History of the Kankakee Gallagher Trojans

The Kankakee Gallagher Trojans were a short-lived professional basketball team from Kankakee, Illinois, that competed during the inaugural National Basketball League season of 1937-38. The Trojans played only one official NBL season, finishing with a 3-11 record and placing sixth in the Western Division.

The team was unusual even by the standards of early professional basketball. Many members of the roster had ties to the local Gallagher Business School, which helped give the club its name. Several of the players had little or no previous professional basketball experience, and many never appeared in another major professional league after the season ended.

The Gallagher Trojans were owned by Ed Black and coached by player-coach Don Betourne. They played their home games at the Kankakee National Guard Armory.

Although the team struggled competitively and disappeared after only one season, Kankakee remains historically significant because it was one of the original cities represented when the National Basketball League began play in 1937.

Professional Basketball Comes to Kankakee

Kankakee, Illinois, was a relatively small city when the Gallagher Trojans entered professional basketball.

The National Basketball League of the late 1930s was far different from the modern NBA. Many teams were based in industrial communities, small Midwestern cities and towns that would never later be considered major professional sports markets.

Kankakee fit naturally into that early model.

The city sat south of Chicago and close enough to professional basketball centers in Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin to make league travel practical.

The Gallagher Business School Connection

The Gallagher Trojans took much of their identity from the Gallagher Business School in Kankakee.

Many members of the roster were alumni or students of the school.

That made the team somewhat different from the heavily corporate-backed organizations that dominated the early National Basketball League.

Teams such as the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots and Akron Firestone Non-Skids were supported by enormous industrial companies.

Kankakee's roster was built much more locally.

A Team With Limited Professional Experience

One of the greatest obstacles facing the Gallagher Trojans was experience.

Several players had never previously appeared in a major professional basketball league.

Many would never play professionally again after the 1937-38 season.

The NBL was becoming increasingly competitive, and inexperienced local teams faced difficult challenges against established organizations with deeper rosters and stronger financial backing.

The Birth of the National Basketball League

The National Basketball League officially began play in 1937.

Its roots were in the earlier Midwest Basketball Conference, which had operated during the previous two seasons.

When the conference was reorganized and renamed the National Basketball League, several new teams were added.

Kankakee became one of them.

One of 13 Original NBL Teams

The inaugural NBL season featured 13 teams divided into Eastern and Western divisions.

Kankakee competed in the Western Division.

The other Western Division teams included:

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

The strength of teams such as Oshkosh, Whiting and Fort Wayne made Kankakee's first professional season particularly difficult.

Ed Black

Ed Black served as owner of the Gallagher Trojans.

Like many early professional basketball owners, Black operated in a league where team finances were fragile and local attendance was essential.

Unlike some competing NBL organizations, Kankakee did not have the backing of a large national corporation.

That made it harder to recruit established professional talent.

Don Betourne

Don Betourne served as player-coach.

Betourne was a 6-foot-1 forward who had played at St. Viator College.

He carried the dual responsibility of playing while also directing the team from the bench.

Player-coaches were common in professional basketball during the 1930s because teams usually operated with small staffs and limited budgets.

The Kankakee National Guard Armory

The Gallagher Trojans played their home games at the Kankakee National Guard Armory.

Armories were common professional basketball venues during the early decades of the sport.

Many teams lacked permanent arenas, so high school gyms, community centers and military armories were routinely used.

The setting reflected the small-scale, local nature of professional basketball before the arrival of the NBA.

The First NBL Game

Kankakee began NBL play against the Whiting Ciesar All-Americans.

The Gallagher Trojans were competitive early.

They led 13-12 after the first quarter and were tied 23-23 at halftime.

Whiting's greater experience took over in the second half, and Kankakee lost 50-32.

The game provided an early indication of a pattern that would continue throughout the season: the Trojans could remain competitive for stretches but struggled to maintain that level over an entire game.

An 0-4 Start

Kankakee lost its first four league games.

The Trojans also became the only team to lose to the Richmond King Clothiers before that struggling franchise relocated to Cincinnati and became the Comellos.

The slow start made it difficult for Kankakee to remain competitive in a Western Division dominated by Oshkosh and Whiting.

Fred Grafft

The leading scorer for the Gallagher Trojans was Fred Grafft.

Grafft was a guard and a product of Gallagher Business School.

He finished the season with a team-high 86 points.

In an era when NBL games routinely featured team totals in the 20s and 30s, that made Grafft an important offensive contributor.

Louie Sauer

Louie Sauer was one of the most physically imposing players on the roster.

The 6-foot-6 forward-center had played at Valparaiso.

He became one of Kankakee's better scorers and one of the few players on the team with significant size.

Johnny Hoekstra

Johnny Hoekstra played center.

At approximately 6-foot-5, Hoekstra gave the Trojans additional size in the frontcourt.

He also had ties to Gallagher Business School and became one of the team's more productive scorers.

Don Betourne as a Player

In addition to coaching, Betourne remained an important member of the playing rotation.

He contributed at forward while trying to manage a roster that lacked professional experience.

His dual role made him one of the central figures in the franchise's only season.

Big Moose Meyer

One of the more colorful players associated with the team was known as Big Moose Meyer.

The 6-foot-7 forward-center was one of the tallest players on the roster.

His presence gave Kankakee another interior option against the larger professional teams of the league.

Little Moose Meyer

The roster also featured a guard known as Little Moose Meyer.

The unusual nicknames reflected the informal and regional character of professional basketball during the 1930s.

Tarzan Woltzen

Gaylord "Tarzan" Woltzen was another member of the Gallagher Trojans.

Woltzen played guard and forward.

His versatility allowed him to fill multiple roles on the small roster.

Bob DeWeese

Bob DeWeese played guard and had ties to Gallagher Business School.

Like several teammates, his professional career was brief and closely associated with the Kankakee organization.

Warren Hair

Warren Hair also appeared at guard.

He was another Gallagher Business School player who became part of the school's unusual jump into major professional basketball.

Don Walsh

Don Walsh played forward for the Trojans.

He added additional frontcourt depth during a season in which Kankakee used a relatively small and inexperienced roster.

1937-38 Kankakee Gallagher Trojans Roster

A Low-Scoring Offense

The Gallagher Trojans scored 400 points during their 14 league games.

That worked out to approximately 28.6 points per game.

Only a handful of NBL teams scored fewer points per game during the season.

Kankakee's limited offensive production made it extremely difficult to keep pace with the Western Division's strongest clubs.

Defensive Problems

The Trojans also struggled defensively.

Kankakee allowed 640 points, an average of approximately 45.7 per game.

That was the highest defensive scoring average allowed by any team in the league.

The gap between points scored and points allowed explains much of the team's 3-11 record.

Oshkosh Overwhelms Kankakee

The strongest team Kankakee faced was the Oshkosh All-Stars.

Oshkosh finished 12-2 and reached the first NBL championship series.

The All-Stars defeated Kankakee several times during the season, including a 75-42 victory on January 4, 1938.

Another matchup ended 68-35 in Oshkosh's favor.

The games illustrated the enormous difference between an experienced professional organization and the inexperienced Gallagher Trojans.

Fort Wayne's Dominance

The Trojans also struggled against the Fort Wayne General Electrics.

Fort Wayne defeated Kankakee 38-19 in December.

Later in the season, Fort Wayne won 75-42.

The General Electrics finished 13-7 and were one of the strongest teams in the Western Division.

Whiting's Strong Team

The Whiting Ciesar All-Americans were another difficult opponent.

Whiting finished 12-3 and featured future coaching legend John Wooden.

Kankakee lost twice to Whiting during the season.

The difference in professional experience between the teams was substantial.

The Dayton Metropolitans

Kankakee's only victories came against the Dayton Metropolitans.

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

The two struggling clubs therefore became each other's best opportunity to win games.

An Overtime Victory

The best-documented Gallagher Trojans victory came on February 5, 1938.

Kankakee hosted Dayton.

The game went into overtime before the Trojans won 46-44.

The 46 points represented one of Kankakee's best offensive performances of the season.

Three Victories Over Dayton

All three of Kankakee's official NBL victories came against Dayton.

That means the Gallagher Trojans did not defeat any other league opponent during their only season.

Nevertheless, finishing ahead of Dayton prevented Kankakee from ending the season in last place in the Western Division.

1937-38 Western Division Standings

No Playoff Appearance

The Gallagher Trojans did not qualify for the inaugural NBL postseason.

Oshkosh and Whiting represented the Western Division in the playoffs.

Kankakee's season ended with its 3-11 record.

Kankakee Gallagher Trojans Season Record

Kankakee Gallagher Trojans Franchise Record

Team Statistical Summary

Selected 1937-38 Game Results

An NBL Game in Kankakee Without the Trojans

Kankakee's National Guard Armory also hosted an unusual neutral-site NBL game during the season.

On December 28, 1937, the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots faced the Indianapolis Kautskys in Kankakee.

Goodyear won 34-31.

The game demonstrated that Kankakee was being used as a professional basketball location even beyond the Gallagher Trojans' home schedule.

The 1937-38 NBL Was Still Experimental

The Gallagher Trojans competed during an era when the National Basketball League was still establishing its rules and structure.

Schedules were uneven, and teams did not play the same number of games.

Some games used different period lengths, and league recordkeeping was not nearly as detailed as it later became.

As a result, reconstructing complete statistical records for teams such as Kankakee can be difficult.

Professional Basketball Before Stability

The Trojans existed before modern professional basketball had developed stable franchises, national television revenue or standardized player contracts.

Many NBL players still worked other jobs.

Teams depended heavily on sponsors, local ticket sales and inexpensive travel arrangements.

Small organizations could disappear after only one season if finances or attendance did not meet expectations.

Plans for a Second Season

Despite the poor 3-11 record, owner Ed Black initially announced that the Gallagher Trojans intended to return for the 1938-39 season.

The plan was reportedly to strengthen the roster while retaining several players from the inaugural team.

At least six members of the 1937-38 roster were expected to return.

The Return Never Happens

The planned second season never materialized.

Kankakee did not appear in the NBL during 1938-39.

The Gallagher Trojans therefore became one of several inaugural NBL organizations that disappeared after the league's first year.

Several Original NBL Teams Fold

The first National Basketball League season was highly unstable.

Kankakee was not alone in failing to survive.

Other early organizations also disappeared, relocated or changed sponsorship.

Among the short-lived inaugural clubs were:

• Dayton Metropolitans
• Columbus Athletic Supply
• Buffalo Bisons
• Richmond King Clothiers

The instability demonstrated how difficult it was to create a financially sustainable professional basketball league during the 1930s.

The Teams That Survived

Several of Kankakee's opponents developed much stronger professional histories.

The Oshkosh All-Stars remained in the NBL for all 12 seasons of the league's existence.

The Indianapolis Kautskys eventually became the Indianapolis Jets.

Fort Wayne's professional basketball organization later became the Zollner Pistons and eventually today's Detroit Pistons.

Those surviving franchises illustrate how dramatically the fortunes of the inaugural NBL teams differed.

Kankakee and the Development of the NBA

The Gallagher Trojans disappeared more than a decade before the creation of the NBA.

The National Basketball League continued operating until 1949.

During the late 1940s, several NBL teams moved to the rival Basketball Association of America.

The remaining organizations eventually combined under the National Basketball Association name.

Kankakee therefore belongs to the earliest stage of the professional basketball structure that eventually produced the NBA.

A Very Different Professional Basketball Market

Modern professional basketball is concentrated in major metropolitan markets and large arenas.

The fact that Kankakee once competed in a national professional basketball league demonstrates how different the sport was during the 1930s.

The early NBL was built around regional travel and industrial communities rather than television markets and corporate arenas.

A city the size of Kankakee could realistically attempt to operate a major professional basketball team.

The Gallagher Business School Legacy

The connection to Gallagher Business School is perhaps the most distinctive part of the team's story.

Few professional franchises were built around such a localized group of players.

The Trojans essentially took a collection of regional and school-connected athletes and placed them directly into a newly created national professional league.

The experiment lasted only one season, but it captured the informal nature of early professional basketball.

Why the Trojans Struggled

Several factors contributed to Kankakee's poor record.

The roster lacked professional experience.

The team did not have a dominant scoring star comparable to Leroy Edwards in Oshkosh or John Wooden in Whiting.

Kankakee also lacked the corporate financial backing of several competing organizations.

The defense allowed more points than any other team in the NBL.

Even when the Trojans played competitively early in games, stronger teams generally pulled away.

A Team That Never Had Time to Develop

The Gallagher Trojans might have improved with another season.

Owner Ed Black clearly believed that a stronger roster could make the organization more competitive.

Instead, the team disappeared before that rebuilding attempt could occur.

The franchise therefore never had an opportunity to evolve beyond its inexperienced first roster.

Kankakee Gallagher Trojans Timeline

Notable Kankakee Gallagher Trojans Players

• Fred Grafft
• Don Betourne
• Louie Sauer
• Johnny Hoekstra
• Bob DeWeese
• Warren Hair
• Big Moose Meyer
• Little Moose Meyer
• Don Walsh
• Tarzan Woltzen

Head Coach

Home Arena

A Forgotten Original NBL Franchise

The Gallagher Trojans are among the most obscure franchises in professional basketball history.

They played only 14 official league games.

They won only three of them.

They never reached the playoffs and produced no long-term professional stars.

Yet they remain permanently connected to the birth of the National Basketball League.

Legacy of the Kankakee Gallagher Trojans

The Kankakee Gallagher Trojans lasted only one season, but their story is an important example of how professional basketball operated before the NBA.

The franchise was built largely around players connected to Gallagher Business School and entered the newly created National Basketball League in 1937.

Ed Black owned the team, while Don Betourne served as player-coach.

The Trojans played at the Kankakee National Guard Armory and competed in the Western Division against some of the strongest basketball organizations in the Midwest.

Professional experience quickly became a major problem.

Kankakee opened the season with four consecutive losses and struggled badly against elite teams such as Oshkosh, Whiting and Fort Wayne.

Fred Grafft emerged as the leading scorer with 86 points, while Louie Sauer, Johnny Hoekstra and Betourne provided additional production.

The Trojans scored only 400 points during the season while allowing 640.

Their only victories came against the Dayton Metropolitans, including a 46-44 overtime win at home.

Kankakee finished 3-11, sixth in the Western Division, and missed the playoffs.

Owner Ed Black initially intended to return for the next season with a stronger roster, but those plans never materialized.

The Gallagher Trojans disappeared after only one NBL campaign.

Statistically, their accomplishments were modest: three victories, 11 losses, no playoff appearances and no championships.

Their historical importance comes instead from timing.

Kankakee was one of the cities represented during the inaugural season of the National Basketball League, a league that would survive for 12 years and become one of the principal building blocks of the NBA.

The Gallagher Trojans demonstrate how experimental professional basketball still was in 1937. A local business-school-based team from a relatively small Illinois city could enter a national professional league and compete against future championship organizations.

The experiment did not last, but for one season Kankakee occupied a place at the highest level of professional basketball in the Midwest.

That brief appearance gives the Kankakee Gallagher Trojans a permanent, if often forgotten, place in the history of the National Basketball League and the early development of professional basketball in the United States.