| Whitey Skoog | |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 180 |
| Birth Date: | 2 November 1926 |
| Birth Place: | Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Death Place: | St. Peter, Minnesota, U.S. |
| High School: | Brainerd (Brainerd, Minnesota) |
| College: | Minnesota (1948–1951) |
| Draft Year: | 1951 |
| Draft Pick: | territorial pick |
| Draft Team: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Career Start: | 1951 |
| Career End: | 1957 |
| Career Position: | Point guard / shooting guard |
| Career Number: | 41, 20 |
| Years1: | – |
| Team1: | Minneapolis Lakers |
| Cyears1: | 1957–1981 |
| Cteam1: | Gustavus Adolphus |
| Highlights: | As player:
As coach:
|
| Stat1label: | Points |
| Stat1value: | 2,800 (8.2 ppg) |
| Stat2label: | Rebounds |
| Stat2value: | 1,133 (3.3 rpg) |
| Stat3label: | Assists |
| Stat3value: | 903 (2.6 apg) |
Myer Upton "Whitey" Skoog (November 2, 1926 – April 4, 2019) was an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association's Minneapolis Lakers. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota.[1]
A 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) and 180 lb (82 kg) guard, Skoog played collegiately at the University of Minnesota. Following his All-America senior season, he was drafted as a territorial pick in the first round of the 1951 NBA draft by the Lakers.
The Lakers won three NBA Championships in his first three years in the league. Skoog played in six seasons in the NBA before back injuries forced his retirement. Some credit Skoog with being the creator of the jump shot and one of the first players to use a jump shot in an organized game. Following his career in the NBA, Skoog became the men's basketball coach and golf coach at Gustavus Adolphus College. He was the men's basketball coach from 1957 to 1981, and the men's golf coach from 1973 to 1996. He was inducted into the school's hall of fame in 1987. Skoog retired from coaching in 1997, and he continued to live in St. Peter, Minnesota.[2]
Skoog resided in a skilled nursing facility in St. Peter in his later years. He died on April 4, 2019, at the age of 92.[3]
Source[4]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–52† | Minneapolis | 35 | 28.2 | .345 | .789 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 6.7 | |
| 1952–53† | Minneapolis | 68 | 14.6 | .386 | .754 | 1.8 | 1.2 | 3.7 | |
| 1953–54† | Minneapolis | 71 | 26.4 | .400 | .742 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 7.2 | |
| 1954–55 | Minneapolis | 72 | 32.8 | .395 | .806 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 10.9 | |
| 1955–56 | Minneapolis | 72 | 32.1 | .398 | .803 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 11.6 | |
| 1956–57 | Minneapolis | 23 | 28.5 | .355 | .936 | 3.1 | 3.3 | 8.7 | |
| Career | 341 | 27.0 | .388 | .799 | 3.3 | 2.6 | 8.2 | ||
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953† | Minneapolis | 11 | 18.0 | .429 | .800 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 5.8 | |
| 1954† | Minneapolis | 13* | 30.9 | .393 | .571 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 7.4 | |
| 1955 | Minneapolis | 7 | 34.4 | .391 | .905 | 5.3 | 2.3 | 13.0 | |
| 1956 | Minneapolis | 3 | 30.0 | .419 | .273 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 9.7 | |
| Career | 34 | 27.4 | .402 | .685 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 8.2 | ||