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National Industrial Basketball League

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National Industrial Basketball League
SportBasketball
Founded1947
Ceased1963
No. of teams25
CountryUnited StatesUnited States
Last
champion(s)		Cleveland Pipers (1st title)
Most titlesPhillips 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.

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

League history

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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

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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 (1952-1953), 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 3–17 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

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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.

Demise of the NIBL

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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

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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

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Basketball Hall of Fame alumni

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Hall of Famer Bob Boozer.

NIBL players who became NBA/ABA All-Stars

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NIBL Olympic Players and Coaches

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Notable NIBL alumni

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NIBL Teams

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List of champions

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NIBL All-Star Game

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  • 1958, Peoria: East - West 113-104 [5]
  • 1959, Denver: East - West 81-78

NIBL Standings (1947-1948 to 1960-1961)

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1947-1948 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Milwaukee Harnischfegers 8 0 1
Caterpillar Diesels 5 3 0.625
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 4 4 0.5
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 3 5 0.375
Fort Wayne General Electrics 0 8 0
1948-1949 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 15 1 0.938
Denver Chevvies 11 5 0.688
Caterpillar Diesels 8 8 0.5
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 4 12 0.25
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 2 14 0.125
1949-1950 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 9 1 0.9
Caterpillar Diesels 7 3 0.7
Denver Chevvies 5 5 0.5
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 3 7 0.3
Dayton Industrialists 3 7 0.3
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 2 14 0.125
1950-1951 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 22 3 0.888
Oakland Blue 'n Gold Atlas 11 6 0.647
San Francisco Stewart Chevrolets 12 8 0.6
Caterpillar Diesels 15 13 0.538
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 5 8 0.385
Dayton Air Gems 5 12 0.294
Denver Chevvies 5 14 0.263
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 1 12 0.077
1951-1952 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 17 5 0.773
Oakland Atlas-Pacific Engineers 16 6 0.727
San Francisco Stewart Chevrolets 16 6 0.727
Caterpillar Diesels 13 9 0.591
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 12 10 0.545
Los Angeles Fibber McGee & Mollys 9 13 0.409
Artesia REA Travelers 9 13 0.409
Denver Central Bankers 8 14 0.364
Santa Maria Golden Dukes 8 14 0.364
Dayton Air-Gems 7 15 0.318
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 5 17 0.227
1952-1953 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 13 3 0.812
Peoria Cats 12 4 0.75
Santa Maria Golden Dukes 10 6 0.625
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 9 7 0.562
Houston Ada Oilers 8 8 0.5
Los Angeles Kirby's Shoes 7 9 0.438
Denver Central Bankers 6 10 0.375
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 5 11 0.312
Artesia REA Travelers 2 14 0.125
1953-1954 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 10 4 0.714
Peoria Cats 10 4 0.714
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 9 5 0.643
Denver Central Bankers 9 5 0.643
Santa Maria Golden Dukes 7 7 0.5
Artesia CVE Travelers 4 10 0.286
Houston Ada Oilers 4 10 0.286
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 3 11 0.214
1954-1955 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 19 5 0.792
Peoria Cats 16 8 0.667
Denver Central Bankers 12 12 0.5
Houston Ada Oilers 12 12 0.5
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 10 14 0.417
Artesia CVE Travelers 8 16 0.333
Akron CVE Travelers 7 17 0.292
1955-1956 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 16 8 0.667
Peoria Cats 15 9 0.625
Wichita Vickers 15 9 0.625
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 9 15 0.375
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 5 19 0.208
1956-1957 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 13 7 0.65
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 11 9 0.55
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers 11 9 0.55
Peoria Cats 11 9 0.55
Wichita Vickers 11 9 0.55
Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys 3 17 0.15
1957-1958 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 21 9 0.7
Wichita Vickers 21 9 0.7
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers 16 14 0.533
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots 15 15 0.5
Peoria Cats 15 15 0.5
Kansas City Kaycees 2 28 0.064
1958-1959 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers 21 9 0.7
Wichita Vickers 19 11 0.633
Phillips 66ers 15 15 0.5
Akron Wingfoots 13 17 0.433
Peoria Cats 12 18 0.4
Seattle Buchan Bakers 10 20 0.333
1959-1960 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Phillips 66ers 24 8 0.75
Wichita Vickers 22 10 0.688
Akron Wingfoots 18 14 0.563
Cleveland Pipers 16 16 0.5
Peoria Cats 16 16 0.5
San Francisco Investors 15 17 0.469
Seattle Buchan Bakers 14 18 0.438
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers 12 20 0.375
New York Tuck Tapers 7 25 0.219
1960-1961 Season
Team Name Wins Losses Win Pct
Eastern Division
Cleveland Pipers 24 10 0.706
Akron Goodyears 15 19 0.441
New York Tuck Tapers 15 19 0.441
Western Division
Denver Denver-Chicago Truckers 22 12 0.647
Bartlesville Phillips 66ers 16 18 0.471
Seattle Buchan Bakers 10 24 0.294
Playoffs
Championship Game Cleveland 136, Denver 100
Consolation Game Bartlesville 114, Akron 112

Teams profiles

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Division Team City Arena Capacity Club Founded NIBL Years NIBL Titles
National Industrial Basketball League
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Akron, Ohio Akron Goodyear Hall 5,000 1918 1947-1961 -
Phillips 66ers Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bartlesville High School Gym and Phillips Gymnasium 1,400 and 2,600 1925 1948-1961 11
Peoria Caterpillars Peoria, Illinois Robertson Memorial Field House 8,300 1937 1947-1960 1
Fort Wayne General Electrics Fort Wayne, Indiana North Side High School Gym 3,000 1935 1947-1948 -
Buchan Bakers Seattle, Washington Seattle Civic Auditorium 2,963 1948 1948-1961 -
Houston Ada Oilers Houston, Texas Jeppesen Gymnasium 2,500 1952 1952-1955 -
Oakland Bittners Oakland, California ? ? 1941 1950-1952 -
Wichita Vickers Wichita, Kansas Wichita Civic Auditorium ? 1955 1955-1960 -
Cleveland Pipers Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Arena 10,000 1959 1959-1961 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b 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".
  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".
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