Don Leroy Hennon is a surgeon

Surgeon

In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...

 and a former basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player for the University of Pittsburgh

University of Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...

 Panthers basketball team where he was a two-time Consensus All-America

All-America

An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...

n. A 5 in 8 in (1.73 m) tall guard, Hennon was noted for his prolific scoring ability and is a member of the Helms Athletic Foundation

Helms Athletic Foundation

The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...

 Basketball Hall of Fame.

In high school, Hennon led Wampum High to an undefeated 31-0 record and a state championship in 1955. During his high school days he set a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League is an interscholastic athletic association in Western Pennsylvania. It is District 7 of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association. The league is colloquially known as "WIP-ee-al"...

 four-year scoring record (1951–55) of 2,376 points that endured until 1993.

Hennon played in college at the University of Pittsburgh from 1956 to 1959 where he led the Panthers to the 1957

1957 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1957 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 11, 1957, and ended with the championship game on March 23 in Kansas City, Missouri...

 and 1958

1958 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1958 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 24 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 11, 1958, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in...

  NCAA Basketball Tournament

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

. While there he became a First Team Consensus All-American selection in 1958

1958 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The Consensus 1958 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of six major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International, the...

 and a Second Team Consensus All-American in 1959

1959 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The Consensus 1959 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of five major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International, the...

, while being named to the United Press International

United Press International

United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...

 and Helms Foundation first teams that season. Hennon's basketball career was highlighted by a 1957 contest where he scored a school record 45 points (scoring on 20 of 42 field goals and 4 of 5 free throws) leading Pitt to a 87-84 double-overtime victory over Duke University

Duke University

Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

. He finished his career at Pitt, an era without the three point shot, as the school's all-time leading scorer with 1,841 points, and currently remains fifth on the school's all-time scoring list.

Hennon was named to the East team, coached by Adolph Rupp

Adolph Rupp

Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...

, of the 1959 East-West All-Star Contest.

Hennon was picked 41st by the Cincinnati Royals

Sacramento Kings

The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...

 in the sixth-round 1959 NBA Draft

1959 NBA Draft

The 1959 NBA Draft was the 13th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on March 31, 1959 before the 1959–60 season. In this draft, eight NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of...

, but turned down professional basketball in order to study medicine. He earned his MD

Doctor of Medicine

Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...

 in 1963 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...

 and went on to become a surgeon. Hennon spent time as a medical surgeon in the Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 and later continued his medical career in the Pittsburgh area where he still resides. Hennon's number 10 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh in 1968. He was named to the Helms Foundation Basketball Hall of Fame in 1970 and inducted into the Lawrence County Hall of Fame in 1984.