Former DePaul Great George Mikan Passes Away

CHICAGO -- One of the greatest players in the history of not only college basketball but professional basketball as well, George Mikan passed away today at the age of 80 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Mikan played for DePaul from 1942-46 and changed the game of basketball forever.

Credited with helping put the NBA on the map as a major league sport, Mikan was also responsible for sell-out crowds at the Chicago Stadium and Madison Square Garden in his playing days as a collegian. The first big man to dominate the game of basketball, Mikan was a three-time first team All-American for the Blue Demons. After college, he went on to earn All-NBA honors with the Minneapolis Lakers nine times and in 1951, Mikan was voted the greatest player in the first 50 years of basketball by the Associated Press.

At DePaul, Mikan stills hold the school record for points in a game with 53 against Rhode Island State in the 1945 NIT semifinals. He led the Blue Demons to the NIT title that season and in his four seasons at DePaul, the team posted an impressive 87-11 (.888) record. Besides the NIT, the Blue Demons also advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1943 and finished second in the NIT in 1944 during Mikan's career. His 1,873 points is still fourth on the all-time scoring chart at DePaul.

In his stellar NBA career, Mikan led the Lakers to five NBA crowns in his nine seasons. He scored 11,764 points - a 22.6 per game career scoring average and led the league in scoring three times. In 1996, Mikan was honored as one of the top 50 players in NBA history.

One of only two DePaul players to have his number retired (#99), Mikan was elected to the Naismith Hall of Fame as a charter member in 1959. He is also a member of the NIT Hall of Fame and was named to the all-time NIT team. After his playing career, Mikan was a NBA coach and also served as the first commissioner of the American Basketball Association (ABA).

Statement From Ray Meyer: “As far as I am concerned, George Mikan was the greatest competitor I ever coached. He came the farthest of any player I’ve ever seen, being an awkward young man into the polished player that was the greatest player of the first half of the 20th century. He got better every time he played and I was a great coach when he was on the floor. I will miss him greatly.”