Dave Aitken came to the Montana State Normal College from Glasgow, Montana. His high school coach was Bill Straugh, now in his first year as head coach of the Bulldogs.
In his freshman year, Aitken led the Montana Collegiate Conference in scoring with 13.7 points per game. The Bulldogs captured the conference championship with a 14-1 record. He was a second-team all-conference selection.
In addition to the conference championship, the 1940-41 Bulldogs beat Montana State College (now Montana State University) 46-37. Dave and his brother George tied for scoring honors in the win over the Bobcats with 12 points each.
The Bulldogs received and accepted an invitation to represent the Montana-Wyoming District at the National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The Bulldogs received and accepted an invitation to represent the Montana-Wyoming District at the National Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament (now NAIA) in Kansas City, Mo. The Bulldogs lost to the eventual national champs, San Diego State College 42-29.
In his second year, Aitken tied for second in team scoring with 239 total points. He was a multi-sport athlete in both seasons as a Bulldog, also competing in football and track and field. The 1941 track team also won a conference championship.
After the 1941-42 season, he enlisted and served in the army in World War II. After his discharge he had a long career as an engineer for the California State Highway Department.
