1950-51 Reading Rangers (EPBL)

1950-51 READING RANGERS

Harry Donovan

EASTERN BASKETBALL LEAGUE - PENNSYLVANIA
Southern Division
8-20, .286, 4th place

The Rangers followed up last season's last place finish with another finish in the cellar, but not without a flash of good things. They started the season winning five of their first 7 and had a 6-3 record early in January. However, things flipped like a switch and they would go 2-17 the rest of the way, quickly falling into the basement.

Head Coach:

• Sam Goodman (August 27, 1906 - June 5, 1990)

PLAYERS:

Eddie Anilan (APril 12, 1924 - October 12, 2011)

Dewey Boltz (May 18, 1920 - September 18, 2015)

Bill Brown (August 2, 1922 - January 15, 2007)

Dick McGee

Norm Butz (September 28, 1919 - March 21, 1999)

Johnny Byrne (March 21, 1924 - August 2, 2007)

Harry Donovan (b. September 10, 1926)

Emmett Jennings (May 3, 1926 - December 11, 2006)

Joe Lord (December 28, 1922 - December 1986)

Frank Martello (b. March 11, 1926)

Johnny Mascavage (January 14, 1918 - April 12, 1990)

Dick McGee (December 30, 1923 - August 19, 2015)
Andy O'Donnell (March 10, 1925 - April 22, 2019)

Art Spector (October 17, 1918 - June 18, 1987)

Harrison Stump (July 10, 1922 - June 26, 2013)

Butch Van Breda Kolff (October 28, 1922 - August 22, 2007)

Emmett Jennings

Harrison Stump

1950-51 Pottsville Packers (EPBL)

1950-51 POTTSVILLE PACKERS

Gene Belletiere

EASTERN BASKETBALL LEAGUE - PENNSYLVANIA
Northern Division
12-16, .429, 4th place

Pottsville was optimistic to contend going into the season. Coached by Chink Crossin, basketball star from Luzerne, Pennsylvania, who played in the NBA for the Warriors for a few seasons, Crossin left the team after five games to play in the ABL (Crossin missed the December 16 loss to Sunbury; Packers' team executive Malcolm Reeves filled in as coach then.) After Crossin left, Allan Spehrley took over as coach and the team stumbled the rest of the season, finishing in last place in the Northern Division and out of the playoffs. Even a nearly complete team revamp in February did little to change their fortunes.

Head Coach:

Johnny Ballots

• Chink Crossin (July 4, 1923 - January 10, 1981) 4-0 Also played. See below
• Malcolm Reeves (February 16, 1915 - April 24, 1987) 0-1
• Allan Spehrley (January 1, 1910 - December 26, 1972) 8-15

PLAYERS:

Johnny Ballots (November 28, 1927 - April 18, 1989)

Gene Belletiere (September 7, 1931 - October 15, 1996)

Chink Crossin (July 4, 1923 - January 10, 1981)

Mike DeNoia (April 24, 1927 - May 27, 2009)

Jack Flannery (December 7, 1925 - January 22, 2007)

Bill Gallagher  (December 1, 1921 - July 28, 2004)

Oscar Grossman (June 26, 1923 - September 22, 1993)

Mike DeNoia

Jack Hewson (September 7, 1924 - June 26, 2012)

Karl Kauterman (January 4, 1932 - January 15, 1994)

Dick Koecher (March 30, 1926 - February 4, 2020)

Nick Ledger (January 22, 1931 - January 31, 2013)

Joe Lord (December 28, 1922 - December 1986)

Herb Lyon (August 4, 1927 - October 21, 1966)

Ed Lyons (July 1, 1926 - October 28, 2011)

Danny Mackin (June 29, 1926 - February 15, 1989)

Ace McCann (November 23, 1926 - August 23, 2011)

Jack McCloskey (September 19, 1925 - June 1, 2017)

Bob O'Brien (January 26, 1927 - September 19, 2008)

Stew Tomkins

Charlie Parsley (October 13, 1925 - October 3, 1997)

Ossie Prokopic (December 21, 1919 - March 19, 2010)

Milt Ticco (September 22, 1922 - January 26, 2002)

Stew Tomkins (b. May 2, 1924)

Karl Kauterman

Nick Ledger

Bill Gallagher

Danny Nackin

1950-51 Lancaster Rockets (EPBL)

1950-51 LANCASTER ROCKETS
EASTERN BASKETBALL LEAGUE - PENNSYLVANIA
Southern Division

12-15 .444, 2nd place

Semi-finals: Lost to York, 3-0

Aided by offensive players like player/coach Whitey Von Nieda nad regional veteran Bill Zubic, the Rockets squeaked into the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record. They would get swept by York in the semi-finals.

 

Head Coaches:

• Whitey Von Nieda (June 19, 1922 - September 7, 2023) Also played. See below.

PLAYERS:

Ken Depoe

Frank Comerford (August 20, 1926 - October 28, 1997)

Chick Craig (July 23, 1922 - June 21, 2008)

Ken DePoe (December 27,  1928 - May 14, 2025)

Walt Funk (October 13, 1922 - January 13, 2015)

Bill Gallagher   

Marshall Gemberling (August 6, 1924 - September 10, 2004)

Paul Gordon (April 8, 1927 - November 2, 2002)

Jim Joyce (October 23, 1924 - October 24, 2006)

George Lindeman (October 31, 1924 - June 8, 1990)

Norm Mager (March 23, 1926 - March 17, 2005)

Don Markward (April 2, 1919 - June 14, 1985)

Pete Monska (February 23, 1926 - March 17, 2005)

Dermie O'Connell (April 13, 1928 - October 5, 1988)

Dick O'Keefe (September 29, 1923 - December 17, 2006)

Pete Monska

Whitey Von Nieda (June 19, 1922 - September 7, 2023)

Bill Zubic (August 7, 1918 - July 24, 1994)

Bill Gallagher

1950-51 Harrisburg Senators (EPBL)

1950-51 HARRISBURG SENATORS
EASTERN BASKETBALL LEAGUE - PENNSYLVANIA

Floyd Becker

Southern Division

10-17, .370, 3rd place

Last year's runners-up had a tough season. After a slow start, they worked their way back to a 6-7 record on February 1 nut would lose 8 of their next nine to fall out of contention/

Head Coach:

• Johnny Hopper (January 9, 1923 - June 12, 1996)  Also played. See below

PLAYERS:

Floyd Becker (February 7, 1922 - March 7, 2008)

Harold Swayze

Ike Borsavage (July 25, 1924 - January 10, 2014)

Stan Brown (June 27, 1929 - August 2, 2009)

Joe Cackovic (February 21, 1923 - December 16, 1984)

Jim Coughlin (August 18, 1919 - March 27, 1969)

Dick DeWees (March 18, 1929 - July 19, 1986)

Jackie Goepfert (May 24, 1932 - May 1, 2002)

Stretch Hall (June 23, 1926 - December 10, 1989)

Jimmy Hernjak (June 10, 1927 - December 27, 1980)

Johnny Hopper (January 9, 1923 - June 12, 1996)

John Hughes  

Tony Kazokas (October 9, 1930 - April 7, 2021)

Bill McClure (December 21, 1927 - September 7, 2001)

Jack Wolfe

Wes Overholt (May 7, 1926 - December 14, 2010)

Jack Ramsay (February 21, 1925 - April 28, 2014)

Marv Schatzman (February 18, 1927 - September 19, 2006)

Harold Swayze (June 3, 1930 - July 28, 1980)

Bill Thomas (May 2, 1925 - October 27, 1999)

Jack Wolfe (December 30, 1930 - May 11, 2019)??

1950-51 Berwick Car-Builders (EPBL)

1950-51 BERWICK CAR-BUILDERS

Brooks Ricca

EASTERN BASKETBALL LEAGUE - PENNSYLVANIA

Northern Division
15-13, .536, T-2nd

With Nick Dietterick taking over as head coach as well as still being a player, the Car-Builders improved greatly over the last season, but faded in March to miss the playoffs. They enjoyed an 8-game winning streak, not losing for an entire calendar month. They lost Sky Raiken half-way t hrough the season when he had to report to the army, but newcomer Brooks Ricca lead the team in scoring at 15.6 PPG.

Head Coach:

• Nick Dietterick (May 22, 1921 - May 16, 2014) Also played. See below

PLAYERS:

John Weglicki

Syl Bozinski (September 7, 1927 - June 30, 2001)

Bells Colone (January 23, 1924 - July 1, 2009)

Jack Crossin (June 7, 1927 - December 6, 2005)

Nick Dietterick (May 22, 1921 - May 16, 2014)

Joe Greenberg (January 7, 1927 - December 8, 2007)

Joe Hannon (September 18, 1926 - April 7, 1982)

Jack "Tex" Hewson (September 7, 1924 - June 26, 2012)

Tom Orr (November 17, 1923 - September 14, 1979)

Shy Raiken (October 29, 1928 - January 16, 2009)

Brooks Ricca (April 22, 1827 - January 28, 2000)

John Rusinko (March 1, 1925 - October 23, 2013)

Leroy Watley (March 11, 1925 - January 15, 1996)

John Weglicki (August 13, 1928 - September 4, 1985)

Leo Wolf (September 25, 1926 - November 27, 2006)

Leo Wolf

1950-51 EPBL

Remarkably, the Eastern League had all 8 teams return from the previous season. The defending champions, Williamsport, got off to a horrible start and it took a hot streak at the end of the season to return to the playoffs. Sunbury proved to be the cream of the crop. They would lose only 5 games in the regular season and sweep through the playoffs to win the cup. 

SOUTHERN DIVISION

• Harrisburg Senators
• Lancaster Rockets 
• Reading Rangers
• York A.A. Victory

NORTHERN DIVISION

• Berwick Car-Builders
• Pottsville Packers
• Sunbury Mercuries
• Williamsport Billies 

New updates, identifications, corrections, May 2024

 Taking some time and looking back to fill in some holes or close some things out.

DETAILS ADDED:

Al Biolsi, ABL - Died 2018

Cecil Gabriel, ABL, EBL-Ct - Added middle name, city of birth

Ed Schurmann, ABL - Added middle name, exact date and city of death

Nick Shaback, BAA, ABL, NYSL, - Added Cities of birth and death

PROPERLY IDENTIFIED:

Willie Flynn, ABL

Fran Maury, MBC, NBL 

Whitey Wilson, ABL

CORRECTED:

Sid Blair, ABL - Removed biographical information. Wrong man.

NEW LEADS UNRESOLVED: