KeaneyBlue - The URI Basketball Forum

I received a message from home this morning, Don Kaull has passed away. As many here know, I have a special fondness for one of the friendliest and kindest people I've known. I'll share one more time in honor of Don, he took more time with me, a very slow and under skilled basketball player and taught me more about basketball than any actual coach I had. He left his home open for friends of his kids to come and go all summer, to play bball, drive golf balls into the woods, swim, whatever. He and Mrs. Kaull were awesome members of my community when I was growing up, I was lucky to know the Kaull family.

Sad, sad news. RIP Don.

Rough week for Rhody mbb family and families of those who have passed. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

RIP Don, I haven't had the chance to see him in years, but he could not have been any nicer to me as a student intern back in the day. Rhody legend.

RIP Don

An integral part of my formative Rhody Fandom

Love you Don

adam914 wrote: ↑1 year ago RIP Don, I haven't had the chance to see him in years, but he could not have been any nicer to me as a student intern back in the day. Rhody legend.

Ditto!!!
Gave me a ride to the airport when we were going to WVU for the ‘88 A-10 tourney and I ended up crashing with him the whole week. He and Caroline have always been wonderful to me.
Very very sad…

Very sad news. I have listened to Don call Rhody games for decades. May he rest in peace. My sympathy goes out to his family.

This is awful. Don was one of the best, most genuine human beings I’ve ever had the pleasure to get to know. He would talk to any ram fan. He made time for everyone.

Nevermind the impact he had on all of us on the radio.

My prayers go out to Caroline. An incredible person in her own right. Awful news. Win for Don.

He was a great guy! I am friends with his son from URI and he said that he had a very rough stretch the last couple of months. They are one of the nicest families you will meet. Mrs Kaull is also a very genuine person. Both of them are URI in every way.

Very sad news, nice humble man.

Been a rough week.

One of all time URI finest people.

Always stopped by my office in Portsmouth to say hello. Such a nice person. RIP.

So sad to hear. God bless the Kaull family.

Sorry to hear the news RIP Don

Oh no. Too many people pass this time of year. Absolutely one of the kindest and most sincere people I ever had the pleasure to have met. My condolences to Don’s family.

Very sad news. Don was a class act all the way and he had the perfect partner in Caroline. Their dedication to URI and URI basketball is legend and will not be easy to duplicate.

Don was my fraternity brother and was a truly nice guy.. Always enjoyed his presence every year at both the Phi Mu Delta golf outing and the TKE-Phi Mu June gathering. A real sad day for the Phi Mu Brothers. I had a chance to spend a lot of time with Caroline during the planning of our 50th reunion and want to wish the best for her and her family.

I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

RI_Bred wrote: ↑1 year ago I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

I will suggest one better, take Don’s total body of work for the University, his number needs to be retired and raised to the rafters in the RC, no one, no one more deserving.

section(105) wrote: ↑1 year ago

RI_Bred wrote: ↑1 year ago I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

I will suggest one better, take Don’s total body of work for the University, his number needs to be retired and raised to the rafters in the RC, no one, no one more deserving.

I didn't know this either, but I just looked it up in the yearbook...
He wore 50 at Keaney Gym, and like many players back in the day, he actually had a different number (51) in road games.

rhodyrudder wrote: ↑1 year ago

section(105) wrote: ↑1 year ago

RI_Bred wrote: ↑1 year ago I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

I will suggest one better, take Don’s total body of work for the University, his number needs to be retired and raised to the rafters in the RC, no one, no one more deserving.

I didn't know this either, but I just looked it up in the yearbook...
He wore 50 at Keaney Gym, and like many players back in the day, he actually had a different number (51) in road games.

Pick one and get it done! C'mon Thorr.

section(105) wrote: ↑1 year ago

RI_Bred wrote: ↑1 year ago I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

I will suggest one better, take Don’s total body of work for the University, his number needs to be retired and raised to the rafters in the RC, no one, no one more deserving.

Don was so much a part of URI basketball. I loved listening to him when all we had was radio. As far as retiring numbers, I like what BC did in their arena. They had banners for players that said Retired Number but did not include the number. Not sure if that means the number was retired or they are just honoring players with a banner and not retiring the number.

Don was a friend to all he met. RIP.

One of the nicest guys I've ever met. RIP Don.

section(105) wrote: ↑1 year ago

RI_Bred wrote: ↑1 year ago I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

I will suggest one better, take Don’s total body of work for the University, his number needs to be retired and raised to the rafters in the RC, no one, no one more deserving.

Absolutely! No one more deserving of the honor.

Thank you for all you did for Rhody Don

May you rest in peace

Sad to hear this awful news

Don was a great guy -- he had a million stories and a wicked dry sense of humor. He and Caroline were Mr. and Mrs. URI.

Put him on the Ring of Honor and hang his microphone headset from the rafters.

section(105) wrote: ↑1 year ago

RI_Bred wrote: ↑1 year ago I'm not sure what his uniform number was back in the day, but it should be on the current unis the rest of the season. A very sad day for Rhody Nation.

Godspeed Don, you will be missed.

I will suggest one better, take Don’s total body of work for the University, his number needs to be retired and raised to the rafters in the RC, no one, no one more deserving.

In the Ring of Honor thread, in my list of people who should be next in I almost included that Don Kaull should be honored, rules be damned. Now I wish I had. He was a member of the 1965-66 Yankee Conference regular season championship team, so that fulfills one of the requirements outside of being a member of the RI Athletics Hall of Fame and he was named to at least one all-conference team though according the rules you need to be named at least twice. He falls short of induction into the Ring of Honor based on the published rules, but if we should break the rules for anyone, it would be Don.

Obviously most of us know him more as the radio broadcaster than as the player, which shows just how singular a figure he was here. He was a Hall of Fame member before calling a single game on the radio, then went on to call games for 35 years, something that would be worthy of Hall of Fame induction on its own. How many people can say they had two distinct Hall of Fame careers here?

If his playing and broadcasting careers were his only legacy at the University he would still have left a major impact behind, but him and his wife Caroline were massive and important donors to the University.



What I'll always remember most from his broadcasting career, and replay constantly, was his call of the 2017 A10 championship game.



Go to 1:39 of that video, and that emotion is what Don was all about. Love of the players, love of the program, love of the University.

Don was the best URI had to offer, and we're a better University because of him. Thank you Don

SmartyBarrett wrote: ↑1 year ago

Well said

God Speed MR RHODY!

GO RHODY!

theblueram wrote: ↑1 year ago As far as retiring numbers, I like what BC did in their arena. They had banners for players that said Retired Number but did not include the number.

They actually say Retired Jersey...so the numbers are still available.

rhodyrudder wrote: ↑1 year ago

theblueram wrote: ↑1 year ago As far as retiring numbers, I like what BC did in their arena. They had banners for players that said Retired Number but did not include the number.

They actually say Retired Jersey...so the numbers are still available.

My brother was a friend of Terry Driscoll. He was at BC the same four years. Terry was a great player for them. Coach for BC at the time was Bob Cousy.

Rhode_Island_Red wrote: ↑1 year ago Don was a great guy -- he had a million stories and a wicked dry sense of humor. He and Caroline were Mr. and Mrs. URI.

Put him on the Ring of Honor and hang his microphone headset from the rafters.

And his first partner should go up there with him too...
Tragic that Jim Norman's passing during the COVID lockdown prevented him from being honored at a game...

My wife and I once met and talked to his wife and him before a road game at Monmouth University several years ago . They were both so nice and kind ,
spending a long time talking to us about URI basketball . always enjoyed listening to his game broadcasts as we told them . He was very humble annd
appreciated that we enjoyed his work. We are very sorry to hear that such a great person is no longer with us .

luke wrote: ↑1 year ago My wife and I once met and talked to his wife and him before a road game at Monmouth University several years ago . They were both so nice and kind ,
spending a long time talking to us about URI basketball . always enjoyed listening to his game broadcasts as we told them . He was very humble annd
appreciated that we enjoyed his work. We are very sorry to hear that such a great person is no longer with us .

We had a similar experience, meeting Don and Caroline at a coaches show many years ago. They sat with us and had dinner. From that point forward, they embraced us as if they have known us all our lives. He was truly a treasure.

Wow ... what a sad day!!

I've never lived close to RI so my MBB experiences were strictly road trips and radio broadcasts. I would kid Don on the road that I was the #1 radio fan and record holder, which he got a good laugh over!

God bless you Don and may you RIP!

Donald N. Kaull, 77, of Portsmouth, RI passed away on Saturday, November 26, 2022 at Miriam Hospital in Providence RI after a courageous battle with melanoma. Don was born on May 1, 1945 in Newport RI. He was the second of three sons to Charles T. Kaull and Hilda N. Kaull.

In 1967, Don married his high school sweetheart, Caroline Tennant Kaull, and for the past 55 years they enjoyed a wonderful marriage. Don was the proud father of three children; Elizabeth (Christopher) Stack, Katherine (Kevin) Heffernan, and John (Julie) Kaull. He was a loving grandfather to Annie Heffernan, Caroline Heffernan, Laura Heffernan, Kathryn Stack, Mary Stack, John Stack, Ellen Stack, Abigail Kaull, Jane Kaull, and Allie Kaull. Don also leaves his two brothers Charles T. Kaull, Jr. of Middletown, RI, and James T. Kaull of Newport, RI.

Don grew up in Newport and graduated from Rogers High School in 1963. While at Rogers, Don was president of his class and a member of both the basketball and baseball teams. In basketball, he was twice selected as first team All-State and was MVP of the state tournament in both his junior and senior years. Don was captain of the Rogers 1963 state championship team and played in the New England championships at Boston Garden. He was named to the Parade Magazine All-American team for his efforts. After graduating from Rogers, Don attended the University of Rhode Island where he was a member of the basketball team from 1963-1967. He helped lead the 1966 team to the NCAA Tournament and he served as captain his senior year. Don is a member of the Newport Sports Hall of Fame, Rogers High School Hall of Fame, the University of Rhode Island Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.
In his professional life, Don was a partner in the Packer Braman Insurance Agency and the Braman and White Insurance Agency. He was past president of the Independent Insurance Agents of Rhode Island and past State National Director of the Independent Insurance Agents of America.
Throughout both his business career and retirement, Don was very active with the University of Rhode Island in various volunteer capacities and was the radio color analyst for the URI Men's basketball program for over 35 years. Don was inducted into the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame in 2018 for his work on the radio.

Don was an avid golfer. He was a past member of Wanumetonomy Golf Club and a current member of Newport Country Club. Another of Don’s great passions was the upkeep and maintenance of his yard and pool. One of his greatest joys was sharing his home with family, friends and neighbors. Don was very active in the community; he was past president of the Newport County YMCA, past president of the Newport Lions Club, past chairman of the United Way of Newport County, past secretary of Hazard’s Beach Club, current treasurer of Miskiania Camp and a current member of the Newport Fed Charitable Foundation.
Above all, his daily examples of kindness will forever be our guide.
Visiting Hours will be held on Friday, December 2, 2022 from 4:00-8:00pm in the Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 3 at 10:00am in St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 324 East Main Rd, Portsmouth.
Donations can be made in Don’s memory to the Newport County YMCA, 792 Valley Rd, Middletown, RI.
Online tribute at www.memorialfuneralhome.com

Freaking skin cancer. So tough. Thanks for posting up the obit RR.

Very sad to hear of Don’s passing. I had the opportunity to sit next to Caroline in DC during the a-10 tournament. No game was complete until I heard the post game traveling down 138. And who can forget his Lordy, Lordy Lordy when the Rams beat Kansas. RIP

He used to refer to West Virginia fans as Jethro and Elly Mae.

neil wrote: ↑1 year ago Very sad to hear of Don’s passing. I had the opportunity to sit next to Caroline in DC during the a-10 tournament. No game was complete until I heard the post game traveling down 138. And who can forget his Lordy, Lordy Lordy when the Rams beat Kansas. RIP

I loved the post game leaving campus. It was my favorite thing sitting in traffic. I didn't care about traffic, just the discussion between Don and Steve. Really great memories to have.

theblueram wrote: ↑1 year ago

neil wrote: ↑1 year ago Very sad to hear of Don’s passing. I had the opportunity to sit next to Caroline in DC during the a-10 tournament. No game was complete until I heard the post game traveling down 138. And who can forget his Lordy, Lordy Lordy when the Rams beat Kansas. RIP

I loved the post game leaving campus. It was my favorite thing sitting in traffic. I didn't care about traffic, just the discussion between Don and Steve. Really great memories to have.

So true, even my wife would listen!

Last night's broadcast did a nice piece on Don Kaull at halftime - I hope it gets posted on line somewhere.

steviep123 wrote: ↑1 year ago Last night's broadcast did a nice piece on Don Kaull at halftime - I hope it gets posted on line somewhere.

Yes, that would be great, it was a great piece on Don.

Was it this?

By the way, the intro to that video reminds me that walking in last night it appeared they're doing work on the facade/lobby roof area of Keaney Gym

RhowdyRam02 wrote: ↑1 year ago Was it this?

Yes! Thanks for linking!