1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots season

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] Thirteen teams competed in the NBL, comprising six teams in the Eastern Division (Akron Goodyear's division) and seven teams in the Western Division.[2] The Wingfoots were one of two teams from Akron, Ohio in the league, the other being the Akron Firestone Non-Skids.[1]

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

The Wingfoots played their home games at Goodyear Hall.[3] They finished the season with a 13–5 record, placing second in the Eastern Division.[2] 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.[2]

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.[2]

Roster
Roster listing
1937–38 Akron Goodyear Wingfoots roster
Players Coaches
Pos.No.NameHeightWeightDOB (YYYY-MM-DD)From
F Bennett, Wesley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1913–03-31 Westminster (PA)
G Bloedorn, Chuck 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1912–05–28 Illinois Tech
F/C Cope, Robert 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1911–09–03 Mount Union
G/F Fitts, Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1915–06–16 Akron
G Lins, Leroy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1913–06–21 Rutgers
G McAdams, Johnny 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 147 lb (67 kg) 1912–04–15 Ohio Wesleyan
C Mealy, Dean 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1915–05–07 Muskingum
F/C Morstadt, Ray 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1913–03–10 Marquette
F Ochsenhirt, Russ 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1912–04–16 Pittsburgh
F Rush, Mal 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1909–04–02 Bethany (WV)
G/F Shipp, Charley 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1913–12–03 Catholic
G/F Tamagno, Chelso 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1912–03–20 Michigan
Head coach
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (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 DivisionWinsLossesWin %
1Akron Firestone Non-Skids144.778
2Akron Goodyear Wingfoots135.722
3Pittsburgh Pirates85.615
4Buffalo Bisons36.333
5Warren Penns39.250
6Columbus Athletic Supply112.091

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals

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

  • Game 1 @ Wingfoots: Wingfoots 26, Non-Skids 21
  • Game 2 @ Non-Skids: Wingfoots 37, Non-Skids 31

NBL Championship

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

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

Awards and honors
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References
  1. "NBL Season Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. "1937–38 NBL Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  3. "Akron Goodyear → 1937–1938". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
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