Don Lund
From BR Bullpen
Donald Andrew Lund
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 200 lb.
- School University of Michigan
- Debut July 3, 1945
- Final Game July 29, 1954
- Born May 18, 1923 in Detroit, MI USA
[edit] Biographical Information
Outfielder Don Lund earned nine letters at the University of Michigan and was also drafted by the Chicago Bears. After his playing career ended, he was a Detroit Tigers coach in 1957 and 1958. He was then the Tigers' farm director in 1963, Scouting director in 1964, and director of player development from 1965 to 1970.
The young Lund attracted attention in 1947, a pennant-winning year for the Brooklyn Dodgers, when he went 6 for 20, slugging .700 with 2 doubles and 2 homers. He did not appear in post-season play. Lund was one of 11 players used in left field by the Dodgers that season, who never did pick a regular left-fielder in the late 1940s.
His year with the most major league at-bats was 1953, when he hit .257 in 421 at-bats with the Tigers. Al Kaline was an 18-year-old rookie that year, and the following year Kaline became a regular, while Lund was a backup.
Lund briefly managed the 1956 Jamestown Falcons. He returned to his alma mater as head coach from 1959 to 1962, leading the school to the 1962 College World Series.
In 2009, St. James Books published his autobiography "Playing Ball With Legends: The Story and Stories of Don Lund" by James Robert Irwin.
[edit] Further Reading
- James Robert Irwin: Playing Ball With Legends: The Story and the Stories of Don Lund, Saint James Books, Ann Arbor, MI, 2009.
