Don Lund

Donald Andrew Lund (May 18, 1923 – December 10, 2013) was a backup outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Brooklyn Dodgers (1945, 1947, 1948[start]), St. Louis Browns (1948[end]) and Detroit Tigers (1949–1954). He batted and threw right-handed.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Lund was signed out of the University of Michigan by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1945. Although drafted in the 1st round of the NFL draft in 1945 by the Chicago Bears as a running back, Lund felt baseball would be the better career choice. Used mainly as a reserve, he played part of three seasons with the Dodgers and St. Louis Browns between 1945 and 1948. His most productive season came in 1953 as the regular right fielder for the Detroit Tigers, when he posted career-highs in batting average (.257), home runs (nine), runs batted in (47), hits (108), at-bats (421), doubles (21), triples (four), and games played (131). On June 18, 1953, Lund made the final put-out in right field when Boston scored a MLB record 17 runs against the Tigers in one inning. He played his last season in 1954 as a backup for teenager rookie Al Kaline.

In a seven-season career, Lund was a .240 hitter with 15 home runs and 86 RBI in 281 games.

Following his major league career, Lund served as head baseball coach at the University of Michigan. Under his leadership, the Wolverines won the College World Series championship in 1962. He also coached for the Tigers and was director of their farm system from 1963 through 1970.

Lund was inducted into the Michigan Hall of Honor in 1984 for his significant contributions as a football, baseball, and basketball player and baseball coach as well.

Lund was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1987.

In 2009, James Robert Irwin wrote a book about the life of Don Lund, "Playing Ball with Legends: The Story and the Stories of Don Lund."

He died on December 10, 2013 at the age of 90 at his Ann Arbor, Michigan home.