In the 1980s, Boven retired from his teaching duties but remained active in sporting circles and became involved in public service in his Michigan township.

[2] He then developed into a successful athlete at Kalamazoo Central High School where he lettered in football, baseball, and basketball.

[2] Following World War II, Boven returned to Kalamazoo where he enrolled at Western Michigan University with the help of the G.I.

Boven's Hawks and the Sheboygan Red Skins made claims to being the champions, but the league was dissolved before the matter could be resolved.

Waterloo finished the season with the most wins of any team behind Boven's scoring, but Sheboygan defeated the Hawks in 8 of their fifteen meetings.

The Pistons then lost to George Mikan and the eventual NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers in the western division finals.

[15] This was Boven's last season in the NBA and he finished his professional career with averages of 10.2 points, 2.0 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game.

[4][11] After retiring from professional basketball, Boven began a long career as a coach and instructor at Western Michigan University.

He initially taught sports and physical education classes while serving as assistant coach for the football, basketball, and baseball teams.

[17] His relatively poor winning percentage has been explained by the fact that he scheduled his team to play the best competition available in order to improve their skills on the court.

[2] He also played semi-professional baseball during the summer months for the Sutherland Paper Company team until the late 1950s.

Boven was inducted into Western Michigan's hall of fame in 1975, at which time the school's athletic director noted "He commands respect with the history he represents in our university.

After he had completed his professional basketball career, Boven married Charlotte Kniese on April 25, 1953 and the couple had three children.