Basketball Hall of Fame

Bert Born's outstanding basketball career has been highlighted by many awards and honors. Although heavily recruited by Bradley, Born, a 6-foot-lO center, chose the University of Kansas and played a major role in Kansas's win of the 1952 NCAA championship title. In the 1953 NCAA championship game, Kansas lost to Indiana by one point, but Born was named the tournament's most valuable player. He was also chosen as an alternate for the 1952 U.S. Olympic team.

Born first played ball for Caterpillar during the 1954-55 season. During his five years on the team, he became the all-time scorer and rebounder. Born played on Caterpillar teams that won national AAU titles in 1956 and 1958 and twice received the honor of being named AAU All-American.