He scored more points than any other boys basketball player in Palmerton history.

He starred at the University of Pennsylvania, and went on to tour with the Harlem Globetrotters as a member of the Washington Generals.He became a fixture on Blue Ridge Communications TV13 as a basketball color commentator, famous for his Chuck Taylor sneakers and his board he used to diagram plays.Bob Mlkvy was a local legend, both on the floor and off. This past weekend, Mlkvy passed away at the age of 77.“He will be missed,” said Fred Reinhard, chairman of the Board of Pencor Services Inc. and former teammate of Mlkvy. “The Mlkvy name has always been big in Palmerton ... It’s a sad loss. I can hardly believe it. I’m just so sorry that it happened.”Mlkvy, who graduated from Palmerton in 1957, finished his high school career with 1,925 points. He led his team to three Lehigh Valley League championships and helped guide the Bombers to a berth in the 1956 state championship game.“Bob was special,” said Reinhard. “When I played with him, he was only a sophomore. I can always remember he was timid. Win Evans was our coach, and he would coax Bob into taking shots. He was a good shot from inside. He was a good shot from everywhere.“You could see that he’d be a big-time player. We would feed it in to him. He was reluctant to shoot, but Coach Evans would get on him and get on him. The following year he really came into his own.”Mlkvy earned All-State First Team honors twice, and was part of a 44-game winning streak. He was selected to play in the National High School All-Star Game in Kansas City and was named Parade High School All-American.After high school, he went to Penn and made his mark at the collegiate level.He was named the school’s MVP after the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons and was twice named All-Ivy League first team and All-Big Five first team. Following college, he was drafted by the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball Association (ABA) but instead opted to travel the world. He joined the Washington Generals, the opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters.Despite all his accolades, which include numerous inductions into Hall of Fames, area basketball fans and recent players know him best as an announcer on TV13. A dentist by trade, Mlkvy became popular for wearing his Converse Chuck Taylor sneakers with his suit. He also became well-known for “Dr. Bob’s Board” — a white board he had cheerleaders hold as he diagramed plays.“He came up with the idea to possibly draw up a play during the pregame,” said TV13 sports anchor Bob Capasso, who did play-by-play alongside Mlkvy. “At first, I held a piece of paper. That’s how it started. It was suggested to hold up a board and have fans or somebody else hold it.“He was the heart and soul of our basketball broadcasts. He made it fun because he loved the game, and loved everything surrounding the game. He loved everybody involved. He loved the players, coaches, fans, the cheerleaders who would hold his board.”Capasso worked on air with Mlkvy for 25 years, and recalls numerous stories about his colleague.“At a playoff game at Liberty ... a mouse ran onto the floor. All of a sudden he breaks into a play-by-play of the mouse running around the floor. He goes right, then goes left ... It was hilarious.“Then there was one time when he went into the stands with the fans. It was a Palmerton game, and their thing was singing ‘I’m So Excited’ by the Pointer Sisters. He went into the stands and led the fans in the song.”Perhaps Mlkvy’s crowning achievement came less than two years ago when he was named to the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.Not only was the award special to him, but the fact his brother Bill (who also starred on the court at Temple and became known as the “Owl without a Vowel”) was his escort made it a memorable event.“This is probably the greatest honor I’ve ever had in all of my participation in sports over the years,” Mlkvy said at the banquet back in November of 2014.Mlkvy is now gone, but he’ll never be forgotten.“He was unbelievable,” said Reihnard. “He was not a selfish player. Bob and his Converse sneakers will always be remembered.”