National Industrial Basketball League

Last updated
National Industrial Basketball League
Sport Basketball
Founded1947
Ceased1963
No. of teams25
Country Flag of the United States.svg United States
Last
champion(s)
Cleveland Pipers (1st title)
Most titles Phillips 66ers (11)

The National Industrial Basketball League was founded in 1947 to enable U.S. mill workers a chance to compete in basketball. The league was founded by the industrial teams (teams sponsored by the large companies and made up of their employees) belonging to the National Basketball League (NBL) that did not join the National Basketball Association when the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America.

Contents

The NIBL teams participated every year in the AAU National tournament against teams from other amateur or semi-professional leagues.

League history

The league's first year, 1947–48, featured five teams in an eight-game schedule—the Milwaukee Harnischfeger's (which won the round robin schedule with an 8–0 record), Peoria Caterpillars, Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys, Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, and Fort Wayne General Electrics. The following season (1948–1949), with a 16-game schedule, the new lineup was league champion Bartlesville Phillips 66ers (15-1 record), Denver Chevvies, Peoria Caterpillars, Akron Goodyears/Akron Goodyear Wingfoots, and Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys.

In the 1949–50 season, with the addition of the Dayton Industrialists making the league a six-team circuit, the Phillips 66ers repeated as champions. The league expanded again in the 1950–51 season to eight teams, adding the (Oakland Blue 'n Gold Atlas) and San Francisco Stewart Chevrolets. The Dayton team renamed as the Dayton Air Gems, and the Phillips 66ers repeated for their third consecutive title.

High point of league expansion

The league expanded to 11 teams, in 1951-52 with such new teams as the Los Angeles Fibber McGee & Mollys, Artesia REA Travelers, and Santa Maria Golden Dukes. The 66ers just edged the Oakland Atlas-Pacific Engineers and the San Francisco Stewart Chevrolets for their fourth title, with a 17–5 record to their opponents 16-6 records that tied for second. The next season (1952-53), the league dropped down to nine teams, but saw new opponents in the Houston Ada Oilers and the Los Angeles Kirby's Shoes. [1] The 66ers beat the Caterpillars for the title by one game, with a 13–3 record.

The Peoria Cats tied the 66ers for the 1953-54 title, each with a 10–4 record. The next two seasons, the 66ers and the Cats took first and second respectively. A new team in the greatly reduced circuit of five teams in 1955-56 was the Wichita Vickers.

The 1956-57 season was one of the most competitive in the NIBL history. While the 66ers again took first with a 13–7 record, four teams tied for second with 11-9 records, including the newly added Denver-Chicago Truckers. This proved to be the last season for the Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys, who finished last for the seventh time with a 317 record.

The 1957–58 season saw the Vickers move to the forefront, tying the 66ers for the league title with a 21–9 record. A new team that year was the Kansas City Kaycee's.

End of the Phillips 66ers winning streak

In the 1958–59 season, the 66ers failed to take the league title for the first time since their coming to the league, finishing in third place. The Truckers finished first with a 21–9 record, with the Vickers runner-up at 19–11. Joining the league that season was the Seattle Buchan Bakers. However, in the 1959–60 season, the 66ers regained their title as league champions.

The 1963-64 Phillips 66ers, from left to right: [standing] Don Watkins (team manager), Jerry Shipp, Ken Charlton, Jim Hagan, Mike Moran, Terry Cerkvenik, Bud Browning, [kneeling] Ken Saylors, Del Ray Mounts, Denny Price, Larry Pursiful, Charlie Bowerman and Bob Turner. 1963-64 Phillips 66ers.jpg
The 1963-64 Phillips 66ers, from left to right: [standing] Don Watkins (team manager), Jerry Shipp, Ken Charlton, Jim Hagan, Mike Moran, Terry Cerkvenik, Bud Browning, [kneeling] Ken Saylors, Del Ray Mounts, Denny Price, Larry Pursiful, Charlie Bowerman and Bob Turner.

Demise of the NIBL

By the early 1960s, NIBL teams were increasingly struggling to compete with the salaries offered in professional league. Top college graduates increasingly gravitated to the NBA, and the NIBL began to decline in popularity and profitability. This is evidenced by the disbandment of the Peoria Cats at the end of the 1959–60 season.

In the NIBL's final season, 1960–61, the league had dropped down to only six members divided into two divisions, Eastern (Cleveland Pipers, Akron Goodyears, New York Tuck Tapers) and Western (Denver-Chicago Truckers, Phillips 66ers, and Seattle Buchan Bakers). Instead of the round-robin schedule determining a winner, the league sponsored a four-team playoff. The Pipers beat the Truckers for the championship, 136–100. The 66ers beat the Goodyears for in a match for third place, 114–112.

In 1961, the league dropped their industrial sponsors and merged with other amateur leagues to form the National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL). [2] The Pipers and the Tapers left to join the newly formed American Basketball League in 1961.

The amateur nature of the NIBL

In the 1950s the salaries were about the same as the NBA and there was a job for all players in their companies. Some of them ended up being president of their companies, working there for a lifetime. Most of players wanted no part of the uncertain professional game, and instead were accepting a position with the companies, rejecting offers even from NBA.

The NIBL was dedicated to remaining amateur at a time when basketball was desperately trying to carve out some postwar space in the pro sports landscape. But professional basketball staggered forward and the NIBL flourished, mostly because its stability allowed companies to poach stars such as Bob Kurland.

The NIBL merged with other AAU leagues and reorganized into the National AAU Basketball League (NABL) in 1961. [3]

Notable NIBL alumni

Basketball Hall of Fame alumni

Hall of Famer Bob Boozer. Bob Boozer.jpg
Hall of Famer Bob Boozer.

NIBL players who became NBA/ABA All-Stars

NIBL Olympic Players and Coaches

Notable NIBL alumni

NIBL teams

List of champions

NIBL All-Star Game

NIBL standings (1947–1948 to 1960–1961)

1947–1948 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Milwaukee Harnischfegers801.000
Caterpillar Diesels 53.625
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys44.500
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 35.375
Fort Wayne General Electrics08.000
1948–1949 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 151.938
Denver Chevvies 115.688
Caterpillar Diesels 88.500
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 412.250
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys214.125
1949–1950 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 91.900
Caterpillar Diesels 73.700
Denver Chevvies 55.500
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 37.300
Dayton Industrialists37.300
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys214.125
1950–1951 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 223.888
Oakland Blue 'n Gold Atlas 116.647
San Francisco Stewart Chevrolets128.600
Caterpillar Diesels 1513.538
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 58.385
Dayton Air Gems512.294
Denver Chevvies 514.263
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys112.077
1951–1952 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 175.773
Oakland Atlas-Pacific Engineers166.727
San Francisco Stewart Chevrolets166.727
Caterpillar Diesels 139.591
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 1210.545
Los Angeles Fibber McGee & Mollys913.409
Artesia REA Travelers913.409
Denver Central Bankers814.364
Santa Maria Golden Dukes814.364
Dayton Air-Gems715.318
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys517.227
1952–1953 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 133.812
Peoria Cats 124.750
Santa Maria Golden Dukes106.625
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 97.562
Houston Ada Oilers 88.500
Los Angeles Kirby's Shoes79.438
Denver Central Bankers610.375
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys511.312
Artesia REA Travelers214.125
1953–1954 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 104.714
Peoria Cats 104.714
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 95.643
Denver Central Bankers95.643
Santa Maria Golden Dukes77.500
Artesia CVE Travelers410.286
Houston Ada Oilers 410.286
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys311.214
1954–1955 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 195.792
Peoria Cats 168.667
Denver Central Bankers1212.500
Houston Ada Oilers 1212.500
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys1014.417
Artesia CVE Travelers816.333
Akron CVE Travelers717.292
1955–1956 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 168.667
Peoria Cats 159.625
Wichita Vickers 159.625
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 915.375
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys519.208
1956–1957 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 137.650
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 119.550
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers119.550
Peoria Cats 119.550
Wichita Vickers 119.550
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys317.150
1957–1958 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 219.700
Wichita Vickers 219.700
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers1614.533
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 1515.500
Peoria Cats 1515.500
Kansas City Kaycees228.064
1958–1959 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers219.700
Wichita Vickers 1911.633
Phillips 66ers 1515.500
Akron Wingfoots 1317.433
Peoria Cats 1218.400
Seattle Buchan Bakers 1020.333
1959–1960 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Phillips 66ers 248.750
Wichita Vickers 2210.688
Akron Wingfoots 1814.563
Cleveland Pipers 1616.500
Peoria Cats 1616.500
San Francisco Investors1517.469
Seattle Buchan Bakers 1418.438
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers1220.375
New York Tuck Tapers 725.219
1960–1961 season
TeamWinsLossesWin Pct.
Eastern Division
Cleveland Pipers 2410.706
Akron Goodyears 1519.441
New York Tuck Tapers 1519.441
Western Division
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers2212.647
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 1618.471
Seattle Buchan Bakers 1024.294
Playoffs
Championship GameCleveland 136, Denver 100
Consolation GameBartlesville 114, Akron 112

Teams profiles

DivisionTeamCityArenaCapacityClubFoundedNIBL YearsNIBL Titles
National Industrial Basketball League
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Akron, Ohio Akron Goodyear Hall 5,00019181947–1961
Phillips 66ers Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bartlesville High School Gym and Phillips Gymnasium 1,400 and 2,60019251948–196111
Peoria Caterpillars Peoria, Illinois Robertson Memorial Field House 8,30019371947–19601
Fort Wayne General Electrics Fort Wayne, Indiana North Side High School Gym 3,00019351947–1948
Buchan Bakers Seattle, Washington Seattle Civic Auditorium 2,96319481948–1961
Houston Ada Oilers Houston, Texas Jeppesen Gymnasium 2,50019521952–1955
Oakland Bittners Oakland, California ?  ?19411950–1952
Wichita Vickers Wichita, Kansas Wichita Civic Auditorium  ?19551955–1960
Cleveland Pipers Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Arena 10,00019591959–19611

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Panella, Bob (December 12, 1952). "Kirby's Host the Best". Hollywood Citizen-News. p. 8. Retrieved September 29, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Player Reunion to Highlight Goodyear Wingfoots 100th Anniversary" (Press release).
  3. "Player Reunion to Highlight Goodyear Wingfoots 100th Anniversary" (Press release).
  4. "Kirby's drop out of cage league". Daily News. March 22, 1953. p. 55. Retrieved September 29, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "AAU Buchan Bakers".