 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. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Askov (Askov, Minnesota) |
| College | Hamline (1945–1949) |
| BAA draft | 1949:territorial pick |
| Drafted by | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Playing career | 1949–1959 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 19 |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
| 1949–1959 | Minneapolis Lakers |
Coaching | |
| 1968–1969 | Minnesota Pipers |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 10,063 (14.4 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 5,940 (9.4 rpg) |
| Assists | 1,515 (2.2 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Arild Verner Agerskov Mikkelsen (October 21, 1928 – November 21, 2013) was an American professionalbasketball player. One of theNational Basketball Association's firstpower forwards in the 1950s, he was known for his tenacious defense and durability, playing 699 out of a possible 704 games during his career.[1] He was a six-time All-Star and four-time Second Team All-Pro, and was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame[2] and the sport'sNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
Along with fellow Hall of FamersGeorge Mikan andSlater Martin he was a key part of four championships with theMinneapolis Lakers, today'sLos Angeles Lakers.
Mikkelsen was also an All-American in college, and earned a master's degree from theUniversity of Minnesota.
Mikkelsen was born inParlier, California and was raised in theDanish-American community ofAskov, Minnesota. His father, Michael, was an immigrant from Denmark who became aLutheran pastor in Askov.[3]
Mikkelsen enteredHamline University inSaint Paul, Minnesota on a basketball scholarship at the age of 16. In his senior year, Mikkelsen led NCAA Division II in field goal percentage.[2] Hamline won the1949 NAIA Division I men's basketball tournament[3] and Mikkelsen was voted an All-American. He would later receive a master's degree in psychology from theUniversity of Minnesota.
Mikkelsen played withGeorge Mikan andJim Pollard in the frontcourt of theMinneapolis Lakers. The Lakers won four NBA titles during Mikkelsen's career.[1] Mikkelsen played in sixNBA All-Star Games and was named to the All-NBA Second Team four times in his career.
Mikkelsen ended his career after ten seasons in the NBA in 1959, having played in 699 of a possible 704 regular-season games. He led the NBA in both personal fouls andfouling out of games for three straight seasons during his career, and finished his career with 10,063 points scored. Mikkelsen still holds the league record for career games fouling out with 127, which he did in only 631 games (the NBA did not record that statistic until his second season).
In 1956, Mikkelsen was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame.[2]
Mikkelsen was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995 along with Laker coachJohn Kundla.[3]
In 2002, during halftime of a Lakers/Timberwolves game, Mikkelsen and fellow Hall of Fame teammatesGeorge Mikan,Slater Martin, Arlee Pollard (widow ofJim Pollard),Clyde Lovellette and CoachJohn Kundla were each presented with championship rings. The Minneapolis players received the same rings provided by the NBA to the champion Los Angeles Lakers that same year.
Mikkelsen later coached and was general manager of theMinnesota Pipers of theAmerican Basketball Association.[4]
Mikkelsen's wife Jean died in 2002 after 47 years of marriage. Their two sons are named Tom and John. In 2006 a biography was published by John Egan titledThe Vern Mikkelsen Story.
Mikkelsen died on November 21, 2013, inWayzata, Minnesota surrounded by his family.[5]
| 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 |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 1968–69 | 12 | 6 | 6 | .500 | (interim) | — | — | — | — | — |
Source[6]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |