Basketball Champions Before the NBA Quiz

Answer: Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots were founded in 1918 as an independent team and were sponsored by the Goodyear Company. The team played its home games in Akron Goodyear Hall and was an inaugural member of the NBL. Under the leadership of Lefty Byers, the team had a regular season record of 13-5.

In the playoffs, the team had a record of 4-1 and defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars in the finals. The team suspended operations during World War II and after the war joined the National Industrial Basketball League for several years.

The team continued play since 1980 as a American Athletic Union Elite team.

Answer: Akron Firestone Non-Skids

The Akron Firestone Non-Skids were actually a distinct team from the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots. The Non-Skids were founded in the 1937 and were a founding member of the NBL. Coach John Sheeks led the team to a 24-3 regular season record, first in the Eastern Division.

The team would then defeat the Oshkosh All-Stars three games to two in the championship series. The team played its home games at the Firestone Clubhouse in Akron, OH.

Answer: Akron Firestone Non-Skids

The Akron Firestone Non-Skids had a regular season record of 19-9 and again defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars three games to two in the championship series after defeating the Detroit Eagles two games to one. Teammates Howard "Soup" Cable and Paul Tobin were also brothers-in-law, with Cable marrying Tobin's sister. The Non-Skids would disband after the 1940-1941 season.

Answer: Oshkosh All-Stars

Founded as an independent team in 1929, the Oshkosh All-Stars were an inaugural member of the NBL. The Oshkosh All-Stars swept the season's playoffs 5-0, defeating the Akron Firestone Non-Skins in the semi-finals and the Oshkosh All-Stars in the finals. NBL Coach of the Year George Hotchkiss led the team to a 18-6 regular season record (first in the NBL). Team member Louis "Fats" Barle also briefly played in the NFL.

Answer: Oshkosh All-Stars

The team played its home games in the South Park School Gymnasium in Oshkosh, WI. Lon Darling would be the coach of the All-Stars for most of the team's existence. The team led the standings for the NBL this season with a 20-4 regular season record.

Their record in the playoffs was 5-1, including defeating the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in the finals. The team's roster included Leroy Edwards, considered one of the greatest players in NBL history.When the NBL and the BAA merged in 1949, the All-Stars did not survive the merger.

Answer: Sheboygan Red Skins

The team played its home games at the Sheboygan Municipal Auditorium and Armory in Sheboygan, WI. Originating as an independent team, the Balhorns, in 1933, by 1938 the team had joined the NBL. The team merged with the rest of the NBL into the NBA for the 1949-1950 season.

When the NBA contracted, the Red Skins then went to the National Professional Basketball League for the 1950-1951 season, spent the following year as an independent team, then folded. The team had a 12-11 regular season record in 1942-1943, good for second in the NBL and a 5-1 record in the playoffs, including defeating the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons in the finals. 1943 NBL Coach of the Year Carl Roth was the coach for the team.

Answer: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons

The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons would lead the NBL with a regular season record of 18-4 and a 5-0 sweep throughout the playoffs. Player-coach Bobby McDermott led the team over the Sheboygan Redskins in the finals. The team had joined the NBL for the 1941-1942 season.

The team was owned by Fred Zollner, who owned a company that produced engine pistons. The team also included Jake Pelkington, who is Number 10 on the all-time scoring list for the NBL.

Answer: Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons

The Zollner Pistons would repeat as NBL champions, again defeating the Sheboygan Redskins in the finals, by a record of 3-2. The team would be known as just the Fort Wayne Pistons when moving to the BAA for the 1948-1949 season before moving to Detroit in 1957.

The team led the Eastern Division with a 25-5 regular season record and accumulated a 5-2 record in the playoffs. Hall-of-Famer Bobby McDermott was the coach of the team.

Answer: Rochester Royals

Coach Eddie Malanowicz led the Rochester Royals to a 24-10 record in the regular season, good for second place in the Eastern Division. The franchise is actually the oldest one in the NBA, beginning as the semi-pro Rochester Seagrams in 1923 and becoming the Sacramento Kings by 1985.

The Royals played in the NBL from 1945 to 1948 before moving to the BAA. The team played its home games at Edgerton Park Arena, in Rochester, NY. The team's roster included Otto Graham, who may be better known as a quarterback for the NFL.

The Royals compiled a 6-1 record in the playoffs, including a sweep of the Sheboygan Redskins in the finals.

Answer: Philadelphia Warriors

The Philadelphia Warriors had a regular season record of 35-25, good for second in the Eastern Division and were coached by Edward Gottlieb. They then followed this with an 8-2 record in the playoffs, including defeating the Chicago Stags in the finals.

The Warriors played its home games at the Philadelphia Arena, in Philadelphia, PA. The Warriors roster included Hall-of-Famer Joe Fulks. The team was founded as an inaugural member of the BAA before moving west to California and become the Golden State Warriors in 1971.

Answer: Chicago American Gears

The Chicago American Gears played in the NBL from 1944-1947, until the team left to help inaugurate the Professional Basketball League of America, which folded in its inaugural season. The team line-up of the 1946-1947 included future Hall-of-Famer George Mikan, in his rookie season.

While the Gears' 26-18 record in the regular season was only good for third in the Western Division, the team would compile an 8-3 record in the playoffs (including beating the Rochester Royals in the finals) to win the NBL Championship. Player-coach Bobby McDermott led the team, which played its home games at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, IL.

Answer: Baltimore Bullets

Player-coach Buddy Jeannette led the Bullets to a 28-20 record, good for second in the Western Division. The team would then post a record of 9-3 in the playoffs, defeating the Philadelphia Warriors in the finals. The team played its home games in the Baltimore Coliseum in Baltimore, MD.

The team was named for the Phoenix Shot Tower/Old Baltimore Shot Tower. The Baltimore Bullets began play in 1944 in the American Basketball League (1925-1955) before moving to the BAA in 1947 and following to the NBA in 1949.

The team would fold partway through the 1954-1955 season, the last NBA team to fold in the 20th century. This team is distinct from the Baltimore Bullets team that played in that city from 1963 to 1973.

Answer: Minneapolis Lakers

In their first season of existence, the Minneapolis Lakers won the NBL Championship with a 43-17 regular season record and a 8-2 record in the playoffs, including defeating the Rochester Royals in the Championship series. The team included future Hall-of-Famer George Mikan, under the leadership of Head Coach John Kundla.

The team played its home games in the Minneapolis Auditorium, in Minneapolis, MN. The team was named after Minnesota's famed 10,000 lakes.

Answer: Minneapolis Lakers

After one season, the Minneapolis Lakers moved from the NBL to the BAA. The team would post a 44-16 regular season record, good for second in the Western Division. Team member Jim Pollard was a member of the All-BAA First Team for that season. The team would post an 8-2 record in the playoffs including defeating the Washington Capitols in the finals.

The Minneapolis Lakers would move to Los Angeles, CA, in 1960.

Answer: Anderson Duffey Packers

The team played its home games at the Anderson High School Wigwam, also the home court for Anderson High School, located in Anderson, Indiana. Coach Murray Mendenhall led the the Packers to a 49-15 record in the regular season and a 6-1 record in the playoffs (losing one game to the Syracuse Nationals in the semifinals and a sweep of the Oshkosh All-Stars in the Championship).

The team was owned by the Duffey Brothers who owned Duffey's Incorporated, a meat packing company. Founded in 1946, the team played three years in the NBL before spending one in the NBA, and the 1950-1951 season in the National Professional Basketball League.

The team and the league folded after that season. The team included both Murray Mendenhall, Jr. and Howie Schultz, one of thirteen people to play in both the NBA and Major League Baseball.