Akron Firestone Non-Skids

The Akron Firestone Non-Skids were an American professional basketball team based in Akron, Ohio. The team was one of the thirteen founding members of the National Basketball League (NBL), which formed in 1937.[1] The team was named for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which was headquartered in Akron.

Akron Firestone Non-Skids
Founded1937
Dissolved1941
LocationAkron, Ohio
OwnershipFirestone Tire and Rubber Company
Championships2 NBL Championship (1939–40)

Franchise history

The team was founded by Firestone as an amateur industrial team. Like other industrial teams of the era, the players were company employees with year-round jobs who were not paid for basketball but owed their jobs to their basketball skills.[2] The Non-Skids first competed professionally in the 1932–33 National Basketball League and defeated the Indianapolis Kautskys in the championship game. In 1935, the Non-Skids joined the Midwest Basketball Conference. In 1937, Firestone, General Electric, and Goodyear created the National Basketball League from company-sponsored teams and independent teams.[3] The Non-Skids were NBL champions in 1939 and 1940, defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars both years in the Finals. Following the 1940–1941 season, the Akron Firestone Non-Skids disbanded, leaving the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots as the only NBL team representing Akron.

Players of note

Coaches

References
  1. Grasso, John (2010). Historical dictionary of basketball. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810867635.
  2. Peterson, Robert W. (2002). Cages to jump shots : pro basketball's early years. New York: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803287723.
  3. "History of Basketball". SportsKnowHow.com. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
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