1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots season

1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots season
NBL champions
Head coachLefty Byers
ArenaGoodyear Hall
Results
Record13–5 (.722)
PlaceDivision: 2nd (Eastern)
Playoff finishDefeated Oshkosh All-Stars in NBL Championship, 2–1

The 1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots season was the Wingfoots' inaugural year in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL), which was also the first year the league existed.[1] However, if you include their previous seasons of existence as an independent team, alongside seasons where they competed in the Amateur Athletic Union, the National Industrial League (not to be confused with the National Industrial Basketball League that they would later compete in, with the Goodyear Wingfoots winning a championship in the NIL in 1932), and what were considered to be predecessors to the NBL in the National Professional Basketball League and the Midwest Basketball Conference (the latter of which the Goodyear Wingfoots won that league's final championship under that name before it folded operations and was considered to be rebranded as the NBL according to some basketball historians[2][3][4]), this season would officially be considered their 20th season of play as a team. Thirteen teams competed in the NBL, comprising six teams in the Eastern Division (Akron Goodyear's division) and seven teams in the Western Division.[5] The Wingfoots were one of two teams from Akron, Ohio in the league, the other being the Akron Firestone Non-Skids.[1]

The Wingfoots played their home games at Goodyear Hall.[6] They finished the season with a 13–5 record, placing second in the Eastern Division.[5] However, they went on the win the league's playoffs championship against the Western Division's Oshkosh All-Stars, two games to one in a best-of-three series.[5]

Head coach Lefty Byers won the league's first Coach of the Year Award, while players Chuck Bloedorn and Charley Shipp earned First Team All-NBL honors.[5]

Roster

1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From
F Wesley Bennett 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1913–03-31 Westminster (PA)
G Chuck Bloedorn 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1912–05–28 Illinois Tech
F/C Robert Cope 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1911–09–03 Mount Union
G/F Wilson Fitts 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1915–06–16 Akron
G Leroy Lins 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1913–06–21 Rutgers
G Johnny McAdams 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 147 lb (67 kg) 1912–04–15 Ohio Wesleyan
C Dean Mealy 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1915–05–07 Muskingum
F/C Ray Morstadt 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1913–03–10 Marquette
F Russ Ochsenhirt 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1912–04–16 Pittsburgh
F Mal Rush 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1909–04–02 Bethany (WV)
G/F Charley Shipp 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1913–12–03 Catholic
G/F Chelso Tamagno 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1912–03–20 Michigan
Head coach
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Roster

Note: Leroy Lins and Ray Morstadt were not on the playoffs roster.

Regular season

Season standings

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

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals

(E2) Akron Goodyear Wingfoots vs. (E1) Akron Firestone Non-Skids: Goodyear Wingfoots win series 2–0

  • Game 1: February 24, 1938 @ Goodyear Wingfoots: Goodyear Wingfoots 26, Firestone Non-Skids 21
  • Game 2: February 25, 1938 @ Firestone Non-Skids: Goodyear Wingfoots 37, Firestone Non-Skids 31

NBL Championship

(E2) Akron Goodyear Wingfoots vs. (W1) Oshkosh All-Stars: Goodyear Wingfoots win series 2–1

  • Game 1: February 28, 1938 @ Oshkosh: Akron 29, Oshkosh 28
  • Game 2: March 3, 1938 @ Akron: Oshkosh 39, Akron 31
  • Game 3: March 4, 1938 @ Akron: Akron 35, Oshkosh 27

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ a b "NBL Season Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. ^ Nelson, Murry R. (2009). The National Basketball League: A History, 1935–1949. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7864-4006-1., p. 32
  3. ^ https://nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/MidwestBasketballConference/index.html
  4. ^ https://nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/NBL/index.html
  5. ^ a b c d "1937–38 NBL Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  6. ^ "Akron Goodyear → 1937–1938". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
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