Elmore Morgenthaler

Elmore Robert Morgenthaler (August 3, 1922 – November 25, 1997) was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Providence Steamrollers and the Philadelphia Warriors in the Basketball Association of America (BAA), among other franchises and leagues.[1] Standing at 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m),[2] Morgenthaler is officially recognized as the first seven-foot player in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[3]

Elmore Morgenthaler
Personal information
Born(1922-08-03)August 3, 1922
Otto, Texas
DiedNovember 25, 1997(1997-11-25) (aged 75)
Marlin, Texas
NationalityAmerican
Listed height7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolHobbs (Hobbs, New Mexico)
College
Playing career1947–1953
PositionCenter
Number7, 17
Career history
1947Providence Steamrollers
1947Birmingham Skyhawks
1947–1949Philadelphia Sphas
1948–1949Philadelphia Warriors
1949–1950Scranton Miners
1950–1951Waterloo Hawks/Grand Rapids Hornets
1951Mexico Aztecas
1951–1953Scranton Miners
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Morgenthaler was raised in Mart, Texas.[4] He attended Hobbs High School in Hobbs, New Mexico, after he had been recruited by coach Charles Finley.[4] Morgenthaler followed Finley to play college basketball for the New Mexico Mines and he finished second in the nation in scoring with 21.8 points per game after playing for just the second semester of the 1945–46 season.[4][5] The Mines were abolished at the end of the season and Morgenthaler transferred to play for the Boston College Eagles for the 1946–47 season.[4] He quit college basketball at the end of February 1947 to play professionally for the Providence Steamrollers of the BAA.[6] He was waived by the Steamrollers on September 27, 1947, and did not return to the BAA until he signed with the Philadelphia Warriors on November 18, 1948.[7]

Morgenthaler's health deteriorated after his retirement.[4] He worked at a liquor distillery to support himself.[4] In 1996, aged 74, Morgenthaler was living by himself in a rundown apartment building in Marlin, Texas. His right arm and a part of his left leg were paralyzed from a stroke he suffered in 1984. Like other former professional basketball players in the 1940s and 1950s, Morgenthaler did not receive a pension from the NBA and lived his final years in poverty.[2] At the time of his death, he was residing at Bremond Nursing Home in Bremond, Texas.[8] Morgenthaler died due to pneumonia at Falls Community Hospital in Marlin.[8]

BAA career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season
Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1946–47 Providence 11.308.583.31.4
1948–49 Philadelphia 20.385.667.42.1
Career 31.365.633.31.8

References
  1. "Elmore Morgenthaler stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  2. Gustkey, Earl (October 28, 1996). "The NBA's Dirty Secret : Amid Ostentatious Wealth, Old-timers Destitute Without Pensions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  3. Samson, David (2002). Useless Knowledge: Answers to Questions You'd Never Think to Ask. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. p. 88. ISBN 978-0-312-29017-7.
  4. Smith, Toby (December 11, 1990). "Elmore the Great Did Big Things Long Before Lue". Albuquerque Journal. p. 23. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  5. Meier, Ted (February 27, 1946). "Elmore Morgenthaler, Of New Mexico Mines, Regains Lead In National Individual Basketball Scoring Race". The Florence Times. Florence, Alabama. p. 7. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  6. "Elmore Leaves B.C.; Signs With Pros". The Heights (XXVIII). February 21, 1947. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  7. "Elmore Morgenthaler Stats". Basketball Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2017
  8. "Morgenthaler, Elmore Robert". Criswell Cemetery. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
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