Don Lund | Legendary University of Michigan baseball coach dies at 90

Don Lund, a three-sport star at the University of Michigan, and a major league outfielder for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, and St. Louis Browns for seven seasons, passed away Tuesday due to natural causes. He was 90. Much of Lund’s acclaim comes from his status at Michigan where he was revered not only for his athletic prowess, lettering nine times...

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Dave Campbell greatly impacted by Michigan baseball coach Lund

Modern baseball fans grew up with Dave Campbell as a mainstay on ESPN’s baseball broadcasts, but a deeper look into the history of this eight-year major league veteran reveals his roots firmly entrenched in the University of Michigan’s baseball program. 1962 Michigan Baseball Team  Campbell was the first baseman on Michigan’s 1962 National Championship team,...

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Honoring the tremendous character of Don Lund

I made my first contact with Don Lund via telephone late in 2007 when I started my research to find out what the experience was for the major league players who debuted as the color line was slowly eroding. He shared his stories of being signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers only a few weeks before Jackie Robinson, and how both of them were offered positions on the major league...

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Book review: Jim Abbott - Imperfect: An Improbable Life

Jim Abbott at signing for Imperfect Jim Abbott stood in front of an eager group of preschoolers ready to talk about the tenets of his baseball career. Little did he know that the most challenging question was going to come from his four-year-old daughter Ella. “She raised her hand and I had no idea what was coming,” Abbott said at a recent book signing in New York...

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Book Review: Playing Ball with Legends: The Story and Stories of Don Lund

Playing Ball with Legends: The Story and the Stories of Don Lund James Robert Irwin Saint James Books, 2009 456 pages When one thinks of Don Lund, what image comes to mind? Is it the first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears? Perhaps one envisions the strapping outfielder for the Dodgers, Browns and Tigers. How about the head coach of the NCAA World Series Champion Michigan...

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