He was a graduate of
Amundsen High School in
Chicago and went on to become a two time
Big Ten (then Western Conference) leading scorer in 1949 and 1950 and the Big Ten MVP in 1950 at
Wisconsin. He was also a first-team
All-American in
1950. Don is a charter member of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Athletic Hall of Fame, elected in 1991. He is also a member of the Illinois Public League Hall of Fame and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He was most noted for his
hook shot. During the 1946–1947 season, Rehfeldt returned from
World War II and sparked a rally against Minnesota that lead to a Big Ten Championship for the Badgers and a berth in the NCAA Elite Eight. Rehfeldt averaged 11.2 points per game as a sophomore in 1947–1948 as Wisconsin was 12–8 under Coach
Bud Foster. He then averaged 17.3 points and Wisconsin was 12–10 in 1948–1949. As a senior in 1949–1950, Rehfeldt averaged 19.8 points, as Wisconsin finished 17–5. Overall, Rehfeldt averaged 14.4 points in 81 games at Wisconsin, scoring 1169 career points. Upon graduation in 1950, Rehfeldt was the Badgers' all-time leading scorer and held 14 other individual records. He was the first Badger to score 1,000 points. He held the Badger record as its last All-American for 56 years until
Alando Tucker was named a First Team All-American in 2007. After graduation, Rehfeldt played in the "World Series of Basketball", which was a nationwide tour that matched College All-Americans against the
Harlem Globetrotters. He was the leading scorer on that tour. His teammates included top 50 all time NBA players
Paul Arizin and
Bob Cousy. ==NBA career==