History of the Cleveland Allmen Transfers

The Cleveland Allmen Transfers were a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio, that competed in the National Basketball League during the 1944-45 and 1945-46 seasons. The club was the direct successor to the Cleveland Chase Brassmen, which had entered the NBL during the wartime 1943-44 season.

After Chase Brass and Copper ended its sponsorship, the Cleveland organization received new backing from the Allmen Transfer & Moving Company and adopted the Allmen Transfers name.

The change produced immediate improvement. Cleveland finished 13-17 in 1944-45, placed second in the Eastern Division and reached the NBL playoffs. Star scorer Mel Riebe led the league with 607 points and remained one of the best offensive players in professional basketball.

The success did not last. The following season, Cleveland collapsed to 4-29, finishing last in the Eastern Division and posting the worst offensive and defensive scoring averages in the NBL. The Transfers ceased operations after the 1945-46 season.

During their two seasons under the Allmen name, Cleveland compiled a 17-46 record. When the preceding Chase Brassmen season is included, the Cleveland organization went 20-61 over three NBL seasons.

From the Chase Brassmen to the Allmen Transfers

The history of the Allmen Transfers cannot be separated from that of the Cleveland Chase Brassmen.

The Chase Brassmen had developed from an industrial basketball program sponsored by the Chase Brass and Copper Company.

Cleveland joined the NBL for the 1943-44 season during World War II, when the league had contracted to only four teams.

The Brassmen finished 3-15 but still qualified for the playoffs because every NBL team reached the postseason.

Despite the poor record, the club produced one of the greatest individual seasons in league history.

Mel Riebe

Mel Riebe had scored 323 points in only 18 games for the Chase Brassmen.

He averaged 17.9 points per game, led the NBL in scoring and shared the league's Most Valuable Player Award with Fort Wayne star Bobby McDermott.

When Cleveland changed sponsors before the 1944-45 season, Riebe remained with the organization.

He became the centerpiece of the new Allmen Transfers.

Allmen Transfer & Moving Company

The team took its new identity from the Allmen Transfer & Moving Company.

Company sponsorship remained common in the National Basketball League during the 1940s.

The league had grown directly out of industrial basketball, and teams frequently carried the names of their corporate backers.

The Allmen sponsorship allowed Cleveland to remain in the NBL after Chase Brass withdrew.

A Changing National Basketball League

The 1944-45 season represented a turning point for the NBL.

World War II was still affecting player availability, but the league began expanding after operating with only four clubs the previous year.

Six teams competed during 1944-45.

The Eastern Division consisted of:

• Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
• Cleveland Allmen Transfers
• Pittsburgh Raiders

The Western Division featured the Sheboygan Red Skins, Chicago American Gears and Oshkosh All-Stars.

Cleveland Public Auditorium

The Allmen Transfers played their home games primarily at Cleveland Public Auditorium.

The large downtown arena gave Cleveland one of the more substantial venues in the National Basketball League.

Many NBL teams still played in high school gyms, company recreation buildings and small civic halls.

Public Auditorium gave the Transfers access to a much larger potential audience, although professional basketball still struggled to establish consistent attendance in Cleveland.

The 1944-45 Season

The first Allmen Transfers team immediately performed better than the Chase Brassmen had the previous year.

Cleveland finished 13-17.

The .433 winning percentage was not impressive by modern standards, but it was enough for second place in the Eastern Division.

The Transfers finished well behind the dominant Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons but comfortably ahead of Pittsburgh.

A Perfectly Even Scoring Margin

One of the most unusual statistics from Cleveland's season was its point differential.

The Transfers scored exactly 1,530 points.

They also allowed exactly 1,530 points.

That gave Cleveland an average of 51.0 points scored and 51.0 points allowed per game.

Despite losing four more games than it won, the team finished the season with a point differential of exactly zero.

Mel Riebe Leads the NBL Again

Riebe was even more productive than he had been during the Chase Brassmen season.

He played all 30 regular-season games and scored 607 points.

That gave him an average of approximately 20.2 points per game.

At a time when entire teams averaged around 50 points, Riebe's production was extraordinary.

607 Points

Riebe's 607 points led the National Basketball League.

He also led the league in free throws with 161.

His performance made him one of the most prolific scorers in the history of the pre-NBA game.

Riebe had now led the NBL in total scoring in consecutive seasons.

Mike Bytzura

Mike Bytzura became another important scorer for the Transfers.

The former Long Island University forward provided Cleveland with a strong secondary offensive option behind Riebe.

Bytzura averaged more than eight points per game during the season.

Tom Wukovits

Tom Wukovits played guard and became one of the club's most dependable backcourt players.

The former Notre Dame athlete also averaged more than eight points per game.

Wukovits remained with Cleveland for both Allmen Transfers seasons and eventually became the team's leading scorer after Riebe's role diminished.

John Mills

John Mills gave Cleveland exceptional size at center and forward.

The 6-foot-8 Western Kentucky product was one of the taller professional players of the era.

His presence helped strengthen an Allmen Transfers frontcourt that needed size against clubs such as Fort Wayne.

Don Warnke

Don Warnke provided even greater size.

The former Valparaiso center stood approximately 6-foot-10, making him one of the tallest players in American professional basketball at the time.

Players of that height remained extremely uncommon during the mid-1940s.

Ned Endress

Ned Endress continued with the organization after playing for the Chase Brassmen.

The versatile Akron product could play forward, guard and center.

His presence was one example of the player continuity connecting the Chase Brassmen and Allmen Transfers.

Bill Riebe

Bill Riebe, Mel's brother, also remained with the team.

Bill played guard and had been Cleveland's second-leading scorer during the Chase Brassmen season.

The Riebe brothers gave the Transfers an unusual family connection.

Steve Sitko

Steve Sitko played guard for Cleveland.

The Notre Dame athlete later became better known as a college football coach.

Sitko eventually served as head football coach at Xavier University.

John Malokas

John Malokas was another Cleveland-area guard.

The former Ohio University player provided additional backcourt depth.

Other 1944-45 Allmen Transfers Players

The roster also included:

• Tom Becker
• Frank Garcia
• Paul Kessy
• Herm Weiss

1944-45 Cleveland Allmen Transfers Roster

The 1944-45 Eastern Division

The Transfers Reach the Playoffs

Cleveland's second-place finish earned the Transfers a playoff berth.

The opponent was the overwhelmingly powerful Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons.

Fort Wayne had won 25 of 30 regular-season games and was attempting to repeat as NBL champion.

Bobby McDermott and Fort Wayne

The Pistons were led by superstar Bobby McDermott.

McDermott had shared the previous season's NBL MVP award with Mel Riebe.

Fort Wayne also featured Buddy Jeannette and a deep roster of experienced professionals.

Cleveland was badly outmatched.

The 1945 Eastern Division Playoffs

Fort Wayne swept the Allmen Transfers in the Eastern Division playoff series.

Cleveland was eliminated without winning a postseason game.

The Pistons then defeated Sheboygan to win their second consecutive NBL championship.

1944-45 Season Summary

1944-45 Team Statistics

The End of World War II

World War II ended in 1945, and professional basketball began another major transformation.

Players returned from military service.

Teams had access to a much larger talent pool.

At the same time, the cost of competing professionally began increasing.

The NBL expanded to eight teams for the 1945-46 season.

New Competition Arrives

The Eastern Division became much stronger with the arrival of the Rochester Royals and Youngstown Bears.

Cleveland now competed against:

• Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
• Rochester Royals
• Youngstown Bears

Rochester quickly became one of the best teams in professional basketball.

Joseph J. Carlin

Joseph J. Carlin served as Cleveland's head coach for the 1945-46 season.

Unlike earlier Cleveland teams that frequently relied on player-coaches, Carlin was listed as the club's dedicated head coach.

He faced an extremely difficult rebuilding situation.

The Roster Changes

The Transfers underwent substantial roster turnover.

Several players from the previous season departed.

New arrivals included Herm Fuetsch, Marshall Brown, Howie McCarty, John Moir, Jack Oberst, Joe Scott and Bob Shaw.

Although Mel Riebe remained associated with the organization, Cleveland could no longer build its entire offense around his extraordinary scoring.

Tom Wukovits Becomes Leading Scorer

Tom Wukovits became Cleveland's leading scorer during the final season.

He appeared in all 33 games.

Wukovits scored 231 points, averaging 7.0 points per game.

The dramatic difference between his 7.0 average and Riebe's 20-point scoring pace from the previous year demonstrates how much Cleveland's offense had declined.

Herm Fuetsch

Herm Fuetsch became one of Cleveland's better offensive players.

The guard averaged more than seven points per game during his time with the Transfers.

Fuetsch later played in the Basketball Association of America with the Baltimore Bullets.

Mike Bytzura Returns

Mike Bytzura remained with Cleveland.

The forward gave the Transfers continuity from their better 1944-45 team.

However, the supporting roster around him was not strong enough to compete consistently.

Ned Endress Returns

Ned Endress also remained with the organization.

His presence meant he had now played for both the Chase Brassmen and both versions of the Allmen Transfers.

Few players were more closely associated with Cleveland's wartime NBL franchise.

John Mills

John Mills returned at center.

The 6-foot-8 big man continued to provide size but could not solve Cleveland's broader offensive and defensive problems.

John Moir

John Moir joined the Transfers during the final season.

The former Notre Dame star had been one of the outstanding college players of the late 1930s.

Moir provided veteran frontcourt experience.

Howie McCarty

Howie McCarty played guard and forward.

The former Wayne University player later continued in professional basketball.

Bob Shaw

Bob Shaw played forward and center.

He was among the many players who passed through Cleveland as the team attempted to find a competitive lineup.

1945-46 Cleveland Allmen Transfers Roster

A Disastrous Season

The 1945-46 season quickly became a disaster.

Cleveland struggled against every opponent.

The Transfers lacked a dominant scorer, could not stop opposing offenses and repeatedly suffered one-sided defeats.

The team finished 4-29.

The Worst Record in the NBL

Cleveland's .121 winning percentage was the worst in the eight-team National Basketball League.

The Transfers finished fourth and last in the Eastern Division.

They ended the year 21.5 games behind first-place Fort Wayne.

1945-46 Eastern Division Standings

The Worst Offense in the League

Cleveland scored 1,514 points in 33 games.

That amounted to only 45.9 points per game.

The Transfers ranked last in the NBL in scoring.

The collapse was especially dramatic compared with the previous season, when Cleveland had averaged 51.0 points and Mel Riebe alone had averaged more than 20.

The Worst Defense in the League

The defense was even worse.

Cleveland allowed 1,856 points.

That was an average of 56.2 points per game, also the worst figure in the NBL.

The Transfers therefore ranked last in both scoring offense and scoring defense.

A Minus-342 Point Differential

Cleveland was outscored by 342 points.

That represented an average deficit of more than 10 points per game.

Statistical estimates suggest that Cleveland played more like a two-win team than even its 4-29 record indicated.

1945-46 Team Statistics

No Playoffs in the Final Season

Unlike the previous two Cleveland NBL seasons, the Transfers did not qualify for the postseason.

Fort Wayne and Rochester represented the Eastern Division in the playoffs.

Cleveland's professional season ended after 33 regular-season games.

The Rochester Royals

Rochester's arrival illustrated the changing nature of professional basketball.

The Royals were well financed, deeply talented and organized as a serious professional operation rather than simply as a company recreation team.

They quickly became an NBL powerhouse.

Rochester defeated Fort Wayne in the playoffs and eventually won the 1946 NBL championship.

Industrial Basketball Was Losing Ground

The contrast between Cleveland and Rochester demonstrated a larger change.

The industrial-team model that had built the NBL was gradually being replaced by organizations whose primary business was professional basketball.

Company employment was no longer enough to attract and retain the best talent.

Players increasingly expected professional salaries and full-time basketball opportunities.

The Allmen Transfers Fold

The Cleveland Allmen Transfers did not return for the 1946-47 season.

The team's 4-29 collapse, financial pressures and the changing professional basketball environment brought the organization to an end.

That ended three consecutive NBL seasons of Cleveland basketball under the Chase Brassmen and Allmen Transfers identities.

Two Seasons Under the Allmen Name

Chase Brassmen and Allmen Transfers Combined Record

Mel Riebe's Cleveland Legacy

No player was more closely associated with this Cleveland NBL organization than Mel Riebe.

He became an NBL co-MVP with the Chase Brassmen and then led the league in scoring again during the first Allmen Transfers season.

Across the wartime years, Riebe established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in professional basketball.

His combination of quickness, shooting and deceptive moves made him extremely difficult to defend.

The Up-and-Under

Riebe is frequently credited with helping popularize an early version of the up-and-under move.

He used fakes and changes of direction to make defenders leave their feet before attacking the basket.

The move later became a standard part of basketball offensive technique.

Riebe Moves to the BAA

After the Allmen Transfers disappeared, Riebe continued his professional career.

He joined the Cleveland Rebels of the newly created Basketball Association of America for the 1946-47 season.

He later played for the Boston Celtics and Providence Steamrollers.

Riebe therefore became one of the players who directly connected the NBL's wartime era to the BAA.

The Cleveland Rebels Were a Separate Team

The Cleveland Rebels should not be confused with the Allmen Transfers.

The Rebels were a newly organized Basketball Association of America franchise.

Although some Cleveland players moved between the clubs, the Rebels were not simply the Allmen Transfers under a new name.

The Rebels folded after only one BAA season.

The Syracuse Nationals Question

One of the most confusing parts of Allmen Transfers history concerns the Syracuse Nationals.

Some modern statistical databases place the Chase Brassmen, Allmen Transfers and Syracuse Nationals within the same franchise lineage.

That interpretation has led to claims that the modern Philadelphia 76ers can trace their organizational history back to Cleveland.

Why the Connection Is Disputed

The evidence for a direct relocation from Cleveland to Syracuse is weak.

The final Allmen Transfers roster did not simply move to Syracuse.

The Nationals were organized under Syracuse owner Danny Biasone and entered the NBL with a substantially different roster and management structure.

There is little of the normal organizational continuity associated with a straightforward franchise relocation.

A Safer Historical Interpretation

For that reason, the most cautious interpretation is that the Allmen Transfers ceased operations after 1945-46 and the Syracuse Nationals entered the NBL as a separately organized team.

Statistical databases may group the organizations together for recordkeeping purposes, but that does not necessarily mean that the modern Philadelphia 76ers should be considered a direct continuation of the Cleveland Allmen Transfers.

The Syracuse Nationals

Syracuse entered the National Basketball League in 1946-47.

The Nationals later became one of the strongest organizations in professional basketball.

They joined the NBA in 1949 and won the 1955 NBA championship.

The franchise moved to Philadelphia in 1963 and became the 76ers.

That well-established Syracuse-to-Philadelphia lineage is separate from the much more uncertain Cleveland-to-Syracuse claim.

Notable Cleveland Allmen Transfers Players

• Mel Riebe
• Bill Riebe
• Tom Wukovits
• Mike Bytzura
• Ned Endress
• John Mills
• Don Warnke
• Herm Fuetsch
• John Malokas
• John Moir
• Howie McCarty
• Steve Sitko
• Bob Shaw
• Joe Scott

Major Individual Accomplishments

Head Coach

Home Arena

The World Professional Basketball Tournament

Cleveland's basketball organization also remained connected to the broader world of independent and tournament basketball.

The Allmen Transfers participated in the World Professional Basketball Tournament, the annual Chicago event that brought together professional league clubs and independent teams.

The tournament remained one of the most prestigious events in professional basketball before the NBA era.

Willie Smith Returns

Former New York Renaissance center Willie "Wee Willie" Smith, who had played briefly for the Chase Brassmen in 1944, again appeared with Cleveland in tournament competition.

Smith's relationship with the Cleveland organization provided another link between the Allmen/Chase club and the history of Black professional basketball.

Cleveland's Place in Early Integrated Basketball

The Chase Brassmen had helped continue the racial integration of the NBL when they signed Smith.

Although the Allmen Transfers themselves did not become a major symbol of integration, they inherited the history and personnel of that Cleveland organization.

The team's broader story therefore remains connected to the gradual breaking of racial barriers in professional basketball during the 1940s.

A Company Team in a Changing Sport

The Allmen Transfers were created at a moment when the company-sponsored basketball model was beginning to disappear from major professional competition.

Teams such as Akron Goodyear, Firestone, Fort Wayne General Electric and Cleveland Chase Brass had demonstrated how industrial sponsors could support high-level basketball.

By the end of World War II, however, the sport was moving toward independent professional ownership.

Why the Transfers Could Not Keep Up

Cleveland's 1945-46 collapse reflected that transition.

The stronger NBL organizations were recruiting nationally and paying increasingly competitive basketball salaries.

Rochester entered the league with a well-organized professional operation and immediately contended for a championship.

Fort Wayne remained one of the best teams in the country.

Cleveland's small company-backed structure was no longer enough.

The BAA Arrives

The year the Transfers disappeared was also the year the Basketball Association of America was organized.

The new league concentrated on large arenas in major cities such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Chicago.

Cleveland received a BAA franchise, the Rebels, for the 1946-47 season.

The arrival of the BAA further changed the economics of professional basketball.

Cleveland Basketball After the Transfers

Cleveland continued to struggle to maintain a permanent professional basketball franchise.

The Rebels lasted one season.

Later minor-league and independent teams appeared, but Cleveland did not receive a lasting major-league franchise until the Cleveland Cavaliers entered the NBA in 1970.

The Allmen Transfers therefore represent one of several early failed attempts to establish major professional basketball in the city.

Cleveland Allmen Transfers Timeline

A Dramatic Rise and Fall

Few short-lived NBL teams experienced such a dramatic change from one season to the next.

The 1944-45 Transfers were competitive.

They finished second in their division, reached the playoffs and had the league's leading scorer.

One year later, they were the worst team in the NBL.

The transformation demonstrates how quickly fortunes could change in early professional basketball.

Why the Cleveland Allmen Transfers Matter

The Transfers are easy to overlook because they lasted only two seasons and never won a championship.

Their historical significance is greater than their 17-46 record suggests.

They continued one of Cleveland's earliest NBL organizations.

They featured one of the best scorers of the era.

They competed during the transition from wartime industrial basketball to the increasingly modern professional game.

And their uncertain relationship with Syracuse illustrates how difficult early professional basketball franchise history can be to reconstruct.

Legacy of the Cleveland Allmen Transfers

The Cleveland Allmen Transfers existed for only two National Basketball League seasons, but they represented an important transitional period in professional basketball.

The team emerged directly from the Cleveland Chase Brassmen after Chase Brass and Copper ended its sponsorship.

Allmen Transfer & Moving Company stepped in and kept Cleveland's NBL organization alive.

The change immediately produced the best season in the three-year Cleveland run.

The Transfers finished 13-17 in 1944-45, placed second in the Eastern Division and qualified for the playoffs.

The club scored exactly as many points as it allowed, 1,530.

Mel Riebe was the unquestioned star.

After sharing the NBL MVP award the previous season, Riebe became even more prolific under the Allmen Transfers name.

He scored 607 points in 30 games and led the league in total scoring for the second consecutive year.

Riebe also led the NBL with 161 free throws.

Mike Bytzura, Tom Wukovits, John Mills, Don Warnke, Ned Endress and Bill Riebe provided the supporting cast.

Cleveland's postseason run ended against the powerful Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, who swept the Transfers and eventually won another NBL championship.

The following season produced a complete collapse.

Under coach Joseph J. Carlin, Cleveland finished 4-29.

Tom Wukovits led the club with only 231 points, averaging seven per game.

The Transfers scored just 45.9 points per contest and allowed 56.2, ranking last in the NBL in both categories.

The team missed the playoffs and ceased operations after the season.

Under the Allmen Transfers name, Cleveland finished with a 17-46 record and one playoff appearance.

Including the preceding Chase Brassmen season, the organization went 20-61 over three years and reached the playoffs twice.

The team's disappearance coincided with a fundamental change in professional basketball.

World War II had ended, stronger professional organizations were entering the NBL and the new Basketball Association of America was beginning operations in large metropolitan arenas.

The era when a small moving company or industrial sponsor could maintain a major professional basketball team was rapidly disappearing.

The exact relationship between Cleveland's Allmen Transfers and the Syracuse Nationals remains disputed. Some statistical sources combine them in a single franchise record, but the lack of clear ownership, roster and organizational continuity makes a direct Cleveland-to-Syracuse relocation difficult to establish.

The Allmen Transfers are therefore best remembered as the final identity of Cleveland's wartime NBL organization rather than simply as an early version of the Syracuse Nationals.

Their legacy centers instead on Mel Riebe's extraordinary scoring, the transition from the Chase Brass industrial team, their 1945 playoff appearance and their place in the changing world of professional basketball immediately before the creation of the BAA and, eventually, the NBA.