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Mikkelsen made a name for himself, playing basketball for most of his life. With 6 feet and 7 inches of height, Mikkelsen is a towering specimen of basketball success. While at Hamline, he was a major contributor to coach Joe Hutton’s MIAC championship teams from1947-1949.

In 1949, the Pipers won their only National Championship and Mikkelsen was selected as an All-American. Mikkelsen graduated from Hamline in 1949 and went on to play basketball for the Minneapolis Lakers in the NBA from 1949-1959.

As a Laker, Mikkelsen was known as a fierce competitor on the court and good-natured off it. He teamed with NBA Hall of Famers Jim Pollard and George Mikan to form one of the greatest frontlines in pro history. During his professional career, Mikkelsen scored 10,063 points (14.4 ppg) and became the sixth player in NBA history to score over 10,000 points.

His style of play was dominating and revolutionary for the time. Mikkelsen is credited with developing the power-forward position. Mikkelsen was selected all-pro seven times, played on four world championship teams and holds the NBA record for disqualifications (127).

This power-forward was a charter member of Hamline’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1965. He was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Mikkelsen is one of seven Pipers ever to play in the NBA and is the only Hamline representative in the Hall of Fame.

“This is the story of Vern’s rural childhood, his coming of age at Hamline, and his exploits with the Lakers,” says the back cover of his biography, written by John Egan.

Mikkelsen is the son of a Danish preacher and was raised in Askov, MN.

As the legend goes, Al Holst was a basketball scout for Hamline. Holst was driving across the state scouting high school basketball talent when he blew a tire in Askov, MN. The mechanic repairing Holst’s tire referred the scout to check out Mikkelsen. At the time, Mikkelsen was working of a farm picking rutabagas to supply to the United States military.

“Askov was the Rutabaga capitol of the world during World War II,” according to Mikkelsen. Holst met up with Mikkelsen on the farm and the rest was history.

Mikkelsen’s wore number 13 as a Piper, and his framed retired jersey proudly hangs on the wall of Hutton Arena. Mikkelsen stayed active in Hamline after his basketball career was through. For a period of time, he served as president of Hamline’s alumni lettermen’s club and has served on the board of the National Alumni Association and the Piper Athletic Association.

Mikkelsen’s snow resides in the metro area and gets to two or three Piper basketball games a year. His visit to campus is the first of several book signing appearances Mikkelsen has planned. His biography is now available at bookstores everywhere.