Remembering Maj. Don Holleder '52

On Tuesday, October 17 - the 50^th anniversary of Major Don Holleder’s death, Aquinas will hold a special presentation for the faculty, staff and students of Aquinas as well as the classmates and teammates of Major Holleder – Aquinas class of 1952.

Following a brief presentation in the Thomas F. Bell ’57 Auditorium, a bagpipe procession will lead out to the flagpole, where a flag flown over the United States Capitol on August 3, 2017 – what would have been Maj. Don Holleder’s 83^rd birthday – will be raised.

For those who don’t know the name Don Holleder, he was a man who made a name for himself nearly everywhere he was connected to. From Aquinas football star, to West Point All-American on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Don Holleder was an exceptional athlete known for his leadership.

Holleder passed up an opportunity to play football for the New York Giants to pursue a military career instead. In just ten years, he rose to the ranks of Major, had served posts across the U.S. and Korea, and eventually requested to be sent to Vietnam. On October 17, 1967, during the Battle of Ong Thanh, Major Don Holleder died in combat while trying to save members of his commanding unit.

Since his death, Major Holleder has been inducted in the Aquinas Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, has had arenas and stadiums at both of his alma maters – Aquinas and West Point – renamed in his honor, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and has had an award created in his memory. The Black Lion Award, while given to a football player, is not awarded for athletic ability or athletic accomplishments – it is awarded to those who exemplify the character of Don Holleder, which shone in all aspects of his life: “leadership, courage, devotion to duty, self-sacrifice, and above all, an unselfish concern for the team ahead of himself."