Donald Vernon Carlson (March 22, 1919 – October 16, 2004) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He was born in

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. A 6'0" (1.83 m)

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

, Carlson played four seasons (1946–1947; 1948–1951) in the Basketball Association of America/National Basketball Association as a member of the

Chicago Stags The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950. History 1946–47 season In the BAA's inaugural year, the Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and after 60 games were tied with the ...

, Minneapolis Lakers, and Baltimore Bullets. He averaged 8.0

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

in his NBA career and won two championships with the Lakers. He also played one season in the National Basketball League. After his playing days, he was a coach and athletic director at Columbia Heights High School in

Columbia Heights, Minnesota Columbia Heights is a city in Anoka County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 19,496 at the 2010 census. Minnesota State Highways 47 (University Avenue) and 65 (Central Avenue) are two of the main routes in the city. Columbia He ...

. Carlson died in 2004.Don Carlson
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BAA/NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

* 1919 births 2004 deaths Baltimore Bullets (1944–1954) players Basketball players from Minneapolis Chicago Stags players Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball players Minneapolis Lakers players Small forwards Shooting guards People from Columbia Heights, Minnesota American men's basketball players Edison High School (Minnesota) alumni {{1920s-US-basketball-bio-stub