Don Durham

Mr. Donald Gary Durham was born March 21, 1949 in Yosemite, Kentucky. Don was a 1967 Casey County High School graduate. He was also a baseball player and graduate of Western Kentucky University, earning his B.S. in Physical Education in 1972. Don came to the Hill from Casey County and quickly made a name for himself on the baseball diamond, leading Coach Jim Pickens’ Hilltoppers in both appearances (7) and wins (3 — tied) as a rookie in 1968. He enjoyed a banner year in 1970 and led the team in batting, triples, complete games, innings pitched, victories, games started, and strikeouts. He was a key factor in three Topper winning seasons, the first for baseball at WKU since 1960.

Don was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1970 amateur draft and reached the major leagues, pitching for both St. Louis (1972) and Texas (1973). He played alongside baseball Hall of Famers, Bob Gibson and Lou Brock. In 2008, he was inducted to WKU’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

After retiring from baseball, Don moved to Nashville, Tennessee. He was President of Vogely & Todd, Inc., an auto body repair shop in Nashville, for many years until he sold the business and fully retired. Don and his wife, Melanie, have three children, Ben, Matt and Megan.

Don has maintained his ties to WKU and continues to be a loyal supporter. To further offer assistance, Don established the Don Durham Baseball Scholarship Fund. The award helps deserving student-athletes on the WKU Baseball Team. Through this fund, Don’s legacy on the Hill and beliefs in the importance of athletics and education live on.