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Vern Mikkelsen
Vern Mikkelsen.jpeg
Mikkelsen, circa 1950s
Personal information
Born (1928-10-21)October 21, 1928
Parlier, California, U.S.
Died November 21, 2013(2013-11-21) (aged 85)
Wayzata, Minnesota, U.S.
High school Askov (Askov, Minnesota)
Listed height 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College Hamline (1945–1949)
NBA Draft 1949 / Pick: territorial pick
Selected by the Minneapolis Lakers
Pro career 1949–1959
Career history
As player:
1949–1959 Minneapolis Lakers
As coach:
1968–1969 Minnesota Pipers
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points 10,063 (14.4 ppg)
Rebounds 5,940 (9.4 rpg)
Assists 1,515 (2.2 apg)

Vern Mikkelsen (born Arild Verner Agerskov Mikkelsen, October 21, 1928 – November 21, 2013) was a famous American professional basketball player. He was one of the very first power forwards in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 1950s. Vern was known for playing tough defense.

He was also incredibly durable, playing in 699 out of 704 possible games during his career. Vern was chosen as an NBA All-Star six times and made the All-NBA Second Team four times. In 1995, he was honored by being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Vern Mikkelsen was a key player for the Minneapolis Lakers, which is now known as the Los Angeles Lakers. He helped them win four championships alongside other Hall of Fame players like George Mikan and Slater Martin. Before his professional career, Mikkelsen was an All-American player in college. He also earned a master's degree from the University of Minnesota.

Early Life and Background

Vern Mikkelsen was born in Parlier, California. He grew up in Askov, Minnesota, a community with many people of Danish heritage. His father, Michael, came from Denmark and became a Lutheran pastor in Askov.

College Basketball Career

Mikkelsen started at Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, when he was just 16 years old. He received a scholarship to play basketball there. In his final year of college, Mikkelsen was the best player in NCAA Division II for his field goal percentage.

Hamline University won the 1949 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament that year. Mikkelsen was recognized as an All-American player for his excellent performance. Later, he went on to earn a master's degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota.

Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Minneapolis Lakers (1949-1959)

Vern Mikkelsen played for the Minneapolis Lakers alongside other basketball legends like George Mikan and Jim Pollard. Together, they formed a powerful team. The Lakers won four NBA championships during Mikkelsen's time with the team.

Mikkelsen played in six NBA All-Star Games. He was also named to the All-NBA Second Team four times in his career, showing how skilled he was.

Vern Mikkelsen played for ten seasons in the NBA, ending his career in 1959. He played in 699 out of a possible 704 regular-season games, which is a lot! He scored a total of 10,063 points during his career. Mikkelsen holds the league record for fouling out of games the most times, with 127. This happened in only 631 games, as the NBA only started tracking this stat in his second season.

Awards and Special Honors

Vern Mikkelsen received many honors for his basketball achievements:

  • In 1956, he was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • In 1995, Mikkelsen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. His Lakers coach, John Kundla, was also inducted that same year.
  • In 2002, during a Lakers game, Mikkelsen and his former teammates from the Minneapolis Lakers were given championship rings. These were the same rings given to the champion Los Angeles Lakers team that year.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Mikkelsen became a coach. He also worked as the general manager for the Minnesota Pipers team in the American Basketball Association.

Personal Life

Vern Mikkelsen was married to his wife, Jean, for 47 years before she passed away in 2002. They had two sons named Tom and John. In 2006, a book about his life called The Vern Mikkelsen Story was published by John Egan.

Vern Mikkelsen passed away on November 21, 2013, in Wayzata, Minnesota. He was surrounded by his family.

NBA Career Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular Season Games

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50† Minneapolis 68 – .399 .752 – 1.8 11.6
1950–51 Minneapolis 64 – .402 .676 10.2 2.8 14.1
1951–52† Minneapolis 66 35.5 .419 .761 10.3 2.7 15.3
1952–53† Minneapolis 70 35.2 .435 .752 9.3 2.1 15.0
1953–54† Minneapolis 72 31.2 .374 .742 8.5 1.7 11.1
1954–55 Minneapolis 71 36.0 .422 .747 10.2 2.0 18.7
1955–56 Minneapolis 72 29.2 .386 .804 8.4 2.4 13.4
1956–57 Minneapolis 72 30.5 .377 .807 8.8 1.7 13.7
1957–58 Minneapolis 72 33.2 .410 .786 11.2 2.3 17.3
1958–59 Minneapolis 72 29.7 .390 .806 7.9 2.2 13.8
Career 699 32.5 .403 .766 9.4 2.2 14.4
All-Star 6 18.3 .386 .650 8.7 1.3 11.2

Playoff Games

Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1950† Minneapolis 12 – .369 .767 – 1.5 13.0
1951 Minneapolis 7 – .406 .660 9.6 2.4 15.6
1952† Minneapolis 13 38.1 .432 .828 8.5 1.5 13.3
1953† Minneapolis 12 33.3 .331 .848 8.7 2.0 12.0
1954† Minneapolis 13 28.8 .459 .861 5.6 1.3 10.2
1955 Minneapolis 7 29.9 .353 .783 11.1 1.9 13.7
1956 Minneapolis 3 30.0 .423 .900 5.7 0.7 13.3
1957 Minneapolis 5 32.4 .398 .647 8.6 3.4 17.6
1959 Minneapolis 13 28.5 .412 .767 7.2 1.8 15.5
Career 85 31.8 .396 .783 8.0 1.8 13.4
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