National Basketball League (United States)

For other organizations with similar names, see National Basketball League (disambiguation) and NBL (disambiguation).
National Basketball League (NBL)
Sport Basketball
Founded 1937
Inaugural season 1937–38
Ceased August 3, 1949 merger
No. of teams 38
Country United States
Last
champion(s)		 Anderson Packers (1st title)
Most titles Akron Firestone Non-Skids
Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
Oshkosh All-Stars (2 each)

The National Basketball League (NBL) was a professional men's basketball league in the United States established in 1937. After the 1948–49 season, its twelfth, it merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA) to create the National Basketball Association (NBA).

History

The predecessor of this league was the Midwest Basketball Conference in 1935. It changed its name in 1937 in an attempt to attract a larger audience. The league was created by three corporations: General Electric, Firestone and Goodyear. It was primarily made up of Great Lakes area small-market and corporate teams.

The league began rather informally. Scheduling was left to the discretion of each of the teams, as long as the team played at least ten games and four of them were on the road. Games played increased yearly as the popularity of professional basketball and the NBL grew in America. Games consisted either of four ten-minute quarters or three fifteen-minute periods. The choice was made by the home team. Some of the teams were independent, while others were owned by companies that also found jobs for their players.

Chicago newspaper sports editor Leo Fischer acted as president of the NBL from 1940–44.

In 1946, the Basketball Association of America (BAA) incorporated resulting in a three-year battle with the NBL to win both players and fans. The BAA played its games in larger cities and venues.

On August 3, 1949, representatives from the 12-year-old NBL and 3 year old BAA met at the BAA offices in New York's Empire State Building to finalize a merger. Maurice Podoloff was elected head of the new league. The new National Basketball Association (NBA) was made up of 17 teams that represented both small towns and large cities across the country. Unlike the records and statistics of the rival BAA, NBL records and statistics are not considered valid in official NBA totals for records and statistics.

The history of the NBL falls into three eras, each contributing significantly to the growth of professional basketball and the emergence of the NBA. The first dynasty centered on the Oshkosh All-Stars and their center Leroy "Cowboy" Edwards. The middle years saw the emergence of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, who were later instrumental in the survival of the NBA during its infancy. The final period of note during the NBL's existence centered on George Mikan and the emergence of the big man in basketball.[1]

Early years

The Oshkosh All-Stars, who appeared in the championship series five consecutive years (1938–42) and won two titles, were led by rugged 6' 4" (1.93 m) center Leroy "Cowboy" Edwards. Edwards was a consensus NCAA "All American" and Helms Foundation "College Player of the Year" as a member of the 1934–35 University of Kentucky Wildcats. He left Kentucky after two years, only the one varsity season, to pursue a professional basketball career, which was unheard of at the time. He led the NBL in scoring three consecutive seasons, 1937–38 to 1939–40. He set numerous NBL and professional basketball scoring records and is generally credited with the introduction of the "3 second rule" in basketball which is still in existence today. Edwards played all 12 NBL seasons with the Oshkosh All-Stars and retired just prior to its merger with the BAA to form the NBA.

Middle years

The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons—so nicknamed because they were owned by Fred Zollner, whose company made pistons for engines—were led by tough veteran Bobby McDermott. The Pistons finished second in 1942 and 1943 and won the league title in 1944 and 1945. Like many teams of that era, it wasn't uncommon for Fort Wayne to play its games in taverns, armories, high-school gyms or ballrooms.

Under Zollner, the Pistons would eventually play an important role in the survival and growth of the NBA. Zollner's financial support of the NBA helped the league stay afloat during its tumultuous formative years.

Challenging the Zollner Pistons and Oshkosh for supremacy were the Sheboygan Red Skins. Beginning in 1941, the season before Fort Wayne joined the NBL, Sheboygan appeared in five of six championship series. They lost to Oshkosh in the 1941 finals, beat Fort Wayne for the title in 1943 but lost to the Zollner Pistons in 1944 and 1945, and were swept in the 1946 finals by the league's newest member, the powerhouse Rochester Royals, who boasted Hall of Famers Al Cervi, Bob Davies and Red Holzman.

Later years

The NBL's third era was dominated by Mikan, the 6'10" (2.08 m), three-time NCAA "All-American" center from DePaul University in Chicago. As a rookie he led the Chicago American Gears to the 1947 NBL title, but before the next season, owner Maurice White pulled his team out of the league and formed his own 24-team circuit called the Professional Basketball League of America. That venture quickly failed, and Mikan was signed by the NBL's Minneapolis Lakers, where he teamed with the versatile Jim Pollard to win the 1948 championship.

After the 1947–48 season, Mikan's Lakers quit the League to join the Basketball Association of America (BAA), along with three other NBL clubs: Rochester, Fort Wayne, and Indianapolis.

The NBL added an all-black team in December of its final season, when one of its replacement clubs folded, the Detroit Vagabond Kings. That franchise was awarded to a famous barnstorming team, the New York Rens, composed entirely of African Americans, to play out the season in Dayton, Ohio, as the Dayton Rens. In 1949 after a three-year battle with the BAA for fans and players the NBL and BAA merged to become the NBA.

Legacy

The NBL contributed significantly to the foundation of the NBA, but it also had major accomplishments in other areas, most notably in offering opportunities for African-American players. In the 1942–43 season, with many players in the armed forces, two NBL clubs, the Toledo Jim White Chevrolets and the Chicago Studebakers, filled their rosters by signing African-Americans—five years before Jackie Robinson would break baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Neither team fared well. Toledo signed several black players to start the season, including Bill Jones, who had starred at the University of Toledo, but the team lost its first four games and folded due to financial difficulties. Chicago stocked its roster with several members of the Harlem Globetrotters, who worked during the week at the Studebaker plant, but it also folded after compiling an 8–15 record.

Five current NBA teams trace their history back to the NBL. Three teams joined the BAA in 1948: the Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los Angeles Lakers), the Rochester Royals (now the Sacramento Kings), and the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (now the Detroit Pistons). Two more teams were part of the merger that created the NBA in 1949: the Buffalo Bisons/Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now the Atlanta Hawks), and the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers).

Five former NBA teams also trace their history back to the NBL: the Anderson Packers, Denver Nuggets, Indianapolis Jets (as the Kautskys), Sheboygan Red Skins and Waterloo Hawks played in the NBL/BAA/NBA. The Jets played in the BAA for the 1948–49 season only; the remaining teams for the 1949–50 season only. Anderson, Sheboygan and Waterloo joined the National Professional Basketball League in 1950.

The NBL also created the Indianapolis Olympians for the 1949–50 NBA season. When the NBL and BAA merged, this team joined the NBA without playing a single NBL game.

Also still surviving are the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, the initial NBL Champion in 1938. The Wingfoots suspended operations for World War II and were not included in the NBL/BAA merger. Instead, they remained in the National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL), which in 1961 became the National AAU Basketball League (NABL). The Wingfoots are still an AAU Elite team in the NABL.

Teams

[2] Note: * denotes a team currently playing in the NBA (7 ancestors of 5 NBA clubs).

All-time scoring leaders

[2]

* Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
George Mikan (#99) holds the highest per-game scoring average (19.85) in NBL history.
Rank Player Team(s) Games Points PPG
1
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, Chicago American Gears, Sheboygan Redskins, Tri-Cities Blackhawks 287 3,583 12.48
2
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars, Indianapolis Kautskys 322 3,221 10.00
3
 Englund, GeneGene Englund Oshkosh All-Stars 238 2,600 10.92
4
 Dancker, EdEd Dancker Sheboygan Redskins, Oshkosh All-Stars 321 2,490 7.76
5
 Cervi, AlAl Cervi* Buffalo Bisons, Rochester Royals, Syracuse Nationals 187 2,326 12.44
6
 Otten, DonDon Otten Buffalo Bisons, Tri-Cities Blackhawks 168 2,292 13.64
7
 Novak, MichaelMichael Novak Chicago American Gears, Sheboygan Redskins, Syracuse Nationals 267 2,279 8.54
8
 Carpenter, BobBob Carpenter Oshkosh All-Stars, Hammond Ciesar All-Americans 209 2,140 10.24
9
 Glamack, GeorgeGeorge Glamack Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, Rochester Royals, Indianapolis Kautskys, Hammond Calumet Buccaneers 202 2,138 10.58
10
 Pelkington, JakeJake Pelkington Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 226 1,949 8.62
11
 Shipp, CharlesCharles Shipp Akron Firestone Non-Skids, Oshkosh All-Stars, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, Waterloo Hawks 376 1,935 5.15
12
 Patrick, StanStan Patrick Chicago American Gears, Midland Dow A.C.'s, Hammond Calumet Buccaneers 212 1,765 8.33
13
 Mikan, GeorgeGeorge Mikan* Chicago American Gears, Minneapolis Lakers 81 1,608 19.85
14
 Risen, ArnieArnie Risen* Indianapolis Kautskys, Rochester Royals, Toledo Jeeps 123 1,606 13.06
15
 Schultz, HowieHowie Schultz Anderson Packers 165 1,600 9.70

Championships

[2]

Year Champion Losing finalist Games
1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Oshkosh All-Stars 2–1
1938–39 Akron Firestone Non-Skids Oshkosh All-Stars 3–2
1939–40 Akron Firestone Non-Skids Oshkosh All-Stars 3–2
1940–41 Oshkosh All-Stars Sheboygan Red Skins 3–0
1941–42 Oshkosh All-Stars Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 2–1
1942–43 Sheboygan Red Skins Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 2–1
1943–44 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons Sheboygan Red Skins 3–0
1944–45 Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons Sheboygan Red Skins 3–2
1945–46 Rochester Royals Sheboygan Red Skins 3–0
1946–47 Chicago American Gears Rochester Royals 3–2
1947–48 Minneapolis Lakers Rochester Royals 3–1
1948–49 Anderson Packers Oshkosh All-Stars 3–0

Season leaders and awards

Source: Steve Dimitry,[3] Murray R. Nelson[2]

* Elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Scoring leader,[2][3]
Season Player Team(s) Points PPG
1937–38
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars 210 16.2
1938–39
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards (2) Oshkosh All-Stars 334 11.9
1939–40
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards (3) Oshkosh All-Stars 361 12.9
1940–41
 Stephens, BenBen Stephens Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 265 11.0
1941–42
 Chuckovits, ChuckChuck Chuckovits Toledo Jim White Chevrolets 406 18.5
1942–43
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons 316 13.7
1943–44
 Riebe, MelMel Riebe Cleveland Chase Brassmen 323 17.9
1944–45
 Riebe, MelMel Riebe (2) Cleveland Allmen Transfers 607 20.2
1945–46
 Carpenter, BobBob Carpenter Oshkosh All-Stars 473 13.9
1946–47
 Cervi, AlAl Cervi* Rochester Royals 632 14.4
1947–48
 Mikan, GeorgeGeorge Mikan* Minneapolis Lakers 1195 21.3
1948–49
 Otten, DonDon Otten Tri-Cities Blackhawks 899 14.0
Most Valuable Player,[2][3]
Season MVP Team
1937–38
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards Oshkosh All-Stars
1938–39
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards (2) Oshkosh All-Stars
1939–40
 Edwards, LeroyLeroy Edwards (3) Oshkosh All-Stars
1940–41
 Stephens, BenBen Stephens Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
1941–42
 Chuckovits, ChuckChuck Chuckovits Toledo Jim White Chevrolets
1942–43
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1943–44
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* (2) Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1944–45
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* (3) Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1945–46
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* (4) Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1946–47
 Davies, BobBob Davies* Rochester Royals
1947–48
 Mikan, GeorgeGeorge Mikan* Minneapolis Lakers
1948–49
 Otten, DonDon Otten Tri-Cities Blackhawks
Coach of the Year,[2][3]
Season Coach Team
1937–38
 Byers, CliffCliff Byers Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
1938–39
 Sheeks, PaulPaul Sheeks Akron Firestone Non-Skids
1939–40
 Sheeks, PaulPaul Sheeks (2) Akron Firestone Non-Skids
1940–41
 Hotchkiss, GeorgeGeorge Hotchkiss Oshkosh All-Stars
1941–42
 Darling, LonLon Darling Oshkosh All-Stars
1942–43
 Roth, CarlCarl Roth Sheboygan Red Skins
1943–44
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1944–45
 McDermott, BobbyBobby McDermott* (2) Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
1945–46
 Harrison, LesterLester Harrison* Rochester Royals
1946–47
 Darling, LonLon Darling Oshkosh All-Stars
1947–48
 Mendenhall, MurrayMurray Mendenhall Anderson Duffey Packers
1948–49
 Cervi, AlAl Cervi* Syracuse Nationals
Rookie of the Year,[2][3]
Season Rookie Team
1937–38
 Kessler, RobertRobert Kessler Indianapolis Kautskys
1938–39
 Young, JewellJewell Young Indianapolis Kautskys
1939–40
 Stephens, BenBen Stephens Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
1940–41
 Sadowski, EdEd Sadowski Indianapolis Kautskys
1941–42
 Glamack, GeorgeGeorge Glamack Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
1942–43
 Buehler, KenKen Buehler Sheboygan Red Skins
1943–44
 Riebe, MelMel Riebe Cleveland Chase Brassmen
1944–45
 Patrick, StanStan Patrick Chicago American Gears
1945–46
 Holzman, RedRed Holzman Rochester Royals
1946–47
 Lewis, FredFred Lewis Sheboygan Red Skins
1947–48
 Todorovich, MikeMike Todorovich Sheboygan Red Skins
1948–49
 Schayes, DolphDolph Schayes* Syracuse Nationals

References

  1. ↑ "NBA Roots". Hoopedia: the Basketball Wiki. NBA.com. Reprinted(?) from "Early Professional Leagues" by Robin Deutsch and Douglas Stark, The Official NBA Encyclopedia, chapter 8(?). Archived 2007-06-30. Retrieved 2015-03-02.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Nelson, Murry R. The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Dimitry, Steve (1998). "Steve Dimitry's NBL Website". Steve Dimitry's Extinct Sports Leagues. Archived from the original on August 18, 2005. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
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