Born on October 31, 1938, in Norman, Oklahoma, Don was the son of Rev. On September 19, 1959, Don married his high school sweetheart, Janice Rae Price, at Trinity Baptist Church in Norman. Don graduated from Norman High School in 1956 before attending Oklahoma Baptist University on basketball and baseball scholarships. At Norman High School, he earned the nickname "Speedy" while helping lead the Tigers to the 1955 State Basketball Championship. In recognition of his outstanding high school career, he was inducted into the Norman High School Sports Hall of Fame for basketball in 1988.