Basketball Hall of Famer, Former Lakers Coach John Kundla Dies at 101
He was number 162 on the list.
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach John Kundla
died Sunday at 101 years old, according to Joel Rippel of the Star Tribune.
Kundla was head coach of the Minneapolis Lakers from their
first season in 1948 until 1959. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995,
and prior to his death, he was the oldest living Hall of Famer in any of the
four major sports.
The Lakers won NBL and BAA championships before the NBA
officially formed in 1949-50, which ended once again with a Minneapolis
championship. Kundla won four NBA titles in his first five seasons with the
league thanks to superstar George Mikan.
"I really appreciated John's ability to
communicate," former player Whitey Skoog said of Kundla, per Rippel.
"He was never negative about a player's mistakes. He worked to find a way
for the player to improve. He never criticized a player in the press and gave
the players the credit for the Lakers' success."
He posted a 379-286 record in 10 NBA seasons and coached all
but one of the franchise's years in Minneapolis before it moved to Los Angeles.
After leaving the Lakers, Kundla stayed local and became the
head coach of his alma mater at the University of Minnesota. In nine seasons,
he led the Golden Gophers to a 110-105 record.
He is survived by four sons, two daughters and six
grandchildren.
Some of his other former players include: Jim Pollard, Herm Schaefer, Slater Martin, Vern Mikkelsen, Pep Saul, Clyde Lovellette, Dick Schnittker, Dick Garmaker, Walter Dukes, Bobby Slick Leonard, Jim Paxson, Ed Kalafat, Chuck Mencel, Larry Foust, Frank Selvy, Hot Rod Hundley, Jim Krebs, Elgin Baylor and Boo Ellis.
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