History of the Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s

The Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s were a short-lived professional basketball team from Michigan that competed in the National Basketball League during the 1947-48 season. Sponsored by the Dow Chemical Company, the organization had previously competed as an independent and Amateur Athletic Union works team under names such as the Midland Dow Chemicals and Midland Dow A.C.'s.

The club entered the NBL in 1947 and initially represented Flint, Michigan, before increasingly playing home games in Midland during the season. That unusual arrangement caused the team to be identified in historical records as the Flint Dow A.C.'s, Midland Dow A.C.'s or, most commonly, the Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s.

The team struggled badly in its only NBL campaign, finishing with an 8-52 record. Flint/Midland placed sixth and last in the Eastern Division, allowed more points than any team in the league and missed the playoffs.

Despite the poor record, the Dow A.C.'s featured several accomplished players. Bob Calihan averaged 14.4 points per game and earned Second Team All-NBL honors, while Stan Patrick, Ray Patterson, Milt Schoon, Matt Zunic, Jim Gibbs and Danny Wagner were also important members of the roster.

The Dow Chemical Company and Industrial Basketball

The roots of the franchise were tied directly to the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan.

Industrial basketball was extremely important during the 1930s and 1940s. Major corporations often sponsored basketball teams made up of employees, former college players and other talented athletes who combined regular employment with high-level competition.

Companies such as Goodyear, Firestone, General Electric and Zollner supported some of the strongest basketball teams in the country.

Dow Chemical followed the same model in Midland.

The Midland Dow Chemicals

The basketball organization began competing during the early 1940s as the Midland Dow Chemicals.

The team was originally an industrial and amateur organization rather than a member of a major professional league.

Players could work for Dow Chemical while also representing the company in basketball competition.

The arrangement was especially attractive during and immediately after World War II because it offered athletes reliable employment in addition to basketball opportunities.

Independent Basketball During World War II

The Midland team developed during a period when professional basketball was being heavily disrupted by World War II.

Many established players entered military service, league schedules contracted and independent industrial teams became increasingly important.

Company teams could recruit returning servicemen and former college players while maintaining financial support through their corporate sponsors.

Dow's Midland club benefited from that environment.

World Professional Basketball Tournament

The Midland Dow Chemicals became good enough to participate in the prestigious World Professional Basketball Tournament in Chicago.

The tournament brought together professional teams from the National Basketball League, independent organizations, industrial teams and famous touring clubs.

Participation gave Midland the opportunity to compete against some of the strongest basketball organizations in the United States.

The 1946 Tournament

The Midland Dow Chemicals competed in the 1946 World Professional Basketball Tournament.

Although the club did not win the championship, forward Paul Cloyd played well enough to earn Second Team All-Tournament honors.

That recognition demonstrated that the Dow organization already possessed professional-level talent before entering the NBL.

Russ Wendland

Russ Wendland was among the players associated with the Midland Dow Chemicals during the independent era.

The former Northwestern and Wisconsin athlete had served in the United States Army during World War II before joining the Dow team.

Wendland appeared with Midland in both independent competition and the World Professional Basketball Tournament.

An Attempt to Join the NBL in 1946

With World War II over, professional basketball expanded rapidly.

The National Basketball League added several teams for the 1946-47 season as returning servicemen increased the available player pool and the postwar economy created new opportunities.

Midland Dow Chemicals attempted to join the NBL during that expansion.

The application came too late for the club to be admitted for the 1946-47 season.

The team therefore remained outside the league for another year.

The NBL Expands Again

By 1947, the National Basketball League was undergoing another major transformation.

The defending champion Chicago American Gears left the league, while the Detroit Gems were moved to Minneapolis and became the Minneapolis Lakers.

The Youngstown Bears also disappeared.

The NBL needed another organization to help stabilize its Eastern Division.

The Dow Chemical basketball team finally received its opportunity.

From Midland to Flint

The club entered the National Basketball League for the 1947-48 season.

Rather than continuing exclusively in Midland, the team was initially based in Flint, Michigan.

The move offered access to a larger population center and a larger indoor arena.

The club became known officially as the Flint Dow A.C.'s.

Industrial Mutual Association Auditorium

In Flint, the Dow A.C.'s played home games at the Industrial Mutual Association Auditorium.

The building could accommodate approximately 5,000 to 6,000 spectators, making it considerably larger than many early NBL venues.

On paper, the move to Flint gave the organization the opportunity to establish itself in a more substantial professional basketball market.

In practice, the arrangement proved unstable.

Home Games Return to Midland

As the season progressed, the Dow A.C.'s began playing an increasing number of home games in Midland.

The club used the Midland High School Gymnasium as another home venue.

Historical sources disagree about exactly when the shift became official, but by the middle of the season the organization was increasingly identified with Midland again.

Because of the split between the two cities, historical records commonly use the name Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s.

A Franchise With Two Cities

The unusual Flint-Midland arrangement makes the Dow A.C.'s one of the more difficult NBL franchises to classify.

Some records treat the club as the Flint Dow A.C.'s for the full season.

Others regard it as a franchise that relocated from Flint back to Midland during the year.

Either way, the team clearly represented both communities at different points during its only NBL season.

The 1947-48 NBL

The 1947-48 National Basketball League was considerably stronger than the league of a decade earlier.

Eleven teams competed.

The league included the Rochester Royals, Anderson Duffey Packers, Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons, Syracuse Nationals, Toledo Jeeps, Minneapolis Lakers, Oshkosh All-Stars, Tri-Cities Blackhawks, Sheboygan Red Skins and Indianapolis Kautskys.

Many of those organizations contained players who would soon become major NBA stars.

The Eastern Division

Flint/Midland competed in the Eastern Division alongside:

• Rochester Royals
• Anderson Duffey Packers
• Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
• Syracuse Nationals
• Toledo Jeeps

The division was one of the strongest in professional basketball.

Jimmy Walsh

Jimmy Walsh began the season as head coach.

The new team struggled immediately.

Walsh coached only two games, both losses.

After the 0-2 start, the organization turned the team over to one of its players.

Matt Zunic Becomes Player-Coach

Matt Zunic became the interim player-coach for the remainder of the season.

Zunic was a 6-foot-3 guard-forward who had played at George Washington University.

He had already been associated with the Midland Dow organization before the NBL season.

Zunic faced an extremely difficult assignment: play regularly while also attempting to organize and coach a roster that was struggling against established professional teams.

Matt Zunic's Coaching Record

Zunic coached the final 58 games.

The Dow A.C.'s went 8-50 under his leadership.

Combined with Walsh's 0-2 record, Flint/Midland finished 8-52.

Zunic later became a successful college basketball coach, including head coaching positions at Boston University and Massachusetts.

Bob Calihan

The clear star of the Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s was Bob Calihan.

Calihan had starred at the University of Detroit and had already enjoyed a long professional career before joining the Dow club.

He previously played for the Detroit Eagles and Chicago American Gears.

Calihan had been part of the Chicago team that won the 1947 NBL championship.

Calihan Carries the Offense

Calihan appeared in 56 games for Flint/Midland.

He made 273 field goals and 260 free throws for a total of 806 points.

That gave him an average of 14.4 points per game.

He was easily the leading scorer on the team.

Second Team All-NBL

Despite playing for the worst team in the Eastern Division, Calihan earned Second Team All-NBL honors.

It was one of several All-NBL selections during his career.

His ability to earn league honors on an 8-52 team demonstrates how highly regarded he was.

Bob Calihan's Later Career

Calihan later joined the Syracuse Nationals before ending his professional playing career.

He then became head coach at the University of Detroit.

Calihan coached the school from 1948 through 1969 and won 360 games.

The University of Detroit later named Calihan Hall in his honor.

Stan Patrick

Stan Patrick became the club's second-leading scorer.

The veteran guard-forward scored 388 points.

He averaged approximately eight points per game.

Patrick had previously played for other professional organizations and gave the Dow A.C.'s additional experience.

Ray Patterson

Ray Patterson was one of the most durable members of the roster.

The forward appeared in 56 games and scored 366 points.

His average of 6.5 points per game made him one of Flint/Midland's more consistent offensive players.

Milt Schoon

Milt Schoon gave the team exceptional size.

The 6-foot-9 center was one of the tallest players in professional basketball at the time.

Schoon appeared in 55 games and scored 348 points, averaging 6.3 per game.

His height made him a significant interior presence even though the team struggled defensively overall.

Jim Gibbs

Jim Gibbs appeared in 55 games at center and forward.

He scored 306 points, averaging 5.6 per game.

Gibbs became another regular member of the club's frontcourt rotation.

Danny Wagner

Danny Wagner played 50 games at guard.

He scored 251 points, an average of 5.0 per game.

Wagner provided backcourt depth throughout the season.

Milt Ticco

Milt Ticco played 30 games.

The guard-forward scored 173 points, averaging 5.8 per game.

Keith Carey

Keith Carey appeared in 37 games at guard.

He scored 111 points.

John Janisch

John Janisch appeared in 36 games and scored 93 points.

He provided additional wing depth on a roster that underwent frequent changes during the season.

Danny Smick

Danny Smick played 35 games at forward and center.

He scored 76 points.

Other Dow A.C.'s Players

Other players who appeared for Flint/Midland included Wally Borrevik, Frank Carswell, Dick Furey, Hal Gensichen, John Gibbs, Paul Herman, Charlie Joachim, Hal Korovin, Fred Rehm and Bill Sattler.

The long roster reflected how difficult it was for the organization to establish a stable lineup.

1947-48 Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s Leading Scorers

A Brutal Start

The Dow A.C.'s struggled almost immediately after entering the NBL.

Competing against established franchises exposed the gap between a successful industrial team and a full-time professional organization.

Flint/Midland lacked the depth, continuity and star power enjoyed by the strongest Eastern Division teams.

Rochester Dominates the East

The Rochester Royals finished 44-16 and won the Eastern Division.

The Royals were one of the strongest professional teams in the country and had won the NBL championship only two years earlier.

Anderson finished 42-18 and Fort Wayne went 40-20.

Those records demonstrate how difficult Flint/Midland's division was.

Syracuse and Toledo

Even the lower playoff contenders were significantly stronger than the Dow A.C.'s.

Syracuse finished 24-36.

Toledo finished 22-37.

Flint/Midland ended the year far behind both clubs.

1947-48 Eastern Division Standings

Eight Wins in Sixty Games

Flint/Midland won only eight of its 60 games.

The .133 winning percentage was by far the worst mark in the NBL.

The Dow A.C.'s finished 36 games behind Rochester.

One Road Victory

The team was particularly poor away from home.

Historical standings show Flint/Midland winning only one road game during the entire season.

The remaining victories came at home.

The difficulty of travel, roster instability and the strength of opposing teams all contributed to the terrible road performance.

The Offense

The Dow A.C.'s scored 3,503 points during the season.

That worked out to 58.4 points per game.

The figure ranked ninth among the 11 NBL teams.

Calihan accounted for a substantial percentage of that offense.

The Worst Defense in the NBL

Defense was a much bigger problem.

Opponents scored 4,162 points against Flint/Midland.

That amounted to 69.4 points per game, the worst defensive average in the league.

No other NBL team allowed as many total points.

A Massive Point Differential

The Dow A.C.'s were outscored by 659 points.

That represented an average deficit of approximately 11 points per game.

Statistical estimates suggest that even the eight-win record may have slightly overstated the team's underlying performance.

Team Statistical Summary

No Playoff Appearance

The top four teams in each division qualified for the postseason.

Rochester, Anderson, Fort Wayne and Syracuse represented the Eastern Division.

Toledo and Flint/Midland missed the playoffs.

The Dow A.C.'s therefore never appeared in an NBL postseason game.

The Rise of George Mikan

The 1947-48 season was also historically important because of the arrival of George Mikan and the Minneapolis Lakers.

Mikan dominated the league and became the NBL's Most Valuable Player.

The Lakers won the championship in their first season.

Flint/Midland entered professional basketball at exactly the moment when the level of talent and financial competition in the NBL was rising dramatically.

An Industrial Team in an Increasingly Professional League

The Dow A.C.'s had grown from an industrial basketball program.

That model had been extremely successful during the 1930s and wartime years.

By the late 1940s, however, professional basketball was changing.

Teams were playing longer schedules, salaries were increasing, national recruiting was becoming more important and the rivalry between the NBL and Basketball Association of America was forcing organizations to spend more money.

Dow's basketball operation struggled to make that transition.

The Club Does Not Return

After the disastrous 8-52 season, the Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s did not return for 1948-49.

The franchise folded after only one NBL campaign.

That ended approximately six years of independent, industrial and professional basketball associated with the Midland Dow organization.

What Happened to Bob Calihan?

Calihan briefly joined the Syracuse Nationals after leaving the Dow A.C.'s.

He then retired as a professional player and began his long coaching career at the University of Detroit.

His success after leaving Flint/Midland made him the most historically prominent player from the franchise.

What Happened to Matt Zunic?

Zunic continued his professional career with the Washington Capitols of the Basketball Association of America.

He later moved into college coaching.

Zunic became head coach at Boston University and later at the University of Massachusetts.

His long coaching career gave the Dow A.C.'s another connection to later basketball history.

Other Players Continue Elsewhere

Several other Dow A.C.'s players continued competing professionally after the team disappeared.

Because the NBL and BAA were both expanding and changing rapidly, experienced players often moved directly from failed franchises to surviving organizations.

The disappearance of Flint/Midland therefore did not necessarily end the professional careers of its players.

The Final NBL Years

The Dow A.C.'s disappeared just before the NBL entered its final season.

Several of the league's most important franchises moved to the rival Basketball Association of America in 1948, including the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, Fort Wayne Pistons and Indianapolis Jets.

The remaining NBL attempted to rebuild with new teams in Denver, Hammond, Waterloo and Detroit.

The Creation of the NBA

After the 1948-49 season, the NBL and BAA consolidated.

The resulting organization adopted the name National Basketball Association.

Flint/Midland had folded one year too early to participate in that transition.

Its former opponents included several franchises that continued directly into the NBA.

NBL Opponents That Became NBA Franchises

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

The Dow A.C.'s therefore competed directly against several organizations whose histories continue in the NBA today.

Flint's Professional Basketball History

The Dow A.C.'s represented one of the few attempts to place major professional basketball in Flint.

Flint was a major industrial center because of the automobile industry and possessed a strong sports culture.

However, the Dow team never established a lasting local following or financial foundation in the city.

The midseason movement of home games back toward Midland reflected those difficulties.

Midland's Professional Basketball History

Midland's connection was even more unusual.

The city was much smaller than typical professional basketball markets.

The presence of Dow Chemical allowed Midland to support high-level basketball because the company could provide jobs, facilities and financial assistance.

Without corporate sponsorship, it is unlikely that Midland could have supported a team competing nationally.

Two Cities, One Franchise

The Flint/Midland identity remains one of the most unusual aspects of the team's history.

The franchise began its NBL season intending to represent Flint but retained strong organizational ties to Midland.

As home-venue and attendance problems developed, Midland again became an important base.

That makes the Dow A.C.'s a rare professional team associated simultaneously with two nearby cities during the same season.

Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s Season Record

Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s Franchise Record

Major Honor

Coaches

Home Arenas

Notable Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s Players

• Bob Calihan
• Matt Zunic
• Stan Patrick
• Ray Patterson
• Milt Schoon
• Jim Gibbs
• Danny Wagner
• Milt Ticco
• Keith Carey
• John Janisch
• Danny Smick
• Wally Borrevik
• Charlie Joachim
• Fred Rehm

The Dow A.C.'s Before the NBL

The NBL season represents only one chapter in the broader history of the organization.

The Midland Dow Chemicals had competed independently for several years before joining the league.

The team also appeared in major tournament competition and attempted to secure NBL membership before finally being admitted in 1947.

For that reason, the organization should not be viewed simply as a one-year expansion franchise.

Industrial Basketball's Changing Role

The Dow A.C.'s history also demonstrates how quickly industrial basketball became less important at the highest level of the sport.

During the Great Depression and World War II, company-sponsored teams could recruit elite players by offering stable employment.

After the war, fully professional leagues began offering higher salaries and longer seasons.

Players increasingly viewed basketball itself as a primary occupation rather than a secondary activity attached to factory employment.

The Dow organization entered the NBL just as that transition accelerated.

Why the Dow A.C.'s Failed

The team's failure cannot be explained by one single factor.

The move from Midland to Flint created uncertainty over the club's home identity.

The roster was assembled from players with very different professional backgrounds.

The Eastern Division was extremely strong.

The team changed coaches almost immediately.

Most importantly, Flint/Midland struggled badly on defense and could not consistently compete with established NBL organizations.

Bob Calihan as the Bright Spot

Calihan's season remains the clear highlight of the franchise's NBL history.

He scored more than 800 points and averaged 14.4 per game despite receiving little consistent offensive support.

His Second Team All-NBL selection gave the Dow A.C.'s one major individual honor.

Without Calihan, the team's record might have been even worse.

A Historically Poor Record

The 8-52 record places Flint/Midland among the least successful teams in NBL history.

Few professional franchises of the era lost more than 50 games in a season because schedules had only recently expanded to 60 games.

The Dow A.C.'s happened to enter the league during the first period in which a team could accumulate that many losses.

Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s Timeline

A Franchise Caught Between Eras

The Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s existed at exactly the wrong moment for an industrial basketball team trying to become a major professional franchise.

The company-sponsored system that had helped produce the NBL was declining.

At the same time, professional basketball was becoming more expensive, more national and more dependent upon large arenas and strong local markets.

The Dow organization was strong enough to earn a place in the league but not strong enough to survive once it arrived.

Legacy of the Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s

The Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s lasted only one season in the National Basketball League, but their history provides an important example of the transition from industrial basketball to the modern professional game.

The organization began in Midland as a Dow Chemical works team during the early 1940s.

Like many company-sponsored clubs of the era, Midland provided talented basketball players with both employment and an opportunity to compete at a high level.

The Midland Dow Chemicals became strong enough to participate in the World Professional Basketball Tournament and attempted to join the National Basketball League in 1946.

Their application came too late, but the team finally entered the NBL the following year.

The franchise initially moved its major home operations to Flint and became the Flint Dow A.C.'s.

That arrangement never became completely stable. As the season progressed, the club returned many of its home games to Midland, creating the unusual Flint/Midland identity preserved in basketball records.

On the court, the team struggled from the beginning.

Jimmy Walsh coached the first two games before Matt Zunic took over as player-coach.

Zunic guided the club through the remaining 58 contests, but the Dow A.C.'s could never establish competitive consistency.

Bob Calihan became the one major bright spot.

The veteran forward-guard scored 806 points, averaged 14.4 per game and earned Second Team All-NBL honors despite playing for the league's weakest team.

Stan Patrick, Ray Patterson, Milt Schoon, Zunic, Jim Gibbs and Danny Wagner provided additional scoring, but the roster lacked the depth necessary to survive in a powerful Eastern Division.

The Dow A.C.'s finished 8-52.

They scored 3,503 points but allowed 4,162, giving them the worst defense in the NBL and a point differential of minus 659.

The team finished sixth and last in the Eastern Division and never qualified for the playoffs.

After the season, the organization folded rather than return for another year.

The collapse ended several seasons of Midland Dow industrial and independent basketball.

The franchise disappeared just as the National Basketball League itself entered its final period of existence. One year later, the NBL and Basketball Association of America came together under the National Basketball Association name.

Flint/Midland did not survive long enough to become part of that transition.

Its official NBL history consisted of 60 games, eight victories, 52 losses, no playoff appearances and one All-NBL player in Bob Calihan.

Those numbers make the Dow A.C.'s one of the least successful NBL teams statistically, but they also make the club historically interesting.

The team represented two Michigan cities, grew directly out of a major industrial company, competed against several franchises that later became part of the NBA and demonstrated how quickly the old company-team model was disappearing from major professional basketball.

For one season, the Flint/Midland Dow A.C.'s stood at the crossroads between industrial basketball and the emerging modern professional game.