Major League Baseball Player. For seven seasons (1945, 1947 to 1949 and 1952 to 1954), he played at the outfielder position with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. Born Donald Andrew Lund, he made his first impression as an athlete while attending Southeastern High School in Detroit, where he lettered in basketball and football as well as baseball. He enrolled at the University of Michigan and progressed on the collegiate football level with the Wolverines as a fullback and punter. In fact, Lund was so highly-regarded for his abilities that he was selected by the Chicago Bears as the 7th overall pick during the 1945 NFL Draft. However, baseball was his first passion and he would forgo a professional football career to pursue one on the diamond. Signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers in 1945, he marked his Major League debut with Brooklyn on July 3, of that year. In 1947, he played in 11 games during the Dodgers' drive to the National League Pennant. In 1953 while with the Tigers, he yielded a career-high 108 hits in 131 games played. In 281 regular season games, he compiled 181 hits with a .240 lifetime batting average. After retiring as a player, he briefly served as a Minor League manager, before returning to the Major League level as a coach with the Tigers (1957 to 1958). Lund went on to serve as head coach of the University of Michigan baseball team and in 1962, he guided the Wolverines to the NCAA World Series Title. He later worked within the Tigers' front office, prior to returning to the University of Michigan where he served as assistant athletic director. He was named to the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1984. He died from natural causes.
Major League Baseball Player. For seven seasons (1945, 1947 to 1949 and 1952 to 1954), he played at the outfielder position with the Brooklyn Dodgers, St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers. Born Donald Andrew Lund, he made his first impression as an athlete while attending Southeastern High School in Detroit, where he lettered in basketball and football as well as baseball. He enrolled at the University of Michigan and progressed on the collegiate football level with the Wolverines as a fullback and punter. In fact, Lund was so highly-regarded for his abilities that he was selected by the Chicago Bears as the 7th overall pick during the 1945 NFL Draft. However, baseball was his first passion and he would forgo a professional football career to pursue one on the diamond. Signed as an amateur free agent by the Dodgers in 1945, he marked his Major League debut with Brooklyn on July 3, of that year. In 1947, he played in 11 games during the Dodgers' drive to the National League Pennant. In 1953 while with the Tigers, he yielded a career-high 108 hits in 131 games played. In 281 regular season games, he compiled 181 hits with a .240 lifetime batting average. After retiring as a player, he briefly served as a Minor League manager, before returning to the Major League level as a coach with the Tigers (1957 to 1958). Lund went on to serve as head coach of the University of Michigan baseball team and in 1962, he guided the Wolverines to the NCAA World Series Title. He later worked within the Tigers' front office, prior to returning to the University of Michigan where he served as assistant athletic director. He was named to the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1984. He died from natural causes.
Bio by: C.S.
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