Houghton University Athletics

Described by his friend and classmate, Paul Mills, as “…the epitome of a scholar-athlete”, Ken German excelled in four sports during his years at Houghton College, while studying pre-med and zoology. 

In athletics, German was best known for his accolades on the baseball field and the basketball court, but he also participated in football and track & field. 

As sophomore, German led his class in scoring in basketball, then two years later, led his class to a 6-1 record and was one of eight Purple/Gold players selected for the varsity.  That year he was named captain alongside Paul Mills. They defeated the alumni, 54-52, and the freshman team, 57-48.

In baseball, the left-handed German once threw a combined no-hitter with classmate Ron Johns, and as sophomore, he led Purple to a 4-2 series win over gold, winning the final game on the mound, while hitting a game-winning home run in extra innings for a 3-2 win. 

A native of nearby, Cuba, New York, German studied pre-medicine under Dr. George Moreland, an experience that former students have described as the “equivalent of intellectual bootcamp.”  While at Houghton he would also serve as Vice-President of the Pre-Med Club, Business Manager of the Lanthorn, and as a member of his class cabinet and student senate.  German would eventually graduate with honors in the spring of 1961.

Following graduation, German earned his medical degree from Temple University and practiced orthopedic surgery in Las Vegas, Nevada.  He and his wife Elaine eventually moved to LaGrande, Oregon, where he retired from a private medical practice in 1997. They had three children: Brian, Laura, and Robert.