HISTORY & RECORDS
GEORGE MIKAN One of the greatest players in the history of basketball, George Mikan played for DePaul from 1942-46 and changed the game of basketball forever. Mikan passed away on June 2, 2005 at the age of 79. 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 holds 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 1,870 points are 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. Mikan was elected to the Naismith Memorial 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).
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