Basketball great George Mikan dies; had once considered priesthood

Published: 2005-06-06

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (CNS) -- Basketball great George Mikan, who considered the priesthood after being cut from his high school basketball team, died June 1 at age 80 at a rehabilitation center in Scottsdale. He had suffered from kidney failure and diabetes. Mikan led the then-Minneapolis Lakers to five National Basketball Association championships in six seasons. He was a top scorer and rebounder in the NBA's early years, and rule changes were made during Mikan's career to blunt his dominance in the college and pro games. Born in Joliet, Ill., Mikan won a marble-shooting tournament at age 11, but he was cut from his high school basketball team in 1937 when his coach realized Mikan could not see without wearing thick glasses. After young Mikan broke a leg from stepping on a basketball, he enrolled at Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago in hopes of becoming a priest. The 6-foot-10-inch Mikan became a three-time All-American and a two-time college player of the year at DePaul, which won the National Invitational Tournament championship in 1945.

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