History of the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots are one of the oldest and most historically important basketball organizations in the United States. Founded in 1918 by employees of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio, the Wingfoots grew from a company recreation team into one of the strongest industrial basketball clubs in the country.

The Wingfoots became an important part of the development of professional basketball during the 1930s. They competed in the Midwest Basketball Conference, helped form the National Basketball League and won the first NBL championship in 1938.

Akron remained in the NBL through the 1941-42 season, compiling a 67-55 record over five official NBL seasons. The Wingfoots reached the playoffs twice and won one championship.

Unlike most early NBL franchises, however, the story did not end when the team left the league. Goodyear revived the Wingfoots after World War II, and the organization continued for decades in industrial, AAU and international basketball.

The later Wingfoots won national AAU championships and three consecutive FIBA Intercontinental Cups during the late 1960s. Few basketball teams have histories that stretch across as many different eras of the sport.

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

The Wingfoots were created within the enormous industrial community built around the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Akron became known as the rubber capital of the world during the early twentieth century. Goodyear, Firestone and other tire manufacturers employed thousands of workers.

Like many large industrial corporations, Goodyear organized recreational and athletic programs for employees.

Basketball became one of the most successful of those programs.

Founded in 1918

The Goodyear basketball team traces its origins to 1918.

The organization became known as the Wingfoots, a name inspired by Goodyear's famous winged-foot corporate symbol.

The team initially competed against local industrial, athletic-club and independent teams.

Over time, Goodyear increasingly recruited talented former college basketball players who could work for the company while also representing it on the court.

Industrial Basketball

The Wingfoots became one of the defining examples of the industrial basketball model.

During the 1920s and 1930s, professional basketball salaries were often too small to support players throughout the year.

Company teams solved that problem by providing players with full-time employment.

A player could work for Goodyear and also compete for the company's basketball team.

This arrangement allowed Goodyear to attract some of the best available basketball talent.

The Early AAU Years

The Wingfoots became active in Amateur Athletic Union competition during the 1920s.

AAU basketball was among the highest levels of competition in the United States during the period.

Corporate teams, athletic clubs and independent organizations competed for regional and national championships.

Goodyear became a regular participant in that environment.

Goodyear and Firestone

The Wingfoots' greatest local rival was the Akron Firestone Non-Skids.

The teams represented the two major tire companies based in Akron.

The rivalry was more than a basketball competition.

It reflected the larger industrial rivalry between Goodyear and Firestone.

Employees and supporters of the companies packed local gyms to watch the teams compete.

The First National Basketball League

Goodyear competed in an earlier professional circuit known as the National Basketball League during the 1932-33 season.

This league was not the same organization as the later 1937-49 NBL.

Akron finished 2-4 in the short-lived circuit.

The league folded after only one season.

1932-33 Season

The National Industrial Basketball League Era

After the early NBL disappeared, Goodyear continued competing in industrial and independent basketball.

The company team remained one of the strongest organizations in the Midwest.

The Wingfoots were particularly successful because Goodyear could offer athletes stable employment during the Great Depression.

The Midwest Basketball Conference

Goodyear joined the Midwest Basketball Conference for the 1936-37 season.

The MBC had been created one year earlier and brought together many of the strongest industrial and professional teams in the Midwest.

The league eventually became the direct predecessor of the National Basketball League.

The 1936-37 Wingfoots

Goodyear immediately became the strongest team in the Midwest Basketball Conference.

The Wingfoots finished with a spectacular 16-2 record.

The .889 winning percentage was the best record in the league.

The club then advanced into postseason competition.

The Akron Rivalry in the Playoffs

Goodyear faced rival Akron Firestone in the Eastern playoff series.

The Wingfoots swept Firestone two games to none.

The victory sent Goodyear into the championship series.

Fort Wayne General Electrics

The championship opponent was the Fort Wayne General Electrics.

Fort Wayne had defeated the Dayton London Bobbys to reach the final.

Goodyear again won the series.

The Wingfoots captured the 1937 Midwest Basketball Conference championship.

1936-37 Season Summary

The National Basketball League Is Created

After the 1936-37 season, the Midwest Basketball Conference changed its name to the National Basketball League.

The league officially began under the new name during the 1937-38 season.

Goodyear became one of the original NBL teams.

The organization was already defending a league championship from the MBC era.

Ray Detrick

Ray Detrick coached the Wingfoots during the inaugural NBL season.

Detrick inherited a deep roster built around experienced industrial and professional basketball players.

His team became one of the strongest defensive clubs in the league.

Charley Shipp

Charley Shipp was one of the most important guards in early Wingfoots history.

The former Catholic University star provided scoring, passing and veteran leadership.

Shipp later enjoyed a long career in professional basketball and coaching.

Chuck Bloedorn

Chuck Bloedorn was another major contributor.

The forward had played at Lewis Institute and became one of Goodyear's most reliable offensive players.

His performances in the 1938 postseason helped the Wingfoots capture the championship.

Ray Morstadt

Ray Morstadt played forward and had previously competed at Marquette.

He provided additional scoring and depth.

Russ Ochsenhirt

Russ Ochsenhirt played center.

The former Pittsburgh athlete gave Goodyear size around the basket.

Chelso Tamagno

Chelso Tamagno was a Michigan product who played guard.

He became another regular contributor on the championship club.

Other 1937-38 Wingfoots

• Wesley Bennett
• Chuck Bloedorn
• Bob Cope
• Wilson Fitts
• LeRoy Lins
• Johnny McAdams
• Ray Morstadt
• Russ Ochsenhirt
• Charley Shipp
• Chelso Tamagno

The 1937-38 Regular Season

The Wingfoots finished the inaugural NBL regular season with a 13-5 record.

That .722 winning percentage placed Goodyear second in the Eastern Division.

The only team ahead of them was rival Akron Firestone at 14-4.

An Exceptional Defense

Goodyear scored 35.8 points per game.

More importantly, the Wingfoots allowed only 27.7 points per game.

That was the best defensive average in the entire National Basketball League.

The club's defensive dominance became the foundation of its championship run.

1937-38 Eastern Division

The 1938 Eastern Division Playoff

The Wingfoots faced the Firestone Non-Skids in the Eastern Division playoff series.

The matchup was a continuation of Akron's great industrial basketball rivalry.

Goodyear swept Firestone two games to none.

The victory sent the Wingfoots into the first championship series held under the National Basketball League name.

The Oshkosh All-Stars

The championship opponent was the Oshkosh All-Stars.

Oshkosh had finished 12-2 and had the best winning percentage in the NBL.

The All-Stars were led by legendary center Leroy Edwards, one of the greatest players in early professional basketball.

Edwards was named NBL Most Valuable Player.

The First NBL Finals

The championship was played as a best-of-three series.

Goodyear and Oshkosh split the first two games.

The championship therefore came down to a deciding third game.

Akron Wins the Championship

The Wingfoots won the decisive game and captured the series two games to one.

The victory gave Goodyear the 1938 National Basketball League championship.

The Wingfoots became the first champions in the history of the league under the NBL name.

1938 NBL Playoffs

The First NBL Champion

The 1938 title remains the defining achievement of the Wingfoots' professional league era.

Goodyear had now won consecutive major league championships:

• 1937 Midwest Basketball Conference Championship
• 1938 National Basketball League Championship

The organization was one of the strongest basketball teams in the country.

1938-39: Firestone Takes Control

The following season produced a dramatic change in Akron basketball.

Goodyear finished 14-14.

The .500 record placed the Wingfoots second in the Eastern Division.

Firestone dominated the league and won the NBL championship.

No Playoffs for Goodyear

The postseason format had changed.

Despite finishing second in the division, Goodyear did not qualify for a championship series.

The Wingfoots' attempt to repeat ended during the regular season.

The Akron Industrial Rivalry Shifts

Firestone became the dominant Akron team.

The Non-Skids won championships in both 1939 and 1940.

Goodyear remained competitive but could not reclaim the top position.

1938-39 Season Summary

The 1939-40 Season

Goodyear again finished exactly .500 during the 1939-40 season.

The Wingfoots posted a 14-14 record.

This time, the team finished third in the Eastern Division.

Firestone again won the division and eventually captured another NBL championship.

1939-40 Season Summary

The 1940-41 Season

The Wingfoots declined slightly during 1940-41.

Goodyear finished 11-13.

The .458 winning percentage placed the club sixth in the league.

The Wingfoots missed the postseason for the third consecutive season.

1940-41 Season Summary

The Final NBL Season

Goodyear rebounded strongly in 1941-42.

The Wingfoots finished 15-9.

The .625 winning percentage tied Fort Wayne for the second-best record in the league behind the Oshkosh All-Stars.

Akron again qualified for the playoffs.

A Strong Defense Returns

The Wingfoots scored 45.4 points per game and allowed only 40.8.

The defensive average ranked among the best in the NBL.

Goodyear outscored opponents by more than four points per game.

1941-42 NBL Standings

The 1942 Playoffs

Goodyear returned to postseason competition for the first time since winning the 1938 championship.

The Wingfoots were eliminated in the NBL semifinals.

The loss became the final postseason appearance of Goodyear's NBL era.

1941-42 Season Summary

Akron Goodyear Wingfoots NBL Record

NBL Franchise Summary

World War II

World War II changed the course of the Wingfoots organization.

The United States entered the war in December 1941.

Players entered military service, industrial production became the priority and professional sports teams struggled to maintain rosters.

Goodyear was heavily involved in wartime manufacturing.

Basketball became secondary to defense production.

The Wingfoots Leave the NBL

Goodyear did not participate in the NBL after the 1941-42 season.

The team suspended major basketball operations during the war.

Unlike many NBL franchises, however, the organization did not disappear permanently.

Return After World War II

Goodyear revived the Wingfoots after the war.

The team returned to industrial basketball rather than rejoining the National Basketball League.

This decision ultimately separated Goodyear from the professional franchise structure that later developed into the NBA.

The National Industrial Basketball League

The Wingfoots joined the National Industrial Basketball League during the late 1940s.

The NIBL featured company-sponsored basketball teams from around the United States.

Major organizations included:

• Bartlesville Phillips 66ers
• Peoria Caterpillars
• Milwaukee Allen-Bradleys
• Fort Wayne General Electrics
• Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

The Phillips 66ers

The dominant team of the NIBL era was the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers.

The Phillips Petroleum-backed team had enormous resources and recruited many of the best college players who were not entering the NBA.

The 66ers won numerous league championships.

Goodyear remained competitive but rarely challenged Phillips for league supremacy during the 1950s.

Fifteen NIBL Seasons

Across approximately 15 seasons in the National Industrial Basketball League, Goodyear compiled a record around 126-139.

The team did not dominate the league, but it remained one of its most durable organizations.

Hank Vaughn

One of the most important later coaches in Wingfoots history was Hank Vaughn.

Vaughn coached Goodyear during the late 1950s and 1960s.

Under his leadership, the team returned to national prominence.

Talented Later Wingfoots

Later Wingfoots rosters included numerous accomplished college players.

Among them were:

• Dick Boushka
• Bill Reigel
• Johnny Cox
• Jim Francis
• Quitman Sullins
• George Swyers
• Pete McCaffrey
• Lloyd Sharrar
• Jim Rayl
• Jay Miller
• Calvin Fowler

The National Alliance of Basketball Leagues

By the early 1960s, the industrial basketball structure evolved again.

The Wingfoots competed in the National Alliance of Basketball Leagues.

The team remained one of America's leading non-NBA basketball organizations.

The 1964 AAU National Championship

Goodyear returned to the top of national amateur basketball in 1964.

The Wingfoots reached the AAU national championship game against their longtime industrial rival, the Phillips 66ers.

Goodyear won 86-78.

The victory gave the Wingfoots their first AAU national tournament championship.

The 1967 AAU Championship

The Wingfoots won another AAU national title in 1967.

Again, the championship opponent was the Phillips 66ers.

Goodyear won 77-62.

The victory established the Wingfoots as one of the strongest amateur basketball teams in the country.

AAU National Championships

International Basketball

The Wingfoots' success also gave the team opportunities to represent American basketball internationally.

During the late 1960s, Goodyear competed against some of the strongest club teams in Europe and South America.

The Wingfoots became especially successful in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.

The 1967 Intercontinental Cup

Goodyear defeated Italian power Ignis Varese 78-72 in Rome.

Jim Rayl scored 20 points and Jay Miller scored 22.

The victory gave the Wingfoots an international club championship.

The 1968 Intercontinental Cup

The following year, Goodyear faced legendary Spanish club Real Madrid.

The Wingfoots produced one of the most impressive victories in team history.

Goodyear defeated Real Madrid 105-73.

The 32-point victory demonstrated the quality of American industrial basketball at its peak.

The 1969 Intercontinental Cup

Goodyear completed a remarkable three-year run in 1969.

The Wingfoots defeated Spartak ZJS Brno 84-71.

The victory gave Akron its third consecutive Intercontinental Cup championship.

Three Straight International Championships

The Peak of the Later Wingfoots

The late 1960s represented another golden age for the organization.

Goodyear had now won championships in four very different basketball environments:

• Midwest Basketball Conference
• National Basketball League
• AAU national competition
• FIBA international club competition

That range of success is unusual in American basketball history.

Goodyear Hall

The Wingfoots became closely associated with Goodyear Hall in Akron.

The venue seated roughly 4,000 spectators and served as a home for company athletics and community events.

The arena became one of the best-known venues in industrial basketball.

The Wingfoot Name

The Wingfoots name came directly from Goodyear's corporate identity.

The winged-foot symbol had long been associated with the company.

Goodyear later used the "Wingfoot" name for other parts of its business, including its famous airship program.

The basketball team therefore became one of the most visible athletic expressions of the company's brand.

Not Part of the NBA Merger

The Wingfoots did not join the Basketball Association of America or the later NBA.

When the NBL's surviving professional franchises eventually combined with the BAA structure in 1949, Goodyear had already left major professional basketball.

The team remained within industrial and amateur competition instead.

A Different Path From Fort Wayne and Minneapolis

Several former NBL rivals took very different paths.

The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons became the Detroit Pistons.

The Minneapolis Lakers became the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Rochester Royals eventually became the Sacramento Kings.

Goodyear chose to remain tied to company basketball rather than evolve into an NBA franchise.

No Direct NBA Franchise Lineage

The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots therefore have no direct franchise connection to a modern NBA team.

Their importance comes from their role in building the professional league structure that preceded the NBA.

The End of Full National Competition

By the 1970s, industrial basketball was declining.

Professional basketball salaries in the NBA and ABA had increased dramatically.

Top college players were far less likely to choose corporate employment over professional basketball contracts.

The traditional company-team model became increasingly difficult to sustain.

Goodyear Sponsorship Ends

Goodyear eventually reduced and ended direct sponsorship of the national basketball program.

The team stopped playing the same kind of full national industrial schedule that had defined earlier decades.

However, the Wingfoots name survived.

Later Independent Wingfoots

During later decades, versions of the Wingfoots continued operating independently and in AAU competition.

The organization maintained the historic name and continued playing exhibition and tournament basketball.

That longevity makes the Wingfoots unusual among teams from the pre-NBA era.

Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Major Championships

Notable Early Wingfoots Players

• Charley Shipp
• Chuck Bloedorn
• Ray Morstadt
• Russ Ochsenhirt
• Chelso Tamagno
• Bob Cope
• LeRoy Lins
• Johnny McAdams
• Wesley Bennett
• Wilson Fitts

Notable Later Wingfoots Players

• Dick Boushka
• Bill Reigel
• Johnny Cox
• Charley Slack
• Jim Francis
• George Swyers
• Quitman Sullins
• Lloyd Sharrar
• Pete McCaffrey
• Jim Rayl
• Jay Miller
• Calvin Fowler

Akron's Basketball Rivalry

The Goodyear-Firestone rivalry remains one of the most fascinating elements of early professional basketball.

Two elite basketball teams represented competing tire companies located in the same city.

Both became NBL champions.

Goodyear won the first title in 1938.

Firestone followed by winning championships in 1939 and 1940.

For three consecutive seasons, every NBL champion came from Akron.

Akron Dominates the Early NBL

The Importance of Akron to Professional Basketball

Akron was one of the most important basketball cities in America during the 1930s.

Modern NBA history usually emphasizes New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

During the formative NBL years, however, cities such as Akron were at the center of the professional game.

The tire companies supplied financing, facilities and employment that allowed professional-quality basketball to survive during the Great Depression.

The Wingfoots Helped Build the NBL

Goodyear was one of the organizations that provided stability to the Midwest Basketball Conference and later National Basketball League.

The NBL eventually became one of the primary foundations of the modern NBA.

Several franchises that competed against the Wingfoots later entered the NBA.

NBL Opponents With Modern NBA Descendants

• Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons - Detroit Pistons
• Rochester Royals - Sacramento Kings
• Minneapolis Lakers - Los Angeles Lakers
• Syracuse Nationals - Philadelphia 76ers
• Tri-Cities Blackhawks - Atlanta Hawks

The Wingfoots Chose Industrial Basketball

Goodyear's decision not to pursue an NBA future is one of the most interesting aspects of the franchise's history.

The company had the financial resources and basketball tradition to remain involved at the highest professional level.

Instead, Goodyear preferred the company-team structure.

That decision kept the Wingfoots outside the NBA but allowed the organization to survive far longer than many early professional franchises.

Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Timeline

Why the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots Matter

The Wingfoots were not simply another defunct NBL franchise.

Their history began almost two decades before the NBL existed and continued decades after they left it.

They represented the industrial basketball system that helped keep high-level basketball alive before professional salaries became sustainable.

They helped create the league structure that eventually contributed to the formation of the NBA.

They won the first NBL championship.

And they later became internationally successful against some of the best basketball clubs in the world.

A Unique Basketball Organization

Very few basketball organizations can claim championships in both pre-NBA professional basketball and international club competition nearly 30 years apart.

Goodyear accomplished exactly that.

The 1938 Wingfoots were champions of one of America's major professional leagues.

The late-1960s Wingfoots were winning international championships against elite European teams.

Legacy of the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots

The Akron Goodyear Wingfoots occupy a unique place in basketball history.

The team began in 1918 as an athletic program for employees of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Over the next two decades, Goodyear transformed that company basketball team into one of the strongest organizations in the country.

The Wingfoots became part of the industrial basketball system that supplied employment and competitive opportunities to elite players during a period when professional basketball alone rarely provided enough income.

Goodyear entered the Midwest Basketball Conference in 1936 and immediately dominated.

The Wingfoots went 16-2 and captured the 1937 MBC championship.

When the conference became the National Basketball League, Goodyear remained one of its strongest teams.

The inaugural NBL season produced the franchise's greatest professional achievement.

Akron finished 13-5 and allowed only 27.7 points per game, the best defensive average in the league.

The Wingfoots swept rival Akron Firestone in the Eastern playoff and then defeated the Oshkosh All-Stars two games to one in the championship series.

The victory made Goodyear the first National Basketball League champion.

Goodyear remained competitive for four additional seasons.

The Wingfoots finished 14-14 in both 1938-39 and 1939-40, fell to 11-13 in 1940-41 and rebounded to 15-9 in 1941-42.

The final team reached the NBL semifinals.

Across five NBL seasons, Goodyear compiled a 67-55 record, two playoff appearances and one championship.

World War II brought the NBL era to an end.

Goodyear redirected its resources toward wartime manufacturing and the basketball program suspended major operations.

After the war, the Wingfoots returned.

Rather than entering the emerging NBA structure, Goodyear remained part of industrial and amateur basketball.

The team competed for years in the National Industrial Basketball League and eventually returned to national prominence during the 1960s under coach Hank Vaughn.

The Wingfoots won AAU national championships in 1964 and 1967.

They then achieved one of the most remarkable international runs by an American club team.

Goodyear won three consecutive FIBA Intercontinental Cups from 1967 through 1969.

The championship victories included wins over Ignis Varese, Real Madrid and Spartak Brno.

The 105-73 victory over Real Madrid in 1968 remains one of the most impressive results in Wingfoots history.

By the 1970s, the rise of the NBA and ABA had weakened the traditional industrial basketball model.

Top players could earn far more by playing professionally, and corporations gradually reduced their involvement in elite basketball teams.

Goodyear eventually ended its direct national basketball sponsorship.

Unlike most teams from the 1930s, however, the Wingfoots name survived in later independent and AAU competition.

The franchise never became part of the NBA, but its influence on professional basketball is undeniable.

The Wingfoots helped establish the Midwest Basketball Conference, became one of the founding organizations of the National Basketball League and won its first championship.

They were also part of an extraordinary Akron basketball era in which Goodyear and Firestone combined to win the first three NBL championships.

The team later reinvented itself as an amateur and international power.

From industrial gyms in Akron to championship games against Oshkosh and international victories over Real Madrid, the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots built one of the longest and most unusual histories in American basketball.