History of the Chicago American Gears

The Chicago American Gears were one of the most talented and fascinating short-lived teams in early professional basketball history. Based in Chicago, Illinois, the Gears competed in the National Basketball League from 1944 through 1947 and won the 1947 NBL championship behind a remarkable collection of talent that included George Mikan, Bobby McDermott, Bob Calihan, Stan Patrick and Dick Triptow.

The franchise existed for only three NBL seasons, but its impact was enormous. The Gears helped launch Mikan's professional career, assembled one of the strongest rosters of the pre-NBA era and defeated the powerful Rochester Royals in the 1947 championship series.

The team then disappeared almost immediately after reaching the top.

Owner Maurice White withdrew the Gears from the NBL and attempted to create his own rival organization, the Professional Basketball League of America. The new league lasted less than a month. When it collapsed, the Gears were unable to return to the NBL and ceased operations.

The collapse scattered their roster throughout professional basketball. Mikan eventually joined the Minneapolis Lakers, where he became the first dominant superstar of the NBA era.

American Gear and Manufacturing Company

The team took its name from the American Gear & Manufacturing Company, a Chicago industrial business owned by Maurice White.

Like many early professional basketball teams, the Gears developed from the company-sponsored basketball tradition.

During the 1930s and 1940s, businesses frequently sponsored athletic clubs made up of employees, former college stars and professional players.

Industrial basketball helped support some of the strongest teams in the country before modern professional franchises became financially stable.

Maurice White

Maurice White became the central figure in the history of the American Gears.

White owned American Gear & Manufacturing and had enough financial resources to build an ambitious basketball organization.

He wanted more than a company recreation team.

White envisioned a major professional club capable of competing with the strongest basketball organizations in the United States.

His willingness to spend money eventually allowed Chicago to sign George Mikan and Bobby McDermott, two of the greatest players of the era.

White's ambition was also ultimately responsible for the destruction of the franchise.

Before the National Basketball League

The American Gears competed as an industrial and Amateur Athletic Union team before entering the NBL.

The organization was active by the early 1940s and competed against strong independent and company-sponsored clubs throughout the Midwest.

By 1944, White believed the Gears were ready for the National Basketball League.

Chicago Joins the NBL

The Gears entered the National Basketball League for the 1944-45 season.

The NBL was beginning to recover from the disruption caused by World War II.

Six teams competed that season.

Chicago was placed in the Western Division with the Sheboygan Red Skins and Oshkosh All-Stars.

Stan Patrick

The star of the first American Gears team was Stan Patrick.

Patrick was a 6-foot-3 forward-guard who had played college basketball at both Santa Clara and Illinois.

He immediately became one of the most dangerous scorers in the National Basketball League.

Patrick appeared in 28 games during the 1944-45 season and scored 458 points.

He averaged 16.4 points per game, an exceptional figure for the era.

Dick Triptow

Dick Triptow became another major contributor.

The former DePaul guard-forward had played alongside George Mikan in college.

Triptow appeared in all 30 league games and scored 299 points, averaging approximately 10 points per game.

His speed and versatility made him an important part of the Gears' early success.

Other Early Gears Players

The first NBL roster also included players such as Ray Patterson, Swede Roos, Charley Shipp, Jim Cominsky and Tony Kelly.

The Gears combined experienced professional players with accomplished college talent.

1944-45 Chicago American Gears

Chicago finished its first NBL season with a 14-16 record.

The .467 winning percentage placed the Gears second in the Western Division.

The team scored 1,547 points, averaging 51.6 per game.

Chicago allowed 1,618 points, or 53.9 per game.

The 1945 Playoffs

The Gears qualified for the postseason in their first NBL season.

Chicago faced the Sheboygan Red Skins in the Western Division semifinals.

The series went three games.

Sheboygan defeated Chicago two games to one.

The Red Skins eventually reached the NBL championship series.

1944-45 Season Summary

The 1945-46 Season

The Gears returned with a stronger roster in 1945-46.

Chicago finished exactly 17-17.

The .500 record placed the team third in the Western Division.

Unlike the previous season, the Gears did not qualify for the playoffs.

Stan Patrick Remains the Star

Patrick again led Chicago in scoring.

He appeared in 33 games and scored 312 points.

Patrick averaged 9.5 points per game.

Although his scoring average declined from the previous season, he remained one of the most important players on the roster.

Bob Calihan

The Gears added Bob Calihan, the former University of Detroit star who had previously played for the Detroit Eagles.

Calihan appeared in 31 games and scored 270 points.

His 8.7-point average made him Chicago's second-leading scorer.

Calihan was an intelligent and versatile forward who would become an important part of the championship team the following season.

Dick Triptow Returns

Triptow continued to play an important role in the Chicago backcourt.

His experience with DePaul and familiarity with Chicago basketball would become especially important once Mikan joined the team.

A Mediocre Team Heading Toward Transformation

The Gears were competitive but not dominant during their first two NBL seasons.

Chicago's combined record was 31-33.

Nothing about those numbers suggested that the team was about to assemble perhaps the most talented roster in the league.

That changed in 1946.

George Mikan

George Mikan was already one of the most famous basketball players in America before he played his first professional league game.

The 6-foot-10 center had starred at DePaul University under coach Ray Meyer.

Mikan revolutionized the center position.

He could score with either hand, rebound, block shots and dominate the area around the basket in a way few players had previously demonstrated.

His combination of size, footwork and skill made him almost impossible to defend.

Mikan's College Dominance

At DePaul, Mikan became a three-time All-American.

He led the Blue Demons to the 1945 National Invitation Tournament championship.

In the tournament championship game against Rhode Island, Mikan scored 53 points.

His performance helped transform perceptions about what extremely tall players could do on a basketball court.

Mikan Changes the Rules

Mikan was so dominant around the basket that college basketball adopted a goaltending rule partly in response to his ability to swat opponents' shots after they began descending toward the rim.

His later professional dominance would contribute to additional rule changes.

Mikan was becoming basketball's first true big-man superstar.

The Gears Sign Mikan

After finishing his college career, Mikan signed with Maurice White's Chicago American Gears.

The move made geographic sense.

Mikan had already become a Chicago sports celebrity while playing at DePaul.

White now possessed the most sought-after basketball player in the country.

The 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament

Mikan joined the Gears in time to participate in the 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament in Chicago.

The tournament was one of the most prestigious events in professional basketball and featured league teams, independent clubs and touring organizations.

Mikan immediately demonstrated that his college dominance would translate to professional basketball.

100 Points in Five Games

Mikan scored 100 points in five tournament games.

He established several tournament scoring records.

Chicago finished third, but Mikan was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

His performance confirmed that the Gears had signed a transformational player.

The 1946-47 Season Begins Without Mikan

Mikan's transition into the regular NBL season was not completely smooth.

A contract dispute with Maurice White delayed his appearance.

The Gears struggled during stretches of the early season without their new superstar.

Once Mikan became a regular part of the lineup, Chicago's fortunes changed dramatically.

Bobby McDermott

White made another enormous acquisition during the season when he brought in Bobby McDermott.

McDermott had been the dominant professional guard of the early 1940s.

He had led the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons to championships and had won multiple NBL Most Valuable Player awards.

McDermott was widely regarded as one of the greatest professional basketball players in the country.

Two Generations of Superstars

The combination of Mikan and McDermott was extraordinary.

McDermott represented the dominant perimeter player of the early NBL era.

Mikan represented the future of professional basketball.

For a brief period, both played on the same team.

McDermott Becomes Player-Coach

McDermott also served as player-coach.

His arrival provided Chicago with an experienced leader who had already coached championship teams in Fort Wayne.

The Gears now possessed not only elite talent but championship experience.

George Mikan's Rookie Season

Mikan appeared in 25 regular-season games for the Gears.

He averaged approximately 16.5 points per game.

His scoring immediately placed him among the best offensive players in the league.

More importantly, his size dramatically changed how opposing teams had to defend Chicago.

Bob Calihan

Calihan remained a major part of the roster.

With Mikan drawing attention inside and McDermott controlling the game from the backcourt, Calihan became an extremely effective complementary scorer.

He earned Second Team All-NBL honors after the season.

Stan Patrick

Patrick continued as one of Chicago's most reliable scorers.

By this point he had been with the Gears since their first NBL season.

His ability to score from forward and guard gave Chicago unusual offensive depth.

Dick Triptow

Triptow reunited with his former DePaul teammate Mikan.

The guard's speed and familiarity with Mikan's game gave the Gears another valuable weapon.

Fritz Nagy

Fritz Nagy joined the Gears and provided additional scoring.

The former University of Akron star was one of the best college scorers of the middle 1940s.

His presence made an already deep Chicago roster even more dangerous.

1946-47 Chicago American Gears Roster

A 26-18 Regular Season

Chicago finished the 1946-47 regular season with a 26-18 record.

The .591 winning percentage placed the Gears third in the Western Division.

Oshkosh finished first at 28-16, while Indianapolis went 27-17.

Chicago finished only two games out of first place.

A Strong Offense and Defense

The Gears scored 2,569 points, averaging 58.4 per game.

That ranked third in the 12-team NBL.

Chicago allowed 2,389 points, or 54.3 per game.

The Gears outscored opponents by 180 points.

1946-47 Western Division Standings

The 1947 NBL Playoffs

Chicago entered the playoffs as the Western Division's third-place team.

The Gears would need to defeat three strong opponents to win the championship.

Mikan's arrival transformed Chicago into a much more dangerous postseason team than its third-place regular-season finish suggested.

First Round: Indianapolis Kautskys

The Gears faced the Indianapolis Kautskys in the opening round.

Indianapolis had finished one game ahead of Chicago during the regular season.

The series became a five-game battle.

Chicago won three games to two.

Western Division Semifinals: Oshkosh

The next opponent was the first-place Oshkosh All-Stars.

Oshkosh had been one of the most successful organizations in NBL history.

The All-Stars had won championships in 1941 and 1942 and had reached the postseason almost every year.

The Gears Sweep Oshkosh

Chicago overwhelmed the All-Stars.

The Gears swept the series two games to none.

Mikan's presence inside created enormous problems for an Oshkosh team that had spent years dominating smaller opponents.

The NBL Championship Series

The championship opponent was the Rochester Royals.

Rochester had finished with the best regular-season record in the NBL at 31-13.

The Royals were the defending NBL champions.

They featured stars such as Bob Davies, Al Cervi, Arnie Risen, Red Holzman and George Glamack.

Rochester Versus Chicago

The championship series matched two very different basketball powers.

Rochester represented the established championship organization.

Chicago represented a suddenly transformed superteam led by Mikan and McDermott.

The Gears proved to be the stronger club.

Chicago Wins the Championship

The American Gears defeated Rochester three games to one.

Chicago clinched the championship with a 79-68 victory.

The series gave the Gears the only NBL championship in franchise history.

1947 NBL Playoff Results

George Mikan Dominates the Playoffs

Mikan was even better in the postseason than he had been during the regular season.

He averaged nearly 20 points per game during the playoff run.

No opposing team could consistently control him around the basket.

The 1947 playoffs became the first major professional championship run of Mikan's career.

Three All-NBL Players

The Gears received extraordinary individual recognition after the season.

George Mikan earned First Team All-NBL honors.

Bobby McDermott was also selected to the First Team.

Bob Calihan earned Second Team honors.

Few teams in NBL history could match that collection of elite talent.

1946-47 Season Summary

The Gears at Their Peak

By the spring of 1947, Chicago possessed arguably the strongest professional basketball roster in America.

Mikan was the game's emerging superstar.

McDermott was already one of the greatest guards in professional basketball history.

Calihan, Patrick and Triptow gave the team exceptional depth.

The Gears appeared positioned to become an NBL dynasty.

Instead, they never played another NBL game.

Maurice White Versus the NBL

White's relationship with other National Basketball League owners had deteriorated.

He was ambitious, aggressive and frequently clashed with league leadership.

After winning the championship, White wanted greater control over the direction of professional basketball.

He sought the NBL commissioner's position.

The other owners chose a different candidate.

White Pulls the Gears Out

White responded by withdrawing the American Gears from the National Basketball League.

The decision was stunning.

The defending champion had the most dominant young player in basketball and one of the strongest rosters in professional sports.

White believed he could build something larger.

The Professional Basketball League of America

White created the Professional Basketball League of America, commonly known as the PBLA.

The league was intended to compete with both the NBL and the newly formed Basketball Association of America.

White envisioned a nationwide league covering numerous major and medium-sized cities.

An Extraordinary Ownership Structure

The PBLA's structure was unlike almost any major professional sports league.

White effectively controlled the entire operation.

Rather than relying on independent team owners, his organization operated the league and its franchises centrally.

The league initially planned an enormous national footprint.

Sixteen teams ultimately began competition.

The Chicago Gears Continue

The American Gears continued as the flagship team of White's new league.

The PBLA version of the roster included:

• George Mikan
• Bobby McDermott
• Stan Patrick
• Bob Calihan
• Dick Triptow
• Fritz Nagy
• Pete Fogo
• Billy Hassett
• Charlie Molner

Chicago remained extraordinarily talented.

The Gears Dominate the PBLA

The Gears began the new league by winning their first eight games.

Mikan was the dominant player in the PBLA.

He scored nearly 24 points per game during the brief schedule.

Chicago's offense produced some of the highest scores in the league.

97 Points Against New Orleans

One of Chicago's most impressive PBLA performances came against the New Orleans Hurricanes.

The Gears scored 97 points, the highest single-game total recorded during the league's short existence.

The performance showed how powerful Chicago's roster had become.

Mikan Scores 29

Mikan produced the highest individual scoring game of the brief PBLA season when he scored 29 points against Springfield on November 10, 1947.

He also had multiple 28-point games.

Had the league survived, Mikan almost certainly would have been its biggest star.

The PBLA Begins to Collapse

Almost immediately, financial problems appeared.

Operating a nationwide league required enormous travel expenses.

Many games drew poor crowds.

Some teams could not generate enough revenue to cover basic costs.

The league was attempting to expand too far and too quickly.

Less Than One Month

The Professional Basketball League of America began play in late October 1947.

It folded on November 13, 1947.

The league had existed for less than one month.

Only 54 games had been played across the entire 16-team league.

No PBLA Champion

The league collapsed before a meaningful season could be completed.

No championship was awarded.

The Gears had been the strongest team, but their 8-0 start became irrelevant when the entire organization ceased operations.

Maurice White's Gamble Fails

White had taken the reigning NBL champion out of an established league to create a rival organization.

The gamble failed almost immediately.

The result destroyed the American Gears.

The team no longer had a league.

Trying to Return to the NBL

After the PBLA collapsed, White attempted to return the Gears to the National Basketball League.

The NBL refused.

The relationship between White and the league had become too damaged.

The defending 1947 champions were effectively finished.

The Gears Fold

The Chicago American Gears ceased operations in 1947.

Their collapse came only months after winning the NBL championship.

Few championship teams in major professional sports history have disappeared so quickly after reaching the top.

The PBLA Dispersal

With the PBLA dead, its players became available to other professional teams.

The National Basketball League conducted a dispersal process involving former PBLA players.

The most important question concerned George Mikan.

George Mikan Goes to Minneapolis

Mikan eventually joined the Minneapolis Lakers.

The Lakers had entered the NBL after the Detroit Gems franchise was purchased and relocated to Minnesota.

Adding Mikan transformed Minneapolis almost immediately.

The Lakers Become a Dynasty

Mikan led Minneapolis to the 1948 NBL championship.

The Lakers then moved to the Basketball Association of America and won the 1949 BAA championship.

After the BAA and NBL came together under the NBA name, Minneapolis continued dominating professional basketball.

Mikan became the first great superstar of the NBA era.

The Gears Created the Lakers Dynasty Indirectly

There is an extraordinary irony in the collapse of the American Gears.

Chicago had assembled a team capable of becoming a dynasty.

Instead, White's failed breakaway league destroyed the organization and sent Mikan elsewhere.

The biggest beneficiary was Minneapolis.

The Lakers acquired the player who would lead them to multiple championships.

Bobby McDermott

McDermott's career was nearing its later stages by the time the PBLA collapsed.

He had already established himself as one of the greatest players in NBL history.

His brief partnership with Mikan created one of the most fascinating combinations in early professional basketball.

One superstar represented the game's past, while the other represented its future.

Bob Calihan

Calihan continued playing professionally after Chicago.

He later became a major figure in Detroit basketball.

Calihan coached the University of Detroit for more than two decades.

The university's arena was eventually renamed Calihan Hall in his honor.

Stan Patrick

Patrick's three NBL seasons with Chicago made him one of the most important players in franchise history.

He was the star before Mikan arrived and remained an important contributor on the championship team.

Patrick later continued playing with other professional organizations.

Dick Triptow

Triptow remained closely connected to Mikan throughout several stages of their careers.

The two had been teammates at DePaul before becoming teammates again with the Gears.

Triptow later played professionally with other teams and became a longtime basketball coach.

Chicago American Gears NBL Record

NBL Franchise Summary

Major Honors

Notable Chicago American Gears Players

• George Mikan
• Bobby McDermott
• Bob Calihan
• Stan Patrick
• Dick Triptow
• Fritz Nagy
• Stan Miasek
• Ray Patterson
• Ed Sadowski
• Swede Roos

Home Arenas

The International Amphitheatre

The Gears used the International Amphitheatre during the later portion of their history.

The arena could accommodate approximately 9,000 spectators for basketball.

That gave Chicago access to a larger venue than most NBL organizations used.

The Gears therefore had both the market and arena necessary to potentially become one of professional basketball's major franchises.

Chicago's Professional Basketball Problem

Chicago had repeatedly struggled to maintain a stable major professional basketball team despite being one of America's largest cities.

The city had supported numerous early independent and league teams.

Most disappeared quickly.

The American Gears came closer than almost any previous Chicago organization to building a lasting championship franchise.

The Chicago Stags

At the same time the Gears were becoming an NBL powerhouse, the Chicago Stags were competing in the rival Basketball Association of America.

The Stags reached the 1947 BAA Finals.

Chicago therefore had championship-caliber teams in both major professional basketball leagues during the same season.

What If the Gears Had Stayed?

The collapse of the Gears created one of the great "what if" questions of early professional basketball.

If Maurice White had remained in the NBL, Chicago could have entered the 1947-48 season with George Mikan, Bobby McDermott, Bob Calihan, Stan Patrick and Dick Triptow.

The roster was talented enough to contend for several additional championships.

Instead, the team disappeared and Mikan moved to Minneapolis.

The Gears and the Birth of the NBA

The American Gears folded only two years before the NBA was created.

Had the organization survived, Chicago might have entered the combined league in 1949.

Instead, the city's Stags became part of the NBA and themselves folded after the 1949-50 season.

The NBA would not establish a permanent successful Chicago franchise until the Bulls began play in 1966.

George Mikan's Professional Beginning

The greatest legacy of the Gears remains their role in the career of George Mikan.

Chicago gave Mikan his first major professional opportunity.

He won a World Professional Basketball Tournament MVP award with the club.

He led the team to the 1947 NBL championship.

His success with Chicago proved that his dominance at DePaul would translate to professional basketball.

Mikan Becomes Mr. Basketball

After leaving the Gears, Mikan became the central figure in the growth of professional basketball.

He led Minneapolis to championships in the NBL, BAA and NBA.

His popularity helped professional basketball attract national attention.

He became known as "Mr. Basketball."

That legendary career began professionally with the Chicago American Gears.

The Maurice White Legacy

Maurice White remains one of the most fascinating owners in early professional basketball history.

His willingness to spend money created a championship team.

He signed George Mikan.

He added Bobby McDermott.

He transformed a mediocre NBL franchise into a champion.

Then his ambition destroyed it.

The PBLA as a Warning

The Professional Basketball League of America became an example of the dangers of overexpansion.

The league attempted to create a nationwide structure almost overnight.

There were too many teams, enormous travel costs, inadequate local ownership and insufficient attendance.

The organization collapsed before it could establish itself.

The strongest team in the entire experiment disappeared with it.

Professional Basketball League of America Summary

Chicago American Gears Timeline

A Championship Team That Vanished

The American Gears remain one of the strangest champions in professional basketball history.

They won the NBL championship and then disappeared before defending it.

Their collapse had nothing to do with a lack of talent.

Chicago may actually have possessed the best collection of players in the league.

The franchise disappeared because of ownership decisions and the failure of a rival league.

Why the Chicago American Gears Matter

The Gears played only three National Basketball League seasons.

They won 57 regular-season games.

They made two playoff appearances.

They won one championship.

Those numbers alone would make them a notable NBL franchise.

Their roster makes them historically significant.

Chicago briefly brought together George Mikan and Bobby McDermott, two players who defined different generations of early professional basketball.

Legacy of the Chicago American Gears

The Chicago American Gears were one of professional basketball's greatest lost franchises.

The team developed from the industrial basketball program of Maurice White's American Gear & Manufacturing Company and entered the National Basketball League in 1944.

The early Gears were built around Stan Patrick and Dick Triptow.

Patrick became one of the league's leading scorers, helping Chicago finish 14-16 and reach the playoffs in its first season.

The Gears improved to 17-17 in 1945-46 but missed the postseason.

Then everything changed.

White signed George Mikan, the dominant DePaul center who had become the most celebrated college basketball player in America.

Mikan immediately won MVP honors at the 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament.

During the following NBL season, White added legendary guard Bobby McDermott.

Suddenly, the Gears possessed a roster that included Mikan, McDermott, Bob Calihan, Stan Patrick, Dick Triptow and Fritz Nagy.

Chicago finished 26-18 and only third in the Western Division, but the regular-season standings did not reflect how powerful the team had become.

The Gears defeated Indianapolis three games to two, swept Oshkosh and then defeated the defending champion Rochester Royals three games to one to win the 1947 NBL championship.

Mikan dominated the postseason.

Mikan and McDermott earned First Team All-NBL honors, while Calihan made the Second Team.

The Gears appeared ready to dominate professional basketball for years.

Instead, Maurice White withdrew the team from the NBL.

White created the Professional Basketball League of America, an enormously ambitious nationwide league that he attempted to operate with centralized ownership.

The Gears remained the flagship team and began the PBLA season 8-0.

The rest of the league was not nearly as successful.

Poor attendance, massive travel costs and insufficient financial resources caused the PBLA to collapse on November 13, 1947, less than one month after beginning play.

The Gears attempted to return to the NBL, but the league refused to accept them.

The defending champions were finished.

Chicago's roster scattered.

Most importantly, George Mikan ended up with the Minneapolis Lakers.

Mikan led Minneapolis to the 1948 NBL championship and then became the dominant superstar of the BAA and NBA.

His Lakers became professional basketball's first true dynasty.

The Chicago American Gears therefore occupy a remarkable place in basketball history.

They helped launch Mikan's professional career.

They created one of the strongest teams of the pre-NBA era.

They won an NBL championship.

And then they destroyed themselves at the exact moment they seemed positioned to dominate the sport.

Had Maurice White simply kept the Gears in the NBL, professional basketball history might have developed very differently. Mikan might have spent his prime in Chicago rather than Minneapolis, and the first great professional basketball dynasty might have belonged to the American Gears instead of the Lakers.

Instead, Chicago's champion disappeared almost overnight.

The Gears finished their NBL history with a 57-51 regular-season record, two playoff appearances and one championship.

Their brief life produced one of the most compelling rises and falls in the history of professional basketball and secured the Chicago American Gears a permanent place in the story of the NBL and the origins of the NBA.