Temple basketball great Bill Mlkvy, who played for the NBA’s Philadelphia Warriors, has died at 93
Mlkvy, nicknamed the "Owl without a vowel," still holds the season and single-game scoring records at Temple.
Bill Mlkvy, the legendary Temple basketball player who was known by fans as the “Owl without a vowel,” died at age 93 on Thursday.
A graduate of Stephen F. Palmer High School in Palmerton, N.J., Mr. Mlkvy was an all-state guard for the Blue Bombers. He attended Temple and starred under coach Josh Cody from 1948-52, earning first-team All-America honors while leading the country in scoring during the 1950-51 season. His average of 29.2 points still stands as a Temple single-season record.
Against Wilkes College on March 3, 1951, Mr. Mlkvy scored 73 points — another Temple record that still stands. Mr. Mlkvy’s No. 20 jersey was retired by the Owls, and his banner hangs in the rafters at the Liacouras Center.
Mr. Mlkvy was selected by the Philadelphia Warriors in the first round of the 1952 NBA draft and played for one season while he was a student at Temple’s dental school.
After his brief NBA career, Mr. Mlkvy served as a dentist in the Army from 1955 to 1962, earning the rank of major. He was stationed in South Korea, and when he returned to the U.S., he opened a dental practice in Morrisville and subsequently moved it to Newtown.
Mlkvy’s Hall of Fame inductions include Temple Athletics, the Big 5, Palmerton High School, and the Philadelphia and Carbon County Chapters of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Mr. Mlkvy was predeceased by his wife of 55 years, Barbara H. Mlkvy. He is survived by his wife, Deborah; daughter, Beth Coffey-Levin of Medford; son, William P. Mlkvy Jr. of Newtown; three grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date.