Milton W. Schoon (February 25, 1922 – January 18, 2015) 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.
A 6-foot-7, 230-pound
center, Schoon began his college career at Tri-State College (now
Trine University
Trine University is a private university in Angola, Indiana. It was founded in 1884 and offers degrees in the arts and sciences, business, education, and engineering. Trine University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
History
Tri ...
) during the 1941–42 season before going on to play at
Valparaiso University during the 1940s, gaining fame for his ability to defend top-ranked player
George Mikan of
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...
. Schoon then played professionally in the
BAA,
NBL,
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
, and
NPBL as a member of the
Anderson Packers,
Detroit Falcons,
Flint Dow Chemicals,
Sheboygan Redskins
The Sheboygan Red Skins (or Redskins) was a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which was an original National Basketball Association franchise during the 1949–1950 season.
History Overview
The Redskins played in th ...
and
Denver Refiners.
Schoon was the last full-time player surviving from the Sheboygan Red Skins' 1949-50 NBA team. He platooned with Noble Jorgensen at center and played in all 62 games for the Red Skins that season, averaging eight points and shooting a team-best 41 percent from the field. Sheboygan's greatest conquests that season were victories over the New York Knicks, Rochester Royals, Syracuse Nationals and Minneapolis Lakers at the Sheboygan Auditorium and Armory. The Red Skins advanced to the NBA playoffs where they nearly eliminated the Western Division champion Indianapolis Olympians in a best-of-three series.
With the NPBL's Denver Frontier-Refiners in 1951, Schoon scored 363 points in 31 games, an 11.7 point average. He set a professional basketball scoring record with 64 points in a 99–72 victory over the Kansas City Hi-Spots on Jan. 21, 1951, at the Denver Auditorium. That record is currently held by
Wilt Chamberlain, who scored
100 points in a 1962 NBA game.
The Frontier-Refiners compiled an 18–16 record, but the team moved to Evansville late in the season and Schoon's professional career ended.
Schoon was elected to the Valparaiso Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.
Schoon died on January 18, 2015, in his home in
Janesville, Wisconsin.
BAA/NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
*
Milt Schoonat Valparaiso Hall of Fame
Milton W. Schoon, Janesville, WI (1922-2015)
1922 births
2015 deaths
American men's basketball players
Anderson Packers players
Basketball players from Gary, Indiana
Centers (basketball)
Detroit Falcons (basketball) players
Flint Dow A.C.'s players
Sheboygan Red Skins players
Trine Thunder men's basketball players
Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball players
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