don nomura was born donald engel at st. luke's international hospital in chūō, tokyo. born to a japanese mother and a jewish american father, yoshie itō left the family when don was six, leaving alvin george engel to care for him and his younger brother kenneth. he attended st. mary's international school, a private, english-speaking catholic school in tokyo, until he was kicked out for fighting at the age of 16. don then attended chofu high school, then transferred to zama high school, where he played baseball, and graduated in 1975. during this time, he began visiting his mother, who had changed her name to sachiyo and married npb catcher and manager katsuya nomura. after completing high school, don enrolled at california state polytechnic university in pomona, california where he studied and played baseball from 1975–77.