Don Eliason Explained
Donald Carlton Eliason (July 24, 1918 – August 18, 2003) was an American basketball and football player. He played one season in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and two seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
Early years
Eliason was born in 1917 in Owatonna, Minnesota.[1]
Eliason attended Hamline University where he played baseball, basketball and football.[2] In 1939, he earned all-state honors, playing at the tackle position for the Hamline football team.[3] [4] In 1940, he was selected as the captain and played at fullback.[5] Eliason graduated in 1942. He was inducted into the Hamline University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976,[6] as well as the school's Row of Honor in Hutton Arena in 2010.[7] [8]
Football career
In 1942, he played four games for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National Football League (NFL).[1] His playing career was cut short in November 1942 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II.[9] [10] While in the service, he played on the Fort Warren travelling football team.[11] [12]
After the war, Eliason joined the NFL Boston Yanks.[13] He appeared in four games for the Yanks during the 1946 season.[1]
Basketball career
In the BAA, Eliason was a member of the Boston Celtics during their inaugural 1946–47 season. He played in one game, missing his only field goal attempt.[14] [15] He is one of the few to have played in both the NFL and the BAA or its successor, the National Basketball Association.[16] Another Yanks football player, Harold Crisler, also played for the Celtics that season.[14]
Later life
After his sporting career, Eliason was a science teacher and coach at Excelsior and Minnetonka high schools. He worked as a bonded representative for a brokerage firm before his retirement. Eliason was recognised for his volunteer work with the intellectually disabled.
BAA career statistics
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|
| 1946–47 | Boston | 1 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 1 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 |
|
Notes and References
- Web site: Don Eliason. Pro Football Archives. March 19, 2022.
- News: Pipers lose Eliason . 15 March 2022 . . 4 February 1941 . 13.
- News: Toms Place Three on UP All State Eleven. The Minneapolis Star. November 14, 1939. 22. Newspapers.com.
- News: Rolf Felstad . Piper tackle triple threat - Eliason passes, punts, place kicks . 15 March 2022 . . 27 October 1939 . 38.
- News: Power in Piper Homecoming. October 17, 1940. The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. 23. Newspapers.com. March 30, 2022.
- Web site: Donald C. Eliason '42 . Hamline University . https://web.archive.org/web/20220330110909/https://everywhere.hamline.edu/s/1545/16/interior.aspx?sid=1545&gid=1&pgid=1266&cid=2510&ecid=2510&crid=0&calpgid=935&calcid=1976. March 30, 2022. live. March 30, 2022.
- News: Charley Walters: Joel Maturi defends search process for Gophers football coach. December 4, 2010. St. Paul Pioneer Press. March 30, 2022. Don Eliason, Jim Fritsche, Hal Haskins, Joe Hutton, Jr. Joe Hutton, Sr., Vern Mikkelsen, John Norlander, Howie Schultz, Don Meyer and Rollie Seltz will be inducted into Hamline University’s Row of Honor next Saturday at the St. Paul school..
- The Magazine of Hamline University. 170. 2. Spring 2011. Dream Team. 9. March 30, 2022. Four Hamline basketball greats took to the court again last February for a ceremony inducting them into the newly created Row of Honor in Hutton Arena..
- News: Pro Gridders Go. The Minneapolis Star. November 17, 1942. 20. Newspapers.com.
- News: 2 More Grid Dodgers Called to the Colors. November 12, 1942. Daily News. New York, New York. 58. Newspapers.com. March 28, 2022.
- News: Halsey. Hall. Don Eliason: Greater Love Hath No Man. October 12, 1945. Minneapolis Star-Journal. 22. Newspapers.com. March 30, 2022.
- News: Joe. Hendrickson. 'My Boys Want To Go To Town' Warren Coach Warns Gophers. October 12, 1945. Minneapolis Morning Tribune. 14. Newspapers.com. March 30, 2022.
- News: Don Eliason, ExBrooklyn tackle, signs with Boston . March 28, 2022 . . April 7, 1946 . Part 2, p. 2. Newspapers.com.
- Book: Hubbard, Donald. 36. Celtics on the Diamond and the Gridiron. 100 Things Celtics Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. 2017. https://books.google.com/books?id=whhSDgAAQBAJ&dq=%22don%20eliason%22%20boston&pg=PT125. 9781633198661. March 30, 2022. Google Books.
- Book: Hubbard, Donald. "Then Russell Said to Bird...": The Greatest Celtics Stories Ever Told. Triumph Books. 2013. 6–9. March 30, 2022. Google Books. 9781623683078.
- News: Justin Quinn . On this day: M.L. Carr signs; Fox, Boykoff, Eliason born; 1st Disney bubble scrimmage . 15 March 2022 . Celtics Wire . . 24 July 2021.
