Hall of Fame
Donald E. West, Class of 1953, played center on the 1952 football team. That team won the Midwest Conference championship with a perfect 6-0 record. Its sole loss was by three points to Iowa State Teachers, now known as University of Northern Iowa. Most fans in the stands watch the backs and receivers. They often miss the exploits of the interior linemen who are usually buried at the bottom of a pile, hopefully, one they have created themselves. But, the players on the field know that without skilled, rugged interior linemen, a team cannot move; the opposition cannot be stopped. His own teammates' respect for Don West's powerful contribution to the team's success was the reason they elected him Captain of that championship eleven. Memories of Don West's playing have not diminished, though 35 football seasons have passed since that championship team and 36 since the 1951 Kohawks ranked third in the nation on defense. Even today his teammates have acclaimed his Hall of Fame scale of achievements in their nominations for his induction. In his career, as in college football, he has played a significant, but behind-the-scenes, role in highly publicized projects. Since 1962, he has been employed by Martin Marietta, first as a contracts administrator and then in management positions and projects of increasing importance. He has worked on such projects as Titan I, Titan II, Skylab, Space Shuttle, and Star Wars. Don is currently the contracts manager for the newly formed Space Systems Company of Martin Marietta in Denver, Colorado. Don West has proven that there is life beyond the bottom of the pile for a football center by achieving responsible positions in America's space program. Today, Coe College proves that there is recognition for that man on the bottom of the pile as we proudly welcome Don West '53 into the Kohawk Athletic Hall of Fame.
