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1946–47 Chicago American Gears season

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1946–47 Chicago American Gears season
NBL champions
Head coachBobby McDermott (player-coach)
ArenaInternational Amphitheatre
Results
Record26–18 (.591)
PlaceDivision: T–3 (Western)
Playoff finishDefeated Rochester Royals in NBL Championship, 3–1
< 1945–46 1947–48 >

The 1946–47 Chicago American Gears season was the Gears' third year in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL), which was also the tenth year the league existed.[1] Twelve teams competed in the NBL in 1946–47, comprising six teams in both the Eastern and Western Divisions.[2]

Chicago played their home games at International Amphitheatre.[3] Despite finishing tied for third place in the Western Division, the American Gears made a surprise playoffs run by winning the first series three games to two (3–2) over the Indianapolis Kautskys, followed by a 2–0 sweep of Oshkosh All-Stars in the semifinals.[2] They then went on to win their first league championship 3–1 over Eastern Division champion Rochester Royals.[2]

Player-coach Bobby McDermott (First Team), George Mikan (First), and Bob Calihan (Second) earned All-NBL honors.[2]

Roster

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1946–47 Chicago American Gears roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB From
G/F Brookfield, Price 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1920–05–11 Iowa State
G/F Calihan, Bob 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1918–08–02 Detroit Mercy
F/C Cotton, Bob 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 250 lb (113 kg) 1920–12–29 Texas Wesleyan
F/C Hale, Bruce 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1918–08–30 Santa Clara
G McDermott, Bobby 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1914–01–07 No college
G/F McDonald, Bill 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1916–11–05 Marquette
C Mikan, George 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1924–06–18 DePaul
F/C Morris, Max 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1925–03–13 Northwestern
F/C Noren, Irv 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1924–11–29 Pasadena CC
G/F Patrick, Stan 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1922–05–05 Illinois
F/C Ratkovicz, George 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1922–11–13 No college
G/F Rothman, Les 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1926–08–12 LIU Brooklyn
F/C Stoefen, Art 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1914–08–29 Stanford
F/C Synnott, Bob 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1912–09–27 No college
G Szukala, Stan 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1918–06–12 DePaul
G/F Triptow, Dick 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1922–11–03 DePaul
Head coach
Legend
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Roster

Note: Bob Cotton, Bill McDonald, Irv Noren, Les Rothman, and Bob Synnott were not on the playoffs roster.

Regular season

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Season standings

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Pos. Western Division Wins Losses Win %
1 Oshkosh All-Stars 28 16 .636
2 Indianapolis Kautskys 27 17 .614
T–3 Chicago American Gears 26 18 .591
Sheboygan Red Skins 26 18 .591
5 Anderson Duffey Packers 24 20 .545
6 Detroit Gems 4 40 .091

Playoffs

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Opening Round

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(2W) Indianapolis Kautskys vs. (3W) Chicago American Gears: Chicago wins series 3–2

  • Game 1 @ Indianapolis: Chicago 74, Indianapolis 72
  • Game 2 @ Indianapolis: Chicago 69, Indianapolis 61
  • Game 3 @ Chicago: Indianapolis 68, Chicago 67
  • Game 4 @ Chicago: Indianapolis 55, Chicago 54
  • Game 5 @ Chicago: Chicago 76, Indianapolis 62

Semifinals

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(1W) Oshkosh All-Stars vs. (3W) Chicago American Gears: Chicago wins series 2–0

  • Game 1 @ Chicago: Chicago 60, Oshkosh 54[4]
  • Game 2 @ Oshkosh: Chicago 61, Oshkosh 60[5]

NBL Championship

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(1E) Rochester Royals vs. (3W) Chicago American Gears: Chicago wins series 3–1

  • Game 1 @ Rochester: Rochester 71, Chicago 65[6]
  • Game 2 @ Rochester: Chicago 67, Rochester 63[7]
  • Game 3 @ Chicago: Chicago 78, Rochester 70[8]
  • Game 4 @ Chicago: Chicago 79, Rochester 68[9]

Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "NBL Season Index". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d "1946–47 NBL Season Summary". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. ^ "Chicago American Gears → 1946–1947". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  4. ^ "Gears Winners Over Oshkosh 'Stars, 60–54". The Post-Crescent. March 28, 1947. p. 13. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Gears Beat Oshkosh". Wisconsin State Journal. March 30, 1947. p. 30. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Royals Defeat Gears; Take Playoff Lead". The Journal Standard. April 4, 1947. p. 8. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "George Mikan's 27 Points Help Gears Win, 67–63". Chicago Tribune. April 6, 1947. p. 24. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Gears Battle Royals In Playoff Battle". The Journal Standard. April 8, 1947. p. 6. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Chicago Gears Take National Basketball Title". Carbondale Free Press. April 10, 1947. p. 7. Retrieved October 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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