Mel Seeman

Melvin David Seeman


Born:
November 21, 1930
New York, NY

Died:
August 27, 1989
Hendersonville, NC


Career
1947-48 Lincoln High School - New York City (High School)
1949-50 New York University (College)
1950-51 New York University (College)
1951-52 New York University (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1980-81 Jefferson High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1981-82 Jefferson High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1982-83 Jefferson High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1983-84 Jefferson High School - New York City (High School) Head coach 



Source:
Jews In Sports

Stats:

Roy Rubin

Roy Rubin


Born:
December 9, 1925
The Bronx, NY

Died:
August 5, 2013
Miami, FL


Career
1948-49 Long Island University (College)
1949-50 University of Louisville (College)
1950-51 University of Louisville (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1952-53 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1953-54 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1954-55 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1955-56 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1956-57 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1957-58 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1958-59 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1959-60 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach
1960-61 Columbus High School - New York City (High School) Head coach 
1961-62 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1962-63 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1963-64 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1964-65 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1965-66 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1966-67 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1967-68 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1968-69 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1969-70 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1970-71 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1971-72 Long Island University (College) Head coach
1972-73 Philadelphia 76'ers (NBA) Head coach

Rubin transferred from LIU to Louisville, and after graduating, played in the first three games of the Scranton Miner's 1952-53 season, scoring 19 point before leaving the team to take a coaching job in New York. Rubin spent nine years at Columbus HS where he developed an ingenious style of defense that lead him back to LIU as head coach. He revitalized the LIU team, sparking the club to a 174-94 record in his time there.

In 1972, the Sixers were so desperate to find a head coach that they placed an ad in the paper. A friend, Jules Love, recommended Rubin to the 76'ers, and Rubin was hired. The 76'ers lost their first 15 games, and Rubin was canned half-way into the season with a 4-47 record. The team would finish with only nine wins, and Rubin never coached again. He would own and operate an International House of Pancakes franchise in Florida. He died of cancer in 2013.

He married Marsha and they never had any children.

Source:
Obituary, NY Times, August 11, 2013
Obituary, Brooklyn Eagle, August 8, 2013

Stats:

Offerman

Offerman


Born:



Died:




Career
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

Played one game for Scranton, but I have not seen which game.

Source:


Stats:

Paul Nolan

Paul Francis Nolan


Born:
July 16, 1930
Scranton, PA

Died:
December 3, 1960
Johnson City, NY


Career
1946-47 St. Mary's High School - Scranton (High School)
1947-48 St. Mary's High School - Scranton (High School)
1948-49 St. Bonaventure (College) Freshmen
1949-50 St. Bonaventure (College)
1950-51 St. Bonaventure (College)
1951-52 St. Bonaventure (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1954-55 Johnson City High School - New York (High School) JV - Head coach
1955-56 Johnson City High School - New York (High School) JV - Head coach
1956-57 Griswold Grill - New York (Independent)
1956-57 Johnson City High School - New York (High School) JV - Head coach
1957-58 Chenango Valley High School - Binghamton, NY (High School) Frosh Head coach
1958-59 Chenango Valley High School - Binghamton, NY (High School) Frosh Head coach
1959-60 Chenango Valley High School - Binghamton, NY (High School) Frosh Head coach

Nolan was a high-scoring basketabll star at St. Mary's HS on Scranton's south side. He turned that into a terrific stint at St. Bonaventure, helping the school to the NIT in his junior and senior years. He played with the Scranton Miners in 1952-53, and from there, he turned to coaching, leading the Johnson City HS JV team to a conference title. After three years there, he was coaching the freshmen team at Chenango Valley as well as officating basketball game in the area.

On December 3, 1960, Nolan refereed a grammar school league game in Johnson City, and headed home to shower before heading out that evening to officiate another game. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage at his home and taken to the hospital where he would die. He was only 30 years old.

Paul married Eleanor Miller (1931-2014) and they had one son and two daughters.




Source:
Press and Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, NY), March 24, 1957
Press and Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, NY), December 4, 1960
Star-Gazette (Elmira), December 5, 1960

Stats:

Bill Mullineaux

William Wesley Mullineaux


Born:
February 3, 1927
Baltimore, MD

Died:
July 22, 2007
Sykesville, MD


Career
1946-47 Washington College - Maryland (College)
1947-48 Washington College - Maryland (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

Bill joined the army in March of 1944, serving for two years at the end of World War 2. He returned to Washington College where he played baseball and basketball. He would play minor league and semi-pro baseball for a few years, with a stop to play 3 games of basketball with the Scranton Miners in 1952.

Minor League Baseball Stats:
https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=mullin001wil

Source:


Stats:

Marv Jaffe

Marvyn Don Jaffe


Born:
June 17, 1928
New York, NY

Died:
September 19, 2001
Norwalk, CT


Career
1943-44 Stuyvesant High School - New York (High School)
1949-50 Muhlenberg College - Pennsylvania (College)
1950-51 Muhlenberg College - Pennsylvania (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1956-57 Perkiomen High School - Pennsylvania (High School) Head coach

From Brooklyn, Jaffe went to Muhlenberg College and after graduating he went into teach. He played basketball briefly for the Scranton Miners. He coached baseball, basketball and football as well as teaching English. He got his Masters Degree from Lehigh University and would later become a school principal and administrator, eventually finding his way to Connecticut in the 1960's.

Source:


Stats:

Red Fitzsimmons

James "Red" Fitzsimmons


Born:
October 2, 1932
Forest City, PA

Died:
August 27, 2022
Forest City, PA


Career
1947-48 Forest City High School - Pennsylvania (High School)

1948-49 Forest City High School - Pennsylvania (High School)

1949-50 St. Rose High School - Forest City, PA (High School)

1950-51 St. Rose High School - Forest City, PA (High School)

1951-52 East Stroudsburg State Teachers College - Pennsylvania (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

Born to Francis and Alice Fitzsimmons, Jim played two years at Forest City HS before transferring to St Rose HS, who he lead to the state basketball finals in 1951. He attended East Stroudsburg Teachers College and played for the Scranton Miners of the ABL. He tried out for the Miners when they moved to the Eastern League in 1953-54, but it doesn't look like he made the grade. In 1957 he started his own insurance agency and worked there50 years before retiring. 

 

Red married Janet Beautz (d. 2010) in 1955 and they had three sons and two daughters.

Source:
Obituary

Stats:

Mike DiTomasso

Michael R. DiTomasso


Born:
July 3, 1930
Manhattan, NY

:




Career
1948-49 Brooklyn College (College)

1949-50 Brooklyn College (College)

1950-51 Brooklyn College (College)

1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

Mike attended Stuyvesant HS i Brooklyn but never played basketball there. He would go to Brooklyn College where he set the school record in scoring for freshmen, and later set the all-time scoring record at the school before finishing his junior year. 

Living i Somers, NY

Source:


Stats:

Tommy Birch

Thomas Edward Birch


Born:
May 18, 1928
New York, NY

Died:
July 29, 1987
Schenectady, NY


Career
1946-47 St. Simon Stock High School - The Bronx, NY (HIgh School)

1947-48 Niagara University (College)
1948-49 Niagara University (College)
1949-50 Niagara University (College)
1950-51 Niagara University (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1954-55 Scranton Miners (EBL)

From the Bronx, the 6'1 basketball star at Niagara played a couple seasons with the Scranton Miners, first in the ABL and then in Eastern League a couple years later. He earned is Masters Degree in Guidance from St. John's in 1953 and was the principal at Rye Neck High School on New York. He was also a basketball referee in the Eastern Conference Athletic Association as well as in the NBA in the early 60's.

Birch died in 1987 following a lengthy illness.

Source:
Daily Times (Mamaroneck, NY), July 31, 1987

Stats:

Bergen

Bergen


Born:



Died:




Career
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

Played three games for the Miners in February of 1953, scoring just one point.

Appears in box scores as "Bergen" but could also be "Berger" or even "Hemberger."

Source:


Stats:

Roy Belliveau

Roy N. Belliveau


Born:
April 12, 1929
Scotch Plains, NJ

 :




Career
1946-47 Regional High School - Springfield, NJ (High School)
1947-48 Regional High School - Springfield, NJ (High School)
1949-50 Seton Hall University (College)
1950-51 Seton Hall University (College)
1951-52 Seton Hall University (College)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

1953-54 Williamsport Billies (EPBL)

A track and basketball star at Seton Hall, Roy was drafted by the New York Knicks in the 1952 NBA draft. He wound up playing one season with the Scranton Miners in the ABL before moving on to the Eastern League.  He was living in Green Brook, New Jersey, as of 2017..

Belliveau teamed up with his twin brother Don (1929-2017) in high school to lead the basketball and track teams.

Source:


Stats:

1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

1952-53 SCRANTON MINERS
AMERICAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE (II)
12-11 .522, 4th place

Scranton's time in the ABL was tumultuous, to say the least. On various occasions over the years, they had quit the league, come back in, protested games, had protests against them. and had many player revolts against the management. This year would feature more controversy. After losing in the ABL finals in 1951-52, they were poised to contend again this year. Long-time player Elmore Morgenthaler was announced as head coach, and the team beat the Hazleton Yankees in the opener. The success was short lived, as they dropped the next four games. On December 20, the Miners dropped out of the league, with owner Joe "Speed" Maloney charging other owners with evading the leagues minimum $300 per game guarantee. The franchise was reorganized in late December under new management, and the new group brought Red Sarachak back as head coach. The revamped club returned to the court on January 11, 1953, and won four of five games. They wrapped up the campaign with a 4th place finish and headed into the playoffs to meet Manchester.

After losing the opener, they won the second game over Manchester on March 15. Prior to the series, the Miners had added Perry del Purgatorio, who scored 13 points in the Miners' 100-94 victory.  Manchester protested the addition of del Purgatorio to the roster so late in the season, and the league sided with Manchester. Scranton quit the series in protest, and Manchester was declared the winner. Manchester would go on the ABL title, while Scranton wrapped up the final ABL season in yet another cloud of controversy.


Head coaches:

• Elmore Morgenthaler (August 3, 1922 - November 25, 1997) 1-4
• Bernie Sarachak (October 19, 1912 - November 14, 2005) 11-7

PLAYERS:

• John Azary (October 14, 1929 - September 16, 1981)

Biography 

• Ed Bartels (October 8, 1925 - November 4, 2007)

Biography

• Roy Belliveau (b. April 12, 1929)

Biography

• Bergen

Biography 

• Al Biolsi (March 14, 1929 - June 24, 2018)
  

Biography

• Tommy Birch (May 18, 1928 - July 29, 1987)

Biography 

• Jack Curran (b. 1924)

Biography

• Perry Del Purgatorio (August 29, 1928 - February 4, 2018)

Biography

• Ditomonsin??

Biography 

• George Feigenbaum (July 2, 1928 - December 25, 2000)

Biography 

• Danny Finn (May 29, 1928 - February 18, 2007)

Biography

• Red Fitzsimmons (October 2, 1932 - August 27, 2022)
  

Biography

• Jerry Fleishman (February 14, 1922 - June 20, 2007)

Biography

• Marv Jaffe (June 17, 1928 - September 19, 2001)

Biography 

• Ed Kassler (July 21, 1923 - March 7, 2011)

Biography 

• Joel Kaufman (March 8, 1927 - June 22, 1972)

Biography 

• Bobby Kelly (September 12, 1926 - December 23, 2014)

Biography 

• Carl Meinhold (March 29, 1926 - February 23, 2019)

Biography

• Nat Militzok (May 3, 1923 - May 14, 2009)

Biography

• Elmore Morgenthaler (August 3, 1922 - November 25, 1997)

Biography

• Bill Mullineaux (February 3, 1927 - July 22, 2007)

Biography

• Paul Nolan (July 16, 1930  - December 3, 1960)

Biography

• Offerman

Biography 

• Bill Pless (June 3, 1928 - October 25, 2001)

Biography

• Roy Rubin (December 9, 1925 - August 5, 2013)

Biography 

• Herb Scherer (December 21, 1928 - June 28, 2012)

Biography

• Mel Seeman (November 21, 1930 - August 27, 1989)

Biography 

• Wally Sheil (April 15, 1929 - June 23, 2002)

Biography

• Vince Verdeschi (March 24, 1925 - August 16, 1965)

Biography

• Bill Zirkel (July 20, 1927 - October 24, 2011)

Biography

Roy Reardon

Roy Leonard Reardon


Born:
July 20, 1929
New York, NY

Died:
January 7, 2022



Career
1948-49 St. Francis College - New York (College)
1949-50 St. Francis College - New York (College)
1950-51 St. Francis College - New York (College)
1951-52 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1951-52 Saratoga / Schenectady Harlem Yankees (ABL)

Rearson would go on to practice law. Reardon later became a partner at Simpson Thacher in New York City.


Source:
https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/03/style/weddings-patricia-m-hynes-and-roy-l-reardon.html

Stats:

Jack Laub

Jack Laub


Born:
May 9, 1926
Brighton Beach, NY

Died:
June 29, 2023
Delray Beach, FL



Career
1941-42 Abraham Lincoln High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1942-43 Abraham Lincoln High School - Brooklyn (High School)
1943-44 CCNY (College)
1944-45 CCNY (College)
1946-47 University of Cincinnati (College)
1947-48 University of Cincinnati (College)
1948-49 University of Cincinnati (College)
1949-50 University of Cincinnati (College)
1950-51 University of Cincinnati (College) Assistant coach
1951-52 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1952-53 Pawtucket Slaters (ABL)
1959-60 U.S. King's Point Merchant Marine Academy (Military) Head coach

Laub graduated from Lincoln HS and enrolled at CCNY. After two seasons in school, he enlisted in the U.S. Merchant Marines for the remainder of World War 2, and would eventually be moved to the U.S. Coast Guard. After the war, he saw his eligibility reset, as was the case with so many college players who served in the war. He went to the University of Cincinnati and played four years, becoming the first (and to our knowledge, the only) college athlete to compete in six seasons of one the same sport. Laub was selected in the 9th round of the 1950 NBA draft by the Baltimore Bullets. However, he did not make the team and never played in the NBA. He would played with the Scranton Miners instead in 1951-52, and with the Pawtucket Slaters in the 1952-53 swan song season of the ABL. He left basketball in 1954 to work for Pfizer, which was the beginning of a long and celebrated career in the pharmaceutical industry. He was a leader in the movement to provide generic drugs and fighting the high price for medical treatment with pharmaceuticals.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Laub

Stats:

Al Biolsi

Alfred Louis Biolsi


Born:
March 14, 1929
Brooklyn, NY

Died:
June 24, 2018



Career
1947-48 Grover Cleveland High School - Brooklyn (High School)
St. Francis (College) ??
1949-50 Tradewinds - Brooklyn (Independent)
1950-51 Tradewinds - Brooklyn (Independent)
1951-52 Bridgeport Roesslers (ABL)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)

He supposedly went to St. Francis College but does not appear on the St. Francis letterwinners list.

Source:


Stats:

John Azary

John D. Azary


Born:
October 14, 1929
New York, NY

Died:
September 16, 1981
Washington, DC


Career
1945-46 Commerce High School - (High School)
1946-47 Commerce High School - (High School)
1948-49 Columbia University (College)
1949-50 Columbia University (College)
1950-51 Columbia University (College)
1951-52 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1954-55 Scranton Miners (EBL) Head coach / player

Azary went from Commerce HS to Columbia, scoring on the basketball court the entire way. As a member of the National Guard, Azary was hurt in a training accident that sent shrapnel into his thigh. At first his playing career was in jeopardy, but he successfully returned to the court. He finished at Columbia with 1037 points and was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the 7th round of the 1951 draft. He wound up playing with the Scranton Miners instead.

Azary died in his sleep of a heart attack in 1981 at 51 years of age.


Source:
https://gocolumbialions.com/news/2008/10/2/1594729.aspx

Stats:

1951-52 Scranton Miners (ABL)

1951-52 SCRANTON MINERS
AMERICAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE (II)
24-11 .686, 1st place

Semi-Finals: Defeated Saratoga, 3-1
ABL Championship: Lost to Wilkes-Barre, 4-2


The powerhouse in Scranton continued their dominant ways, winning the regular season title by 4.5 games. They had some internal trouble this season, which lead to the departure of coach Red Sarachak. The ABL was still struggling financially, and despite Scranton's success on the court, they were not immune to the troubles. In January, the ownership announced that they were going to be cutting salaries. This lead to not just Sarachak's resignation, but also the resignations of players Jerry Fleishman, Ed Kassler, Bobby Kelly, Nat Militzok and Hank Rosenstein. Despite those departures, the Miners, under new coach Herbie Gershon, didn't miss a beat and finished the season on essentially the same pace. In the playoffs, the Miners took out Saratoga before facing their fierce rivals in Wilkes-Barre. The Barons were too much for the regular season champs, and Scranton lost in six games.

Head coaches:

• Bernie Sarachak (October 19, 1912 - November 14, 2005) 13-6
• Herbie Gershon (October 30, 1916 - September 24, 1997) 11-5

PLAYERS:

• John Azary (October 14, 1929 - September 16, 1981)

Biography 

• Ed Bartels (October 8, 1925 - November 4, 2007)

Biography

• Johnny Ezersky (March 21, 1922 - February 20, 2012)

Biography

• George Feigenbaum (July 2, 1928 - December 25, 2000)

Biography

• Danny Finn (May 29, 1928 - February 18, 2007)

Biography

• Jerry Fleishman (February 14, 1922 - June 20, 2007)

Biography

• Ed Kassler (July 21, 1923 - March 7, 2011)

Biography 

• Bobby Kelly (September 12, 1926 - December 23, 2014)

Biography 

• Jack Laub (May 9, 1926 - June 29, 2023)

Biography

• Carl Meinhold (March 29, 1926 - February 23, 2019)

Biography

• Nat Militzok (May 3, 1923 - May 14, 2009)

Biography

• Elmore Morgenthaler (August 3, 1922 - November 25, 1997)

Biography

• Alex Petersen (July 20, 1924 - June 23, 2014)

Biography

• Bill Pless (June 3, 1928 - October 25, 2001)

Biography

• Roy Reardon (July 20, 1929 - January 7, 2022)

Biography 

• Hank Rosenstein (June 16, 1920 - February 27, 2010)

Biography

• Wally Sheil (April 15, 1929 - June 23, 2002)

Biography

Wally Sheil

Walter Nicholas Sheil


Born:
April 15, 1929
Jersey City, NJ

Died:
June 23, 2002
Cuddlebackville, NY


Career
1946-47 St. Peter's College - Jersey City, NJ (College)
1947-48 St. Peter's College - Jersey City, NJ (College)
1948-49 St. Peter's College - Jersey City, NJ (College)
1949-50 St. Peter's College - Jersey City, NJ (College)
1950-51 Allenbeth / Carbondale Aces (ABL)
1951-52 Carbondale Aces (ABL)
1951-52 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1952-53 Wilkes-Barre Barons (ABL)
1952-53 Pawtucket Slaters (ABL)
1953-54 Berwick Carbuilders (EPBL)
1953-54 Meriden Kaplan-Townies (EBL-Ct)

Shiel, a high-scoring basketball player at St Peter's College and later in the ABL, would get his Masters from St. John's in 1952 and went into college administration. He served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1978 through 1982. He would move to Florida where he run unsuccessfully for County Commissioner in Sarasota, Florida.

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Sheil

Stats:

Alex Petersen

Dr. Alexander Petersen, Jr.


Born:
July 20, 1924
Coquille, OR

Died:
June 23, 2014
Corvallis, OR


Career
1946-47 Oregon State University (College)
1947-48 Oregon State University (College)
1948-49 Oregon State University (College)
1949-50 Astoria High School - Oregon (HIgh School) Head coach
1950-51 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1950-51 Torrington Howards (EBL-Ct)
1951-52 Bridgeport Roesslers (ABL)
1951-52 Saratoga / Schenectady Harlem Yankees (ABL)
1955-56 Southern Oregon State College (College) Head coach
1975-76 Southern Oregon State College (College) Head coach

Petersen enrolled at Oregon State but enlisted in the Army in May of 1943. After serving during World War 2, he returned to Oregon State where he played basketball. After graduating, the 6'5 Peterson took a job as the coach for the basketball team at Astoria High School. However, after one year, he resigned the post, wanting to continue his education at Columbia in New York. While out east, he played a couple years of basketball. After finishing his doctorate at Columbia, he returned to Oregon, being hired at Southern Oregon to coach football as well as assistant professor of science. He only coached football there for three seasons, and also coached basketball a of couple seasons. He worked as a professor for many years at Southern before retiring.

He and his first wife had four children. He remarried to Lois Pye in 1977.

He sometimes appears in articles as "Alvy" Peterson.

Source:
Medford Mail Tribune, June 15, 1952

Stats:

Joel Kaufman

Joel Philip Kaufman


Born:
March 8, 1927
New York, NY

Died:
June 22, 1972
San Mateo, CA


Career
1943-44 DeWitt Clinton High School - New York City (High School)
1944-45 DeWitt Clinton High School - New York City (High School)
1946-47 New York University (College) Freshmen
1947-48 New York University (College)
1948-49 New York University (College)
1949-50 New York University (College)
1950-51 Paterson Crescents (ABL)
1951-52 Bridgeport Roesslers (ABL)
1952-53 Elmira Colonels (ABL)
1952-53 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1952-53 Elmira Colonels (ABL)

Kaufman lead DeWitt Clinton to the PSAL title, Kaufman entered the U.S. Army in July of 1945. World War 2 ended just a month later, and Kaufman was discharged in November of 1946. He would enroll at NYU and would star on their basketball team for the next three seasons. Drafted in the ninth round of the NBA draft in 1950 by the Philadelphia Warriors, Kaufman wound up playing three seasons in the ABL. In a doubleheader in Wilkes-Barre on December 16, 1952, Kaufman's Elmira club played Saratoga while Scranton and Wilkes-Barre clashed in the nightcap. Not having enough players to dress, Scranton asked for permission to borrow Kaufman for the game, which Wilkes-Barre and the league agreed to. Having scored 14 points for his Colonels in the first game, Kaufman added 15 for the Miners in Scranton's 73-69 loss. Kaufman was on business trip to California when he died of a heart attack in 1972 at 45 years of age.

Source:
Jews in Sports

Stats: