Wabash College Athletics

Donald Allen Burdette, a native son of Anderson, Indiana, came to Wabash in the fall of 1921 as a standout basketball and baseball player. He left as one of the most accomplished players ever to wear the scarlet as a member of two "Wonder Five" basketball squads under coach Pete Vaughan.

In the early 1920s it was extremely rare for a freshman to see playing time, but Burdette was a major player on the 1921-22 team that posted a 21-3 record. Burdette was the floor guard on that team which beat Notre Dame, Butleer, Bradley, and avenged an early-season loss to Purdue to win the state championship. Averaging more than five points per game (on a team that averaged 37 per game), Burdette helped Wabash go on a 10-game winning streak to end the season. Wabash defeated Illinois Wesleyan, Mercer, and Kalamazoo in the national tournament, and newspaper headlines roared: "Wabash Wins National Title:, "Vaughan's Five Plays Boilermakers Off Their Feet", and "Wabash Has Greatest Basketball Team In Existence, Declare Mercer Net Players."

In four years with Coach Vaughan's basketball team, Burdette helped post a record of 60-22. He was part of the 1922-23 team that played 13 road games south of the Mason-Dixon line in 16 days, going 10-3 in the process with the biggest win in Wabash history, 102-11 over Columbus, Georgia. In 1924-25 Vaughan had another winner and Burdette was the slick-handling guard who made the team special. Along with fellow Hall of Famers "Shang" Chadwick and Benny DeVol, Burdette and the Little Giants went 18-1 to become the "Fourth Wonder Five". The only blemish in that magical season was a 21-20 loss at Wisconsin. Along the way, Wabash whipped Iowa, hammered Vanderbilt, and embarrassed Kentucky 57-10, while also beating Butler, Bradley, and Notre Dame. Said The Wabash of Burdette's play, "A sensation on offense, he could change instantly to a stone-wall defense."

Burdette played baseball, too, and helped Wabash win the state championship in 1924, beating Piggy Lambert-coached Purdue team twice.

Burdette was a psychology major at Wabash and a member of Sigma Chi. After Wabash, Burdette spent more than 30 years in personnel and administration. He worked for North American Aviation, Inc., in Anaheim, California, as Personnel Representative , and later worked for many years with Rockwell International as Personnel Administrator. He was a member of the Orange County YMCA, Rotary Club, and Chamber of Commerce. He was also active in the Sigma Chi Alumni Association at Wabash. Burdette passed away in March of 1978 at th age of 76.