History of the Dayton Metropolitans

The Dayton Metropolitans were an early professional basketball team from Dayton, Ohio, that competed in the Midwest Basketball Conference before becoming one of the original teams in the National Basketball League. The Metropolitans played one official NBL season in 1937-38, finishing with a 2-11 record and placing seventh and last in the Western Division.

The franchise's history began before the NBL itself. Dayton competed in the Midwest Basketball Conference during the league's inaugural 1935-36 season as the Dayton Metropolitans, changed its name to the Dayton London Bobbys for 1936-37 under sponsorship from the Miami Valley Brewing Company, and then returned to the Metropolitans name when the National Basketball League was created in 1937.

The Dayton organization therefore participated in all three formative seasons connecting the Midwest Basketball Conference to the NBL. Although the team struggled badly during its final year, its presence at the beginning of the league gives Dayton an important place in the earliest history of organized professional basketball.

The Creation of the Midwest Basketball Conference

The roots of the Dayton Metropolitans can be traced to the formation of the Midwest Basketball Conference in 1935.

Professional basketball during the 1930s was still highly regional. Company-sponsored teams, independent clubs and athletic associations dominated the sport throughout Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The Midwest Basketball Conference attempted to bring many of those organizations together into a more formal league structure.

Dayton became one of the original members.

The 1935-36 Dayton Metropolitans

The Metropolitans competed in the Eastern Division during the inaugural Midwest Basketball Conference season.

Dayton finished with a 4-6 record.

The Eastern Division also included the Akron Firestone Non-Skids, Pittsburgh Y.M.H.A. and Buffalo Bisons.

Although Dayton did not qualify for the league's championship round, the organization survived and returned for a second season.

Bill Hosket Sr.

Wilmer "Bill" Hosket Sr. was one of the most important figures in the history of the Dayton franchise.

Hosket played center and also served as player-coach during much of the team's existence.

Like many early professional basketball figures, Hosket handled multiple responsibilities that would later be divided among players, coaches and management staffs.

His connection to Dayton basketball would continue well beyond the Metropolitans.

The London Bobbys Name

Before the 1936-37 season, the Dayton team changed its name to the Dayton London Bobbys.

The unusual nickname came from sponsorship by the Miami Valley Brewing Company.

The brewery produced London Bobby beer, and the basketball team adopted the product name as part of its commercial identity.

Business sponsorship was normal in early professional basketball.

Teams frequently changed names when sponsorship arrangements changed.

A Much Better 1936-37 Season

The Dayton London Bobbys improved dramatically during their second Midwest Basketball Conference season.

Dayton finished 8-6.

The club placed first in the Western Division, ahead of Fort Wayne General Electric, Whiting Ciesar, Chicago Duffy Florals, Indianapolis Kautskys and Indianapolis U.S. Tires.

The result represented the best regular-season finish in the franchise's history.

Bob McConachie

Bob McConachie coached Dayton during the London Bobbys season.

McConachie later became associated with the Richmond King Clothiers during the inaugural NBL season.

His presence connected several of the league's earliest short-lived organizations.

The 1937 Midwest Basketball Conference Playoffs

Dayton's first-place finish earned the London Bobbys a playoff series against the Fort Wayne General Electrics.

The series became one of the strangest postseason events in the history of the Midwest Basketball Conference.

After the teams split the first two games, a deciding third game was scheduled.

The Playoff Forfeit

Before Game Three, Dayton informed Fort Wayne that the London Bobbys would not appear.

The decisive contest was therefore forfeited to Fort Wayne.

The exact reason for Dayton's decision remains unclear in surviving accounts.

Fort Wayne advanced to the championship series and eventually lost to the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots.

The forfeit became one of the most unusual episodes in the early history of professional basketball.

From the MBC to the NBL

After the 1936-37 season, the Midwest Basketball Conference was reorganized and renamed the National Basketball League.

The change was designed to give the league a broader and more professional identity.

Dayton was one of only a small number of organizations that had competed in both Midwest Basketball Conference seasons and then continued into the first NBL campaign.

The Metropolitans Name Returns

Before the first NBL season, the London Bobby sponsorship arrangement ended.

The franchise returned to its earlier name, the Dayton Metropolitans.

Historical accounts indicate that sponsorship returned to the original interests associated with the Metropolitan clothing business.

The Metropolitans therefore entered the new league with the same identity they had used during the inaugural MBC season.

One of the Original NBL Teams

The National Basketball League officially began play during the 1937-38 season.

Dayton became one of 13 original NBL teams.

The league was divided into Eastern and Western divisions.

The Metropolitans competed in the Western Division.

The 1937-38 Western Division

Dayton's opponents included:

• Oshkosh All-Stars
• Whiting Ciesar All-Americans
• Fort Wayne General Electrics
• Indianapolis Kautskys
• Richmond King Clothiers / Cincinnati Comellos
• Kankakee Gallagher Trojans

The strongest teams in the division were Oshkosh, Whiting and Fort Wayne.

Dayton struggled immediately against that competition.

Bill Hosket Sr. Returns as Player-Coach

Bill Hosket Sr. returned as Dayton's player-coach for the 1937-38 season.

Hosket appeared in 10 NBL games at center.

He scored 34 points, averaging 3.4 per game.

His primary importance came from his leadership and coaching responsibilities rather than his individual scoring.

Lou Rutter

The most productive scorer on a per-game basis was guard Lou Rutter.

Rutter appeared in eight games and scored 80 points.

His average of 10.0 points per game was easily the highest on the roster.

In a league where Dayton averaged only 26.7 points as a team, Rutter's production represented a substantial share of the offense.

Bobby Colburn

Bobby Colburn tied Rutter for the team lead in total points.

The forward appeared in 11 games and scored 80 points.

Colburn averaged 7.3 points per game.

Because he played more games than Rutter, Colburn became Dayton's most consistent scorer over the full season.

Glenn Roberts

Glenn Roberts played center and forward.

He appeared in eight games and scored 39 points, averaging 4.9 per game.

Roberts provided size and frontcourt scoring behind the team's leading guards and forwards.

Clovis Stark

Clovis Stark played forward.

He appeared in nine games and scored 38 points, averaging 4.2 per contest.

Howard Stammler

Howard Stammler appeared in four games at guard and forward.

He scored 20 points, averaging 5.0 per game.

Although his sample was small, he was one of Dayton's more efficient scorers.

Curt McMahon

Curt McMahon played 10 games at guard.

He scored 19 points.

McMahon's primary role was in the backcourt rather than as a major offensive option.

Bud Moodler

Bud Moodler appeared in seven games.

The guard scored 17 points.

Moodler later became associated with other professional basketball teams during the NBL era.

Other Dayton Metropolitans Players

Other players who appeared during the season included Glenn Schlechty, Wyman Roberts, Orlyn Roberts, Norm Wagner and Beryl Drummond.

The relatively small and constantly changing roster reflected the informal structure of early professional basketball.

1937-38 Dayton Metropolitans Roster

A Difficult Beginning to the NBL Season

The Metropolitans struggled to score throughout their inaugural NBL campaign.

Dayton lacked the dominant offensive player possessed by many other league organizations.

The club also faced strong defensive teams such as Fort Wayne and Oshkosh.

Losses accumulated quickly.

Dayton's First NBL Victory

One of Dayton's two official victories came on December 19, 1937.

The Metropolitans hosted the strong Whiting Ciesar All-Americans.

Dayton produced one of its best performances of the season and defeated Whiting 38-34.

The victory was particularly impressive because Whiting finished the season 12-3 and reached the playoffs.

Dayton Beats Columbus

The Metropolitans earned their other official victory on December 26, 1937.

Dayton defeated Columbus Athletic Supply 23-22.

The teams played another game later that day in Columbus, where Athletic Supply won 31-28.

The same-day home-and-road arrangement demonstrates just how unusual early NBL scheduling could be.

Fort Wayne Dominates Dayton

On December 30, 1937, Dayton traveled to Fort Wayne.

The General Electrics defeated the Metropolitans 42-17.

The 17-point output illustrated Dayton's persistent offensive problems.

Losses to Kankakee

Dayton's greatest opportunity to avoid last place came against the Kankakee Gallagher Trojans.

Kankakee was also one of the weakest teams in the Western Division.

However, the Trojans defeated Dayton multiple times.

One well-documented game came on February 5, 1938, when Kankakee defeated the Metropolitans 46-44 in overtime.

Those losses ultimately allowed Kankakee to finish ahead of Dayton in the standings.

Only Two Victories

Dayton completed its official NBL schedule with only two victories in 13 games.

The Metropolitans finished 2-11.

The .154 winning percentage was the worst in the Western Division.

1937-38 Western Division Standings

Dayton's Offense

The Metropolitans scored only 347 points during their 13 league games.

That amounted to 26.7 points per game.

Dayton ranked tenth among the 13 teams in scoring average.

The absence of a consistent full-season scorer made it difficult for the club to keep pace with stronger teams.

A Respectable Defense

Interestingly, Dayton's defense was not nearly as poor as its record suggests.

The Metropolitans allowed 414 points, or approximately 31.8 per game.

That was the fourth-best defensive scoring average in the entire NBL.

The team's main problem was therefore offense rather than defense.

A Minus-67 Point Differential

Dayton was outscored by only 67 points over 13 games.

The average scoring deficit was just over five points per contest.

That suggests the Metropolitans were often more competitive than their 2-11 record might indicate.

Dayton Metropolitans Team Statistics

No NBL Playoff Appearance

Only the top teams advanced to the inaugural NBL playoffs.

Oshkosh and Whiting represented the Western Division.

Dayton finished far outside postseason contention.

The Metropolitans therefore never appeared in an NBL playoff game.

The End of the Metropolitans

The Dayton Metropolitans did not return for the 1938-39 season.

The team disbanded after its 2-11 campaign.

That ended the original Dayton franchise after three seasons across the Midwest Basketball Conference and National Basketball League.

A Three-Season Franchise History

When the two Midwest Basketball Conference seasons are included, Dayton's early league history can be summarized as follows:

Combined MBC/NBL Record

Across those three formal league seasons, the Dayton franchise posted a combined regular-season record of 14-23.

The 1936-37 London Bobbys season was easily the high point.

The following year represented a sharp decline.

Dayton Metropolitans NBL Franchise Record

Notable Dayton Metropolitans Players

• Lou Rutter
• Bobby Colburn
• Bill Hosket Sr.
• Glenn Roberts
• Clovis Stark
• Howard Stammler
• Curt McMahon
• Bud Moodler
• Glenn Schlechty
• Wyman Roberts
• Orlyn Roberts
• Norm Wagner
• Beryl Drummond

Head Coaches

Dayton and Early Professional Basketball

Dayton was a natural location for early professional basketball.

Ohio was one of the centers of the sport during the 1930s.

Akron supported two major company-sponsored teams in Goodyear and Firestone, while Columbus and other Ohio cities also fielded professional organizations.

Dayton's geographic location made travel to Indiana, Pennsylvania and other Ohio markets practical.

The Importance of Sponsorship

The transition from Metropolitans to London Bobbys and back to Metropolitans demonstrates the enormous importance of sponsorship in early professional basketball.

Many teams were identified more closely with a sponsor than with a permanent franchise name.

A change in financial backing could mean an immediate change in team identity.

The Dayton organization survived its first two seasons partly because local business sponsorship helped cover expenses that ticket revenue alone could not provide.

Why Dayton Struggled in the NBL

The most obvious problem during the 1937-38 season was scoring.

Dayton averaged only 26.7 points per game.

Even by 1930s standards, that was low.

The defense was good enough to keep many games competitive, but the Metropolitans lacked enough offensive production to consistently win close contests.

The Difference Between 1937 and 1938

The decline from an 8-6 first-place MBC team to a 2-11 NBL team in one season also reflects how quickly professional basketball was evolving.

The NBL added stronger organizations such as Oshkosh and placed increasing emphasis on experienced professional talent.

Dayton's earlier regional success did not automatically translate into success in the expanded league.

A League Still Experimenting

The first NBL season remained far from modern professional basketball.

Teams played wildly different numbers of games.

Some franchises relocated during the season.

Forfeits were still possible.

Schedules could involve multiple games in very short periods, including same-day contests.

The Metropolitans competed during one of the most experimental eras in major professional sports.

The Later Dayton Metropolitans Name

The Metropolitans name later appeared again in Dayton basketball during the 1940s.

Independent Dayton teams used the name, and future NBA pioneer Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton played for a postwar Dayton Metropolitans club before joining the New York Renaissance and Harlem Globetrotters.

Those later Metropolitans should not automatically be treated as a continuation of the 1935-38 MBC/NBL franchise.

The original league organization had already disappeared years earlier.

Sweetwater Clifton and Dayton Basketball

Clifton's later presence in Dayton nevertheless adds an important chapter to the city's professional basketball history.

Clifton eventually became one of the first Black players to enter the NBA, joining the New York Knicks in 1950.

His association with a later Dayton Metropolitans team illustrates how the city remained involved in high-level independent basketball even after the original NBL franchise disappeared.

The Dayton Rens

Dayton returned to the National Basketball League in a completely different form during the league's final season.

In December 1948, the legendary New York Renaissance organization took over the schedule of the failed Detroit Vagabond Kings and became known as the Dayton Rens.

The Rens were not a continuation of the original Dayton Metropolitans.

They were a separate organization with an entirely different history.

Two Different Dayton NBL Teams

The Metropolitans and the Birth of the NBA

The Dayton Metropolitans disappeared more than a decade before the creation of the NBA.

However, they played in the first season of one of the NBA's direct predecessor leagues.

The National Basketball League survived through 1949.

Its remaining teams then joined with the Basketball Association of America under the National Basketball Association name.

Dayton's original franchise therefore occupied a small but permanent place near the beginning of the organizational history that eventually produced the modern NBA.

Dayton Metropolitans Timeline

A Forgotten Original NBL Team

The Dayton Metropolitans are among the least remembered original NBL franchises.

They played only 13 official NBL games.

They won only two.

They never reached the NBL postseason and produced no All-NBL selections.

Yet their broader three-season history connects directly to the transition from the Midwest Basketball Conference into the National Basketball League.

Why the Dayton Metropolitans Matter

The importance of the Metropolitans comes from their place at the beginning of organized professional basketball in the Midwest.

Dayton was there when the Midwest Basketball Conference began in 1935.

The franchise survived the league's second season under a different sponsorship identity.

It then became one of the original teams in the National Basketball League.

Very few organizations participated in every step of that transition.

Legacy of the Dayton Metropolitans

The Dayton Metropolitans were a short-lived but historically important part of early professional basketball.

The franchise entered the Midwest Basketball Conference in 1935 and finished its first season 4-6 under player-coach Bill Hosket Sr.

The following year, sponsorship from the Miami Valley Brewing Company transformed the team into the Dayton London Bobbys.

Under Bob McConachie, the London Bobbys improved to 8-6 and finished first in the Western Division.

Their playoff run ended under unusual circumstances when Dayton forfeited a deciding game to the Fort Wayne General Electrics.

When the Midwest Basketball Conference became the National Basketball League in 1937, Dayton returned to the Metropolitans name and became one of the league's original franchises.

The NBL season proved much more difficult.

Lou Rutter averaged 10.0 points per game, while Bobby Colburn scored 80 total points and averaged 7.3.

Bill Hosket Sr. again served as player-coach.

The Metropolitans managed only two victories, including a surprising 38-34 win over the powerful Whiting Ciesar All-Americans and a 23-22 victory over Columbus Athletic Supply.

Dayton finished 2-11 and last in the Western Division.

The team's offense averaged only 26.7 points per game, but its defense allowed just 31.8, the fourth-best defensive scoring average in the league.

The Metropolitans therefore lost primarily because they could not generate enough offense rather than because they were routinely overwhelmed defensively.

After the season, the franchise disbanded.

Its official NBL history consisted of 13 games, two victories, 11 losses, no playoff appearances and no championships.

When the earlier Midwest Basketball Conference seasons are included, the franchise lasted three league campaigns and finished with a combined regular-season record of 14-23.

The Dayton Metropolitans never became a championship team and disappeared long before the NBA was created, but they helped build the league structure from which the NBA eventually emerged.

Their history also demonstrates how unstable early professional basketball could be. A franchise could change sponsors, change names, win a division, forfeit a playoff game, return under a previous identity and then disappear entirely within three seasons.

For those reasons, the Dayton Metropolitans remain an important forgotten piece of National Basketball League history and of Dayton's long connection to professional basketball.