Thursday, September 21, 2017

Whitey Skoog

Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog


Born:
November 2, 1926
Duluth, MN

Died:
April 4, 2019
St. Peter, MN


Career
1942-43 Brainerd High School - Brainerd, MN (High School)
1943-44 Brainerd High School - Brainerd, MN (High School)
1944-45 Jacksonville Naval - Florida (Military)
1948-49 University of Minnesota (College)
1949-50 University of Minnesota (College)
1950-51 University of Minnesota (College)
1951-52 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1952-53 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1953-54 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1954-55 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1955-56 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1956-57 Minneapolis Lakers (NBA)
1957-58 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1958-59 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1959-60 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1960-61 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1961-62 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1962-63 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1963-64 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1964-65 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1965-66 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1966-67 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1967-68 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1968-69 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1969-70 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1970-71 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1971-72 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1972-73 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1973-74 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1974-75 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1975-76 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1976-77 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1977-78 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1978-79 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1979-80 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach
1980-81 Gustavus Adolphus College - Saint Peter, MN (College) Head coach

After high school, Skoog entered the U.S. Navy to serve World War 2. It was while in the military his white hair and fair complexion garnered the nickname "Whitey." The war ended, and Skoog was eventually discharged. He went back to Minnesota where he enrolled at the University of Minnesota. A three-time All-American, Skoog wound up being drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers in the first round of the 1951 draft and played seven seasons with the Lakers, winning three championships, before a back injury coupled with chronic knee pain forced him to retire. Not done with basketball entirely, though, he was quickly offered a job at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota, as the head coach of the basketball team. He stayed on for 24 seasons, and along the way also took over the school's golf program. In 1981, he started his own company called Environmental Recycling Resource, which would collect aluminum cans from various municipalities in nearby South Dakota for recycling. He stopped coach basketball and teaching at this time, but stayed on as the golf coach until finally retiring.

Source:
Gustavus Adolphus Hall of Fame
Brainerd Dispatch, 1971
Argus Leader (Sioux Falls, SD), March 15, 1981

Stats:
https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/s/skoogwh01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=skoogwh01

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