"Of basketball he dreams and eats..."
—Herbert Bonn yearbook statement

Herb Bonn loved basketball. Born in Aliquippa, PA, on January 14, 1916, Herb's family moved to Midland, where he attended grade school from 1924-1927. His family moved to Squirrel Hill, where his parents owned the Bonn Hardware Store. Herb attended the Pittsburgh Public Schools, graduating from Taylor Allderdice High School in 1930, and then Duquesne University from 1934 to 1937, where he earned a bachelor's degree in education.

At Duquesne, Herb was a three-year starting forward and in 1935 helped lead the Dukes to an 18-1 record. During that time, the Dukes were considered one of the top ten teams in the country. In 1936, Herb led the team to a record 14-3 season and was named first-team All-American by College Humor Magazine.

After playing semi-pro ball, Herb joined the Pittsburgh Pirates in the National Basketball League (NBL) for two seasons. Herb's rookie pro season and the first season of the NBL's existence was 1937-38, when Herb led the Pirates in scoring with 7.2 points per game. Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer Hymie Ginsburg was Herb's teammate in his first two years with the Pirates. In his 15 games in the NBL, Herb averaged 5.7 points per game. All his home games were played in the Duquesne University gymnasium. When his NBL career ended, Herb played in the Independent League for the New York Celtics (1938-39) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1939-40).

For many years, Duquesne University annually remembered Herb in an award to a senior basketball player with outstanding athletic, academic, and fellowship qualities. Herb was also inducted into the third Duquesne Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1965. In 2016, Herb was named to Duquesne University's Men's Basketball All-Century Team and was honored at halftime of a Duquesne basketball game on December 14.

In 1941, Herb enlisted in the Navy Reserves and trained to be a pilot. After the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, Herb saw action as a fighter pilot in the South Pacific. On April 7, 1943, Herb and eight other crew members took off on a night mission from Kaneohe Airfield on Oahu. They never returned from that patrol, and all nine were declared missing in action in the Southeast Pacific. The Navy lists Herb's official date of death as April 7, 1943.

Lieutenant Junior Grade Herbert Sidney Bonn was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and is remembered at the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial in Honolulu, HI.