Curly Armstrong

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Curly Armstrong

| image = Paul Armstrong 1948.jpg

| width =

| caption = Armstrong in 1948

| position = Forward / guard

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 11

| weight_lb = 170

| number = 31, 3

| birth_date = {{birth date|1918|11|01}}

| birth_place = Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|06|06|1918|11|01}}

| death_place = Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S.

| high_school = Central (Fort Wayne, Indiana)

| college = Indiana (1938–1941)

| career_start = 1941

| career_end = 1951

| years1 = 1941–1943,
1945–{{nbay|1950|end}}

| team1 = Fort Wayne Pistons

| cyears1 = 1947

| cteam1 = Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (interim HC)

| cyears2 = 1948–1949

| cteam2 = Fort Wayne Pistons

| cyears3 = 1951–1953

| cteam3 = Wabash

| highlights =

• All-NBL First Team (1943)
• NCAA champion (1940)
• WPBT MVP (1943)
• All-WPBT First Team (1943)

}}

Paul Carlyle "Curly" Armstrong (November 1, 1918 – June 6, 1983) was an American professional basketball player and coach.{{cite news |title=Former IU star, Pistons coach 'Curly' Armstrong dies at 64 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/90374164/the-courier-journal/ |access-date=12 November 2022 |work=The Courier-Journal |date=7 June 1983 |page=11 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{open access}}{{cite news |title=Curly's company |url=http://egen.fortwayne.com/ns/projects/komets/top50/armstron.php |access-date=12 November 2022 |work=News-Sentinel}}

A 5'11" guard/forward, Armstrong starred at Central High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he reached two state championship games while leading his team to a 50–6 record. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Armstrong attended Indiana University, earning All-Big Ten Conference honors during his junior year. He then played, and briefly coached, for the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons professional basketball team (today's Detroit Pistons). In 1943, he was named the World Professional Basketball Tournament's Most Valuable Player.{{cite news |title=Washington takes crown in pro meet |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/99187651/ |access-date=6 April 2022 |work=Vidette-Messenger of Porter County |date=18 March 1943 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}} He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

He was head basketball coach at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for two seasons. His record in 1951–52 was 10 wins and 10 losses. His record in 1952–53 was 9 wins and 10 losses.