GRAND FORKS -- Jon Haaven and Don Augustin both led their high school basketball teams to state tournaments in the 1950s.
They starred at UND together for two years. Haaven was the North Central Conference's Most Valuable Player in 1954. Augustin was in 1955. They went into the school's Hall of Fame together in 1977.
The former UND stars, whose careers were intertwined, died 17 days apart in July at the age of 91. Their memorial services are scheduled for the same day, August 16.
Augustin, who was born and raised in Rugby, N.D., died in Lake Forest, Calif., on July 1.
Haaven, who was born in Crookston and went to high school in East Grand Forks, died in Alexandria, Minn., on July 18.
Haaven led East Grand Forks to the 1951 Minnesota state tournament and dropped 36 points in a loss. Haaven was inducted into East Grand Forks' Hall of Fame in 2001.
Haaven played his first three seasons at UND from 1951-54. He was named the NCC's MVP in 1954, setting the league's scoring record.
While playing basketball at UND, Haaven also worked as a Saturday afternoon disc jockey at KILO Radio. He read newscasts and sportscasts. Whenever news about his basketball scoring records came across the wire, he would skip reading them.
After setting the NCC scoring record in 1954, Haaven left school to join the military. He returned to school two years later in 1956-57 and won the NCC scoring title for a second time.
Longtime UND sports information director Lee Bohnet called Haaven the finest-shooting UND player he covered in his three-decade run as the school's publicist.
Haaven was selected in the eighth round of the 1957 NBA Draft by the Minneapolis Lakers, but never played in the league.
After basketball, he got into the news business.
He spent 11 years in television, then moved to print. Haaven was the longtime owner and publisher of the Echo Press newspaper in Alexandria. Haaven was the one who changed the paper's name from the Echo to the Echo Press.
He served as publisher for 35 years, including 10 years after he sold the paper to Forum Communications.
Haaven was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1969 and 1971.
Augustin led Rugby to the North Dakota state Class B boys basketball championship game in 1952. Rugby lost to Minot Model in the final.
He joined UND the next season and teamed with Haaven to form a top duo.
Augustin earned three all-NCC selections as a sophomore, junior and senior. He holds UND's single-game rebounding record -- to this day -- with 32.
Augustin also played football at UND. He was an end.
After college, Augustin served in the U.S. Air Force from 1956-60.
He received a master's in Eastern European and Russian history from Cal State Fullerton in 1978.
Augustin worked as a cost analyst for North American Rockwell and for the U.S. Postal Service. He also was a prolific researcher who amassed a collection of research papers over more than 30 years, which are archived at UND.