The 1937–38 NBL season was the third season of the National Basketball League (NBL). The league was initially founded as the Midwest Basketball Conference (MBC) in 1935 but changed its name prior to the season in an attempt to attract a larger audience and avoid confusion with the Big Ten Conference, ofted referred to as the Midwest Conference.[1] The season launched with nine franchises, it was irregular because the teams were the ones that had to choose the day and the hour of the match, even the duration (four quarters of 10 minutes or three parts of 15 minutes) was chosen by the local team before the match. The season ended with the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots becoming the NBL's first championship team.[citation needed]
| 1937-38 NBL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Basketball League |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Duration | 1937–1938 |
| Number of teams | 13 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Oshkosh All-Stars |
| Top scorer | Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots |
| Eastern runners-up | Akron Firestone Non-Skids |
| Western champions | Oshkosh All-Stars |
| Western runners-up | Whiting Ciesar All-Americans |
| Finals | |
| Champions | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots |
| Runners-up | Oshkosh All-Stars |
Standings
editEastern Division
edit| Pos. | Eastern Division | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Akron Firestone Non-Skids | 14 | 4 | .778 |
| 2 | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | 13 | 5 | .722 |
| 3 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 8 | 5 | .615 |
| 4 | Buffalo Bisons | 3 | 6 | .333 |
| 5 | Warren Penns | 3 | 9 | .250 |
| 6 | Columbus Athletic Supply | 1 | 12 | .091 |
Western Division
edit| Pos | Team | Wins | Losses | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oshkosh All-Stars | 12 | 2 | .857 |
| 2 | Whiting Ciesar All-Americans | 12 | 3 | .800 |
| 3 | Fort Wayne General Electrics | 13 | 7 | .650 |
| 4 | Indianapolis Kautskys | 4 | 9 | .308 |
| 5 | Richmond King Clothiers | 3 | 7 | .300 |
| 6 | Kankakee Gallagher Trojans | 3 | 11 | .214 |
| 7 | Dayton Metropolitans | 2 | 11 | .154 |
Awards
edit- MVP: Leroy Edwards (Oshkosh)[2]
- Coach of the Year: Lefty Byers (Akron Goodyear)
- Rookie of the Year: Bob Kessler (Indianapolis)
NBL-All First Team
- Leroy Edwards, Oshkosh All-Stars
- Scott Armstrong, Fort Wayne General Electrics
- John Wooden, Whiting Ciesar All-Americans
- Charlie Shipp, Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
- Chuck Bloedorn, Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
NBL-All Second Team
- Soup Cable, Akron Firestone Non-Skids
- Jack Ozburn, Akron Firestone Non-Skids
- Bob Kessler, Indianapolis Kautskys
- Vince McGowan, Whiting Ciesar All-Americans<
- Bart Quinn, Fort Wayne General Electrics
References
edit- ^ "Court league changes name". The South Bend Tribune. Associated Press. October 6, 1937. p. 5. Retrieved June 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos". Archived from the original on August 18, 2005.
