BleedGopher
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per STrib:
Myer “Whitey” Skoog, who starred for the Golden Gophers and the Minneapolis Lakers before going on to a renowned career as the golf coach at Gustavus Adolphus College, died Thursday morning, his son Dave Skoog said.
Skoog, 92, had been living in a care facility in St. Peter, Minn.
The son of Norwegian immigrants, Skoog was a basketball star at Brainerd High School and the University of Minnesota, where he earned All-America and All-Big Ten honors.
He signed with the Lakers in 1952 and played six seasons with the team, winning two NBA titles before injuries ended his career at age 29.
Skoog was an early practitioner of the jump shot in an era when most players used the two-handed set shot. Basketball historians, while not agreeing on who was the first jump shooter, place Skoog among the pioneers.
He coached both basketball and golf at Gustavus, but it was golf where he won coaching acclaim. In his 22 years as coach, the Gusties were a powerhouse, winning 17 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, including 13 in a row. In 2014, Skoog was elected to the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame.
Skoog was recently interviewed by the Star Tribune for a story on the old Minneapolis Lakers. Asked whether playing in the early NBA was fun or more like a job, Skoog smiled.
“I’d like to have had that job the rest of my life,” he said.
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-lakers-gusties-great-whitey-skoog-dies-at-92/508108192/
Go Gophers!!
Myer “Whitey” Skoog, who starred for the Golden Gophers and the Minneapolis Lakers before going on to a renowned career as the golf coach at Gustavus Adolphus College, died Thursday morning, his son Dave Skoog said.
Skoog, 92, had been living in a care facility in St. Peter, Minn.
The son of Norwegian immigrants, Skoog was a basketball star at Brainerd High School and the University of Minnesota, where he earned All-America and All-Big Ten honors.
He signed with the Lakers in 1952 and played six seasons with the team, winning two NBA titles before injuries ended his career at age 29.
Skoog was an early practitioner of the jump shot in an era when most players used the two-handed set shot. Basketball historians, while not agreeing on who was the first jump shooter, place Skoog among the pioneers.
He coached both basketball and golf at Gustavus, but it was golf where he won coaching acclaim. In his 22 years as coach, the Gusties were a powerhouse, winning 17 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles, including 13 in a row. In 2014, Skoog was elected to the Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame.
Skoog was recently interviewed by the Star Tribune for a story on the old Minneapolis Lakers. Asked whether playing in the early NBA was fun or more like a job, Skoog smiled.
“I’d like to have had that job the rest of my life,” he said.
http://www.startribune.com/gophers-lakers-gusties-great-whitey-skoog-dies-at-92/508108192/
Go Gophers!!
