Bobby Lewis

Robert Sayre Lewis


Born:
April 28, 1918
New York, NY

Died:
July 2, 2022
Chevy Chase, MD


Career
1937-38 NYU (College)
1938-39 NYU (College)
1939-40 NYU (College)
1940-41 Phillips 66 Oilers (Independent)
1940-41 Ohrbach - Brooklyn (Independent)
1946-47 Jersey City Atoms (ABL)

Born to Louis (c. 1887) and Fannie Lewis (c. 1893)
Brother Norman (born Dec 1915) was a champion collegiate fencer in the 1930's. Younger brother Harold (1923-2011) was a well-regarded Physics Professor.

An All-American at NYU, Lewis would go on to play some pro basketball before enlisting in the military in March of 1943. After the war, he would play with the Atoms in the ABL.He later became an accountant.

Source:


Stats:

Dave Laub

David Laub


Born:
July 7, 1921
New York, NY

Died:
April 3, 2025
Bridgewater, NJ


Career
1938-39 Eighth Avenue Temple - Brooklyn (Independent)
1939-40 CCNY (College)
1941-42 CCNY (College)
1942-43 CCNY (College)
1946-47 Troy Celtics (ABL)

Laub played one year at CCNY but was declared ineligible after that season. The engineering student was able to get his eligibility restored and he rejoined the school team in 1941. After the 1942-43 season, Laub entered the U.S. Army and served during World War 2 as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers. After his discharge in 1946, he played one year with the Troy Celtics in the ABL. He would go on to work in the construction field for many years before finally retiring in 2014 at the age of 93.

Source:
CCNY Athletics, August 17, 2015

Stats:

Whitey Macknowsky

John Andrew Macknowsky
(aka John Andrew Mackin)


Born:
January 7, 1923


Died:
April 8, 2024



Career
Lincoln High School - Jersey City (High School)
1941-42 Seton Hall University (College) Freshmen
1945-46 Seton Hall University (College)
1946-47 Seton Hall University (College)
1947-48 Seton Hall University (College) 
1947-48 Scranton Miners (ABL)
1948-49 Syracuse Nationals (NBL)
1949-50 Syracuse Nationals (NBL)
1950-51 Syracuse Nationals (NBL)

Macknowsky was born in Russia and grew up in Iselin, New Jersey. He went to Seton Hall for a year before going into the military for World War 2. He returned to Seton Hall after the war and finished his education, and after that played three seasons for the Nationals.

Johnny married to Olga (1926-2016) in 1950 and they had three daughters.

Source:
Post-Standard (Syracuse), April 3, 1952

Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/m/macknjo01n.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/macknjo01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=macknjo01

Whitey Von Nieda

Stanley Lee Von Nieda, Jr.


Born:
June 19, 1922
Ephrata, PA

Died:
September 7, 2023
Elizabethtown, PA


Career
1939-40 Ephrata High School - Pennsylvania (High School)
1942-43 Penn State (College)
1946-47 Lancaster Red Roses (EPBL)
1947-48 Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL)
1948-49 Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBL)
1949-50 Tri-Cities Blackhawks (NBA)
1949-50 Baltimore Bullets (NBA)
1950-51 Elizabeth College - Pennsylvania (College) Head coach
1950-51 Lancaster Rockets (EPBL)  Player / head coach
1951-52 Elizabeth College - Pennsylvania (College) Head coach
1951-52 Lancaster Red Roses (EPBL) Player
1952-53 Lancaster Red Roses (EPBL) Player / head coach
1961-62 Hazleton Hawks (EPBL) Head Coach

1977-78 Allentown Jets (EBA)
1977-78 Lancaster Red Roses (EBA) Assistant coach
1978-79 Lancaster Red Roses (EBA) Assistant coach

From Pennsylvania, Von Nieda was a popular figure in the game, having played the game in high school and college before a moving to the pro level. He after playing in the NBL and NBA, he went on to coach at Elizabeth College, even while still playing professionally in Pennsylvania. After his playing and coaching days, he worked as a advertising salesman for the Yellow Pages as well as many years as a bartender. His uncle also played at Penn State, in the late 1920's.

He served in the military during World War 2 as a paratrooper.

He married Dorothy Bartek and they had four sons and two daughters.


Source:
http://www.ephratareview.com/sports/a-local-legend-turns-90-whiteys-journey-to-the-nba/
Evening Sun (Hanover, PA), November 1, 1950
Gettysburg Times, March 14, 1952
Plain Speaker (Hazleton, PA), September 20, 1961
http://www.slamonline.com/the-magazine/features/still-happenin/#LeCXfyVzO8h8E1of.97
http://lancasteronline.com/sports/whitey-recalls-a-giant/article_d1a9b879-0c0d-5b6a-a2df-0f283da5dd3f.html
John Von Nieda, January 2017

Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/v/vonnist01n.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/v/vonniwh01.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=bakerbo01

Larry Kenney

Lawrence Aloysius Kenney


Born:
June 13, 1920
Philadelphia, PA

Died:
December 13, 2021

Career
St. Joseph Prep - Philadelphia (High School)
1938-39 St. Joseph's - Pennsylvania (College)
1939-40 St. Joseph's - Pennsylvania (College)
1940-41 St. Joseph's - Pennsylvania (College)
1945-46 Youngstown Bears (NBL)


After graduating, Larry went to law school at Penn.

Interview




Stats:
http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbl/players/k/kennela01n.html
http://www.justsportsstats.com/basketballstatsindex.php?player_id=kennela01