Don Eliason

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).

Don Eliason
Eliason with the Boston Celtics during the 1946–47 season
Personal information
Born(1918-07-24)July 24, 1918
Owatonna, Minnesota
DiedAugust 18, 2003(2003-08-18) (aged 85)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolHarding (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
CollegeHamline
Playing career1946–1947
PositionForward
Number14
Career history
1946–1947Boston Celtics
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

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][6] Eliason graduated in 1942.[6] 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.[6] He worked as a bonded representative for a brokerage firm before his retirement.[6] Eliason was recognised for his volunteer work with the intellectually disabled.[6]

BAA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played
 FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage
 APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game

Regular season
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1946–47 Boston 1.000.000.0.0
Career 1.000.000.0.0

References
  1. "Don Eliason". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  2. "Pipers lose Eliason". The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. 4 February 1941. p. 13. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  3. "Toms Place Three on UP All State Eleven". The Minneapolis Star. November 14, 1939. p. 22 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Rolf Felstad (27 October 1939). "Piper tackle triple threat - Eliason passes, punts, place kicks". The Minneapolis Star. p. 38. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  5. "Power in Piper Homecoming". The Minneapolis Morning Tribune. October 17, 1940. p. 23. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Donald C. Eliason '42". Hamline University. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  7. "Charley Walters: Joel Maturi defends search process for Gophers football coach". St. Paul Pioneer Press. December 4, 2010. Retrieved 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.
  8. "Dream Team". The Magazine of Hamline University. Vol. 170, no. 2. Spring 2011. p. 9. Retrieved 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.
  9. "Pro Gridders Go". The Minneapolis Star. November 17, 1942. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "2 More Grid Dodgers Called to the Colors". Daily News. New York, New York. November 12, 1942. p. 58. Retrieved March 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Hall, Halsey (October 12, 1945). "Don Eliason: Greater Love Hath No Man". Minneapolis Star-Journal. p. 22. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. Hendrickson, Joe (October 12, 1945). "'My Boys Want To Go To Town' Warren Coach Warns Gophers". Minneapolis Morning Tribune. p. 14. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. "Don Eliason, ExBrooklyn tackle, signs with Boston". Chicago Tribune. April 7, 1946. Part 2, p. 2. Retrieved March 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Hubbard, Donald (2017). "36. Celtics on the Diamond and the Gridiron". 100 Things Celtics Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. Triumph Books. ISBN 9781633198661. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Google Books.
  15. Hubbard, Donald (2013). "Then Russell Said to Bird...": The Greatest Celtics Stories Ever Told. Triumph Books. pp. 6–9. ISBN 9781623683078. Retrieved March 30, 2022 – via Google Books.
  16. Justin Quinn (24 July 2021). "On this day: M.L. Carr signs; Fox, Boykoff, Eliason born; 1st Disney bubble scrimmage". Celtics Wire. USA Today. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
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