Akron Firestone Non-Skids

{{infobox basketball club

| name = Akron Firestone Non-Skids

| color1 =

| color2 =

| logo =

| nickname =

| leagues =

| founded = 1937

| dissolved = 1941

| history =

| arena =

| location = Akron, Ohio

| colors =

| current =

| sponsor =

| president =

| vice-presidents =

| manager =

| coach =

| ownership = Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

| championships = 2 NBL Championship (1939, 1940)

| h_body = de1929

| h_pattern_b = _goldhorizontal

| h_shorts = de1929

| h_pattern_s = _adidasgold

| a_body = fecd29

| a_pattern_b = _maroonhorizontal

| a_shorts = fecd29

| a_pattern_s = _adidasred

| 3_pattern_b = _whitehoophigh

| 3_pattern_s = _adidaswhite

| 3_body = 192752

| 3_shorts = 192752

}}

The Akron Firestone Non{{En dash}}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.{{cite book|last=Grasso|first=John|title=Historical dictionary of basketball|year=2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Lanham, Maryland|isbn=9780810867635}} The team was named for the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, which was headquartered in Akron, Ohio.

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{{En dash}}round jobs who were not paid for basketball but owed their jobs to their basketball skills.{{cite book|last=Peterson|first=Robert W.|title=Cages to jump shots : pro basketball's early years|year=2002|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|location=New York|isbn=9780803287723}} The Non{{En dash}}Skids first competed professionally in the 1932{{En dash}}33 National Basketball League and defeated the Indianapolis Kautskys in the championship game. In 1935, the Non{{En dash}}Skids joined the Midwest Basketball Conference. In 1937, Firestone, General Electric, and Goodyear created the National Basketball League from company{{En dash}}sponsored teams and independent teams.{{cite web|title=History of Basketball|url=http://www.sportsknowhow.com/basketball/history/basketball-history-3.shtml|work=SportsKnowHow.com|accessdate=27 June 2012}} The Non{{En dash}}Skids were NBL champions in 1939 and 1940, defeating the Oshkosh All-Stars both years in the Finals. Following the 1940{{En dash}}1941 season, the Akron Firestone Non{{En dash}}Skids disbanded, leaving the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots as the only NBL team representing Akron.

Players of note

Coaches

Paul Sheeks

References

External links

[http://nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/NBL/Teams/Akron1/index.html Firestone Non-Skids Complete History]
[http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2228&nm=Akron-Firestone-Non-Skids Akron Firestone Non-Skids] at Ohio History Central

Category:1937 establishments in Ohio

Category:Basketball teams established in 1937

Category:Basketball teams disestablished in 1941

Category:1941 disestablishments in Ohio