Elmore Morgenthaler

Elmore Robert Morgenthaler (August 3, 1922 – November 25, 1997) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Providence Steamrollers and the Philadelphia Warriors in the Basketball Association of America, among other franchises and leagues.[1] At 7'1",[2] Morgenthaler is officially recognized as the National Basketball Association's first seven-foot player.[3]

Elmore Morgenthaler
Personal information
Born(1922-08-03)August 3, 1922
Otto, Texas
DiedNovember 25, 1997(1997-11-25) (aged 75)
Marlin, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
CollegeNew Mexico Tech (1946)
Boston College (1946–1947)
Playing career1947–1953
PositionCenter
Number7, 17
Career history
1947Providence Steamrollers
1947Birmingham Skyhawks
1947–1949Philadelphia Sphas
1948–1949Philadelphia Warriors
1949–1950Scranton Miners
1950–1951Waterloo Hawks/Grand Rapids Hornets
1951Mexico Aztecas
1951–1953Scranton Miners
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Morgenthaler attended the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology for just the second semester of the 1945–46 season and was near the top of the nation in scoring.[4] He then transferred to Boston College and played most of the 1946–47 season before quitting college basketball at the end of February 1947 to play professionally.[5] The Providence Steamrollers, for whom he played in the second half of the 1946–47 season, was a member of the Basketball Association of America (which later became the NBA, thus its history was adopted by the NBA). He was waived by the Steamrollers on September 27, 1947, and did not return to the BAA until he signed with the Philadelphia Warriors on November 18, 1948.[6]

In 1996, aged 74, Morgenthaler was living by himself in a rundown apartment building in Marlin, Texas. His right arm and a part of his left leg were paralyzed from a stroke he suffered in 1984. Like other former professional basketball players in the 1940s and 1950s, Morgenthaler did not receive a pension from the NBA and lived his final years in poverty.[2] At the time of his death, he was residing at Bremond Nursing Home in Bremond, Texas.[7] Morgenthaler died due to pneumonia at Falls Community Hospital in Marlin.[7]

BAA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1946–47 Providence 11.308.583.31.4
1948–49 Philadelphia 20.385.667.42.1
Career 31.365.633.31.8
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References
  1. "Elmore Morgenthaler stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  2. Gustkey, Earl (October 28, 1996). "The NBA's Dirty Secret : Amid Ostentatious Wealth, Old-timers Destitute Without Pensions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  3. Samson, David (2002). Useless Knowledge: Answers to Questions You'd Never Think to Ask. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-312-29017-7.
  4. Meier, Ted (February 27, 1946). "Elmore Morgenthaler, Of New Mexico Mines, Regains Lead In National Individual Basketball Scoring Race". The Florence Times. Florence, Alabama. p. 7. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  5. "Elmore Leaves B.C.; Signs With Pros". The Heights (XXVIII). February 21, 1947. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  6. "Elmore Morgenthaler Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2017
  7. "Morgenthaler, Elmore Robert". Criswell Cemetery. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
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