bomber Navigator. Upon his return from military service, he continued at IU and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in physical education in 1949.
Ritter was married to his beloved wife Joan Hunter in 1949. The marriage lasted 50 years until her death. He was remarried in 2000 to Carol Trexler until her passing in 2009. Ritter is survived by his two children; Steven E. Ritter and his wife Cindy, Gary D. Ritter and his wife Suzanne.
The funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017, at Mowell Funeral Home in Peachtree City, Ga. Visitation will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2017, at Mowell Funeral Home. Burial will follow the funeral at Westminster Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be sent to the United Service Organization (USO), https://www.uso.org/.
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