| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1913-08-23)August 23, 1913 Waterman, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | September 13, 2000(2000-09-13) (aged 87) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Waterman (Waterman, Illinois) | ||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 1933–1940 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Guard /forward | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 1933–1934 | Columbia Studios | ||||||||||||||
| 1934–1935 | Joe E. Brown All-Stars | ||||||||||||||
| 1935–1937 | Universal Studios | ||||||||||||||
| 1937–1939 | MGM | ||||||||||||||
| 1940 | Sheboygan Red Skins | ||||||||||||||
Medals
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Duane Alexander Swanson (August 23, 1913 – September 13, 2000) was an Americanbasketball player who competed in the1936 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal. He also played professionally: In eleven games during the 1939–40National Basketball League (NBL) season, he averaged 1.2 points per game for theSheboygan Red Skins.[1] Duane Swanson's first name is often incorrectly attributed to be "George."[1][2][3]
Swanson grew up inWaterman, Illinois and attendedIllinois Wesleyan University for a brief time before transferring to theUniversity of Iowa.[3] He played on Iowa's freshman basketball team when he and a friend decided to drop out of school andhitchhike toLos Angeles, California to enroll at theUniversity of Southern California (USC).[3]Iowa head coachRollie Williams accusedUSC head coachSam Barry of luring both players to California, which Barry denied.[2] Consequently, Barry rejected Swanson and his friend from playing for USC.[3] Instead, they signed a contract to play forColumbia Studios' team, which led to their first connections in theHollywood industry.[3] In 1934, Swanson signed withJoe E. Brown's All-Stars team, whom he spent the 1934–35 season competing for.[2] In spring 1935, he played on anAmateur Athletic Union (AAU) All-Star team that toured Japan, playing in 15 games.[3]
In 1935–36, Swanson played forUniversal Studios' basketball team.[2] This squad finished second in the national AAU tournament and first in the Olympic Trials, winning the right to represent the United States at theBerlin Olympics.[3] He ended up playing in three games during the Olympics and won a gold medal.[2]
Upon returning to the United States, Swanson stayed in Los Angeles a few more years competing for studio teams before returning to theMidwest in 1940.[3] He signed with theNBL'sSheboygan Red Skins to finish out the season, appearing in eleven games.[1][3] This stint would be his last as a professional basketball.[3] Swanson returned to Southern California and after serving in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II, spent the next 25 years working in the entertainment industry.[3][4]
