A 6\'4" (1.93 m) and 190 lb (86 kg) forward, he was nicknamed "The Owl without a Vowel." His parents, John and Margaret, migrated to the United States in 1907 from present-day Slovakia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when his father got a job with The New Jersey Zinc Company. Mlkvy is one of eight children.\n', '

After being drafted, Mlkvy continued with his schooling, attending Temple\'s dental school while playing with the Warriors. After his rookie season, Warriors general manager and coach Eddie Gottlieb made Mlkvy choose between school and basketball. Mlkvy initially chose basketball but changed course when he was informed that he would be drafted into the United States Army as a private if he was no longer enrolled in school but, if he finished school, he would be drafted as a dental officer.\n', '

Mlkvy finished dental school the following year and enlisted in the Army as a dentist and served for six years, eventually reaching the rank of major and serving in the Korean War.\n', '

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