Vern Mikkelsen

ABOUT VERN MIKKELSEN

Six-time All-Star, athlete, and four-time Second Team All-Pro basketball player, who is also known as one of the NBA's first "power forwards." In his prime, he stood at a towering 6'7" tall and weighed about 230 pounds.

He attended Hamline University after receiving a basketball scholarship at the young age of 16. He later obtained a master's degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota.

He was mostly known for his strong defense and was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame in the year 1956. After retirement, he became a coach and general manager for the Minnesota Pipers.

He was born in Parlier, California, and when he was 6 months old, his parents moved him and his sister to Askov, Minnesota. He has two sons named Tom and John, whom he shares with his late wife Jean, who died in the year 2002.

He, Slater Martin , and George Mikan contributed to four championships for the Minneapolis Lakers, which today is known as the Los Angeles Lakers .