Akron Goodyear Wingfoots
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | ||||
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Leagues |
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Founded | 1918 | |||
Arena | AAU National Tournaments (1964, 1967) (1967, 1968, 1969)3 National AAU Basketball League | |||
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The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots are one of the oldest
History
1931–37: Post AAU era
The Wingfoots joined the National Basketball League for the 1932–1933 season, playing against strong teams like
. They won the league title in 1937, after defeating Fort Wayne, in a best of three games series sweep.1937–42: NBL success
In the late 1930s, Goodyear, Firestone, General Electric, and other companies with similar Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Elite teams, decided to form the National Basketball League (NBL) to showcase their teams (it was actually that the MBC changed its name to the NBL).[2] The Wingfoots won the first NBL title in 1938. During the 1938–1939 season, the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots finished second in the National Basketball League's Eastern Division. The team finished behind the Akron Firestone Non-Skids, another team from Akron, each season. However, the Wingfoots did capture the league's first championship, after an impressive playoff run. During the 1939–1940 season, the Wingfoots finished third in the Eastern Division, winning exactly fifty percent of the team's games. During the next season, the squad finished next to last in the National Basketball League. During the 1941–1942 season, the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots experienced a turnaround, finishing third in the National Basketball League. The team, however, lost in the first round of the playoffs. The team began the 1942–1943 season, but a poor performance on the court, and a declining number of men available to play due, to World War II, caused the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots to cease operation before the season's end.
1946–61: NIBL
The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots joined the National Industrial Basketball League in 1946, and became an integrated part of the league. They never met any success, as the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers dominated in winning the titles. In 15 seasons, their record was 126 wins and 139 losses.
1961–73: NABL and FIBA Intercontinental Cups
The team was not a part of the BAA and NBL merger that created the
1973–present
Always a stepping stone for new leagues such as the NBA, the
Akron Wingfoots Finals
- 1938 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots – Oshkosh All-Stars 2–1 (series)
- 1964 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots – Phillips 66ers 86–78
- 1967 Goodyear Wingfoots – Phillips 66ers77–62
- January 7, 1967, Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome (15,000): Akron Goodyear Wingfoots – Ignis Varese 78–72
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots (Henry "Hank" Vaughn): Vern Benson 3, Jim Rayl 20, Jay Miller 22, Jim King 2, Mike McCoy 13 – Calvin Fowler 4, Ed Corell 6, Dan Anderson 6, Mike Dabich 2
- January 6, 1968, Spectrum, Philadelphia (17,000): Akron Goodyear Wingfoots – Real Madrid 105–73[3]
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots (Henry "Hank" Vaughn): Calvin Fowler 22, Jerry Curless 8, Jim King 12, Tom Duff 10, Tom Black 14 – Dennis Berholtz 6, Randy Berentz 20, Gary Williams 2, John Schroeder 4, Mike Patterson 5, Ed McKae 2
- Spartak ZJS Brno basketball 84–71[4]
Akron Goodyear Wingfoots (Henry "Hank" Vaughn): Pete Cunningham 12, Jerry Curless 8, Randy Berentz 16, Mike Patterson 9, Grady Norman 14 – John Schroeder 2, Stewart 9, Worstell 8, Gallagher 2, Fonts 4
NBL seasons
Stagione | League | Name | V | P | % | Standings | Play-offs |
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1937–38 | NBL | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | 13 | 5 | 72.2 | 2nd | Champions |
1938–39 | NBL | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | 14 | 14 | 50.0 | 2nd | - |
1939–40 | NBL | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | 14 | 14 | 50.0 | 3rd | - |
1940–41 | NBL | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | 11 | 13 | 45.8 | 6th | - |
1941–42 | NBL | Akron Goodyear Wingfoots | 15 | 9 | 62.5 | 3rd | Semifinals |
Trophies
The Akron Wingfoots won the
- National Basketball League: 1 (1937–1938)
- FIBA Intercontinental Cup: 3 (1967, 1968, 1969)
- AAU National Tournament: 2 (1964, 1967)
- National AAU Basketball League: 3 (1967, 1968, 1969)
- Midwest Basketball Conference: 1 (1937)
- National Industrial League: 1 (1932)
Notable players
Several Wingfoots' players represented the
- Calvin Fowler: United States (18)
Calvin B. Fowler was the captain of the United States gold medal basketball team at the 1967 Pan American Games. He played for the Wingfoots for 10 years (1960–1970), and he was an active international player between 1967 and 1968.
- Pete McCaffrey: United States (16)
Pete McCaffrey played for the gold medal-winning United States men's national basketball team at the 1964 Summer Olympics. He also played at the 1963 FIBA World Championship, where the United States finished fourth.
- Adrian Smith: United States (13)
After playing for the Wingfoots in 1961,
Akron Wingfoots players on Team USA
- Larry Brown: played at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Richard Davies: played at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Pete McCaffrey: played at the 1964 Summer Olympics
- Jim King: played at the 1968 Summer Olympics
- Henry Vaughn: participated at the 1963 FIBA World Championship (assistant coach), the 1964 Summer Olympics (assistant coach), the 1963 Pan American Games (assistant coach), and the 1970 FIBA World Championship (assistant coach)
- Vern Benson: played at the 1967 FIBA World Championship
- Chuck Bloedorn: participated at the 1967 Pan American Games (team manager)
- Calvin Fowler: played at the 1967 Pan American Games (captain) and the 1968 Summer Olympics
Other notable players
References
- ^ "National Basketball League".
- ^ "Akron Wingfoots".
- ^ "50 YEARS OF INTERCONTINENTAL CUP FOR CLUB 1966 2015 - apbr.org". www.apbr.org. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ "Intercontinental Cup 1969". www.linguasport.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.