Bowling Green State University Athletics
BGSU Mourns the Passing of Falcon Great Mac Otten
January 04, 2016 | General, Men's Basketball
Bowling Green, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University Athletics Department mourns the passing of former basketball great Mac Otten, who passed away at the age of 90 on Dec. 26, 2015 in Dayton, Ohio. Otten played for the BGSU men's basketball team from 1946-49, earning All-American honors in 1949.
Mac Otten became the Falcons third-ever All-American when he was named a Helms Foundation Second-Team All-American in 1948-49, in which he helped lead the Falcons to a third-place finish in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Named the BGSU Team MVP in both 1946-47 and again in 1947-48, Otten was the team captain for the Falcons that earned a national top-10 ranking for seven weeks in 1948-49.
With Otten at center, the Falcon basketball team compiled a 79-20 record from 1946-1949 and twice competed in the prestigious NIT Tournament in Madison Square Garden in New York. He was selected to the All-Ohio team three times and received All-American recognition.
He was picked 26th overall in the third round by the Indianapolis Olympians in the 1949 BAA Draft and went on to play for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1949-50 before being traded to the St. Louis Bombers later that season where he would end his BAA/NBA career.
With his selection into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979, a pair of brothers became members of the Hall of Fame for the first time; as Mac's older brother Don, who was an All-American at BGSU in 1946, was inducted in 1966.
He started at BGSU in 1943, but was called to active duty for WWII where he served 2.5 years in the Navy Radio and Radar Program, as well as servicing aircraft.
A private burial service will be held in Deerfield, Mich. at the family's convenience. A memorial gathering of family and friends celebrating Mac's life will be held later in January. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice.
 A full obituary on the passing of Mac Otten can be found HERE.
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Mac Otten became the Falcons third-ever All-American when he was named a Helms Foundation Second-Team All-American in 1948-49, in which he helped lead the Falcons to a third-place finish in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Named the BGSU Team MVP in both 1946-47 and again in 1947-48, Otten was the team captain for the Falcons that earned a national top-10 ranking for seven weeks in 1948-49.
With Otten at center, the Falcon basketball team compiled a 79-20 record from 1946-1949 and twice competed in the prestigious NIT Tournament in Madison Square Garden in New York. He was selected to the All-Ohio team three times and received All-American recognition.
He was picked 26th overall in the third round by the Indianapolis Olympians in the 1949 BAA Draft and went on to play for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1949-50 before being traded to the St. Louis Bombers later that season where he would end his BAA/NBA career.
With his selection into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979, a pair of brothers became members of the Hall of Fame for the first time; as Mac's older brother Don, who was an All-American at BGSU in 1946, was inducted in 1966.
He started at BGSU in 1943, but was called to active duty for WWII where he served 2.5 years in the Navy Radio and Radar Program, as well as servicing aircraft.
A private burial service will be held in Deerfield, Mich. at the family's convenience. A memorial gathering of family and friends celebrating Mac's life will be held later in January. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or a charity of your choice.
 A full obituary on the passing of Mac Otten can be found HERE.
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