University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Men's Basketball Program Mourns Loss of Don Saffer
December 30, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Don Saffer, a three-year UCLA basketball letterwinner in the 1960s, passed away on Thursday at the age of 78. Saffer was a part of two NCAA championship-winning teams as a student-athlete at UCLA.
After a standout basketball career at Westchester High School, just south of UCLA, Saffer joined the Bruins' freshman team for the 1964-65 season before spending three years as a reserve guard on the varsity squad (1965-66, 1966-67 and 1968-69). During his final two seasons (1967, 1969), UCLA captured the NCAA title.
Saffer played in 58 games over the course of three seasons, averaging 3.1 points and 0.9 rebounds per contest. He shot 41.1 percent from the field (74-for-180) and 62.0 percent at the free throw line. He played in 23 contests as a sophomore (1965-66), 27 games as a junior (1966-67) and eight games as a senior (1968-69).
Described in the basketball program's press guide from the 1966-67 season as "undoubtedly the quickest player on the squad," Saffer excelled as a three-year varsity letterwinner at Westchester High School where he secured all-city prep honors in 1963 and 1964. He served as the high school team captain for two years and was selected as the Western League MVP as a senior in 1964.
One of Saffer's sons, Mike Saffer, competed as an offensive lineman on UCLA's football team from 1999 through 2002, making 41 starts and securing All-Pac-10 honors as a senior (2002).
