Don Sunderlage
A sharp-shooting guard whose brief NBA career was marked by a single, spectacular All-Star season with the Milwaukee Hawks.
1929–1961 (age 32)·American basketball player·Birthday: December 20·The Silent Generation
Biography
Don Sunderlage's basketball story is one of a brilliant, concentrated flash. After a standout college career at the University of Illinois, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten selection, he entered the NBA in 1953. His moment arrived in the 1954-55 season with the Milwaukee Hawks. Operating as a crafty playmaker and reliable scorer, Sunderlage averaged a career-high 11.1 points per game and his performance earned him a spot on the NBA All-Star team—a remarkable achievement for a player on a struggling team. That season proved to be his peak; he played only one more year in the league before his career was cut short. His legacy rests on that one explosive year where he demonstrated the skills that placed him among the league's best, if only for a winter.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Don was born in 1929, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Don Was Born
The biggest hits of 1929
#1 Movie
The Broadway Melody
Best Picture
The Broadway Melody
Don's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1929Born
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1934Started school
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stars Fell on Alabama" — Jack TeagardenBest Picture: It Happened One Night
1942Became a teenager
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1945Could drive
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1947Could vote
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1950Turned 21
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1959Turned 30
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1961Died at 32
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
Key Achievements
- Selected as an NBA All-Star for the 1955 game while playing for the Milwaukee Hawks.
- Averaged a career-high 11.1 points and 3.5 assists per game during his All-Star season.
- Was a two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection while playing for the University of Illinois.
Did You Know?
He was the first University of Illinois alumnus to be named an NBA All-Star.
Sunderlage served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War before his professional basketball career.
His NBA career lasted only three seasons in total.
“You beat your man with the pass as much as with the dribble.”
