Biography recalls Mikkelsen's days with the Minneapolis Lakers

A new book by sportswriter John Egan tells the story of Basketball Hall of Famer Vern Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen played alongside George Mikan and Jim Pollard on the Minneapolis Lakers when they won a series of NBA championships in the late 1940s and early '50s.

Mikkelsen was introduced to the game when his family moved to Askov, Minnesota, where his father, a Danish immigrant, was hired as a Lutheran minister. Mikkelsen says the man who recruited him to play at Hamline University ended up in Askov by accident. He talked with MPR's Cathy Wurzer.

Broadcast Dates

• Morning Edition, 10/12/2006, 6:50 a.m.