Bonko, Don

 

Don Bonko – (1975)

 

Don was a football and basketball letterman at Lorain St. Mary High School in 1953-55. He played baseball on city league championship teams for three years.

As an All-Ohio halfback at St. Mary he set city scoring and rushing records. He gained 1,724 yards in a single season and set a city scoring record with 157 points. One of the top three Class B seniors in the state, he completed 33 of 63 passes for 658 yards and ten touchdowns, plus scoring 24 TD’s and adding 13 points after for a total 157 points.

The Cleveland Touchdown Club selected Don as one of the top eight outstanding gridders in the area and he was named “Most Valuable Player”.

As a member of the West Point Military (Army) football team, he played fullback and lettered under Coach “Red” Blaik and did most of the team’s place kicking.

Don was killed in Vietnam in 1965.