Fiddle Morley was the most prominent figure in Boston basketball for over two decades. He captained the Boston University High School basketball team his junior and senior years. He played football and basketball at Georgetown University for one year before transferring to to Boston College were he played basketball for two seasons. In 1921, Morley helped organize the Boston Whirlwinds who within a few seasons grew to become the most powerful independent basketball team in New England. In 1925, the Whirlwinds joined the newly-formed American Basketball League, but dropped out at mid-season because of poor attendance. Morley continued in the role of player-manager of the Whirlwinds for another decade. In 1934, the team joined a different version of the American Basketball League for one season.
| FIDDLE MORLEY |
Height: |
5:10 |
|
Weight: |
155 |
|
|
College: |
Georgetown(DC’19 / Boston College’21 |
| James Stanislaus Morley |
Born: Jun 5, 1901 |
Died: Aug 24, 1968 |
|
Hometown: |
Boston, Ma. |
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|
REGULAR SEASON RECORD |
|
|
| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
|
| 1918-019 |
Georgetown(DC) |
College |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1919-20 |
Boston College |
College |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1920-21 |
Boston College |
College |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1921-22 |
Adams |
IL |
1 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
|
3 |
3.0 |
|
| 1921-22 |
Boston St.Alphonsus A.A. |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1921-22 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1922-23 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1923-24 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1924-25 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1925-26 |
Boston |
ABL |
14 |
21 |
20 |
|
|
|
62 |
4.4 |
|
| 1926-27 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1927-28 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1928-29 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1929-30 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1930-31 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1931-32 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1932-22 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1933-34 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1934-35 |
Boston Whirlwinds |
Indep |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1934-35 |
Boston |
ABL |
5 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
2 |
0.4 |
|
|
Major League Totals |
|
20 |
22 |
23 |
|
|
|
67 |
3.4 |
|
Elmore Morgenthaler attended high school in Hobbs, New Mexico and then worked for the Santa Fe Railroad during World War II before he entered the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in the fall of 1945 as a 23 year old freshman. There was nothing too unusual about his story up until then, but within a few months, the unheralded young man’s name would be in every newspaper across the country. For much of the 1945-46 college basketball season, Morgenthaler led all players in scoring before finally finishing in second place behind Oklahoma A&M All-American Bob Kurland and just ahead of DePaul All-American George Mikan. The following season, Morgenthaler transferred to Boston College where he played most of the 1946–47 season before quitting college basketball at the end of February 1947 to play professionally for the Providence Steamrollers of the new Basketball Association of America. Morgenthaler would later put up some impressive numbers during his pro career in minor leagues, but he failed to make any impression in either of his two seasons in the BAA. During a brief stint with the Philadelphia Warriors, he was described as “being only slightly less mobile than the statue of William Penn atop city hall.” Throughout his playing career, Morgenthaler was listed as a seven-footer, but he was actually closer to 6’10” in height.
| ELMORE MORGENTHALER |
Height: |
6:10 |
|
Weight: |
235 |
|
|
College: New Mexico Mines’46/Boston College’47 |
| Elmore Robert Morgenthaler |
Born: Aug 3, 1922 |
Died: Nov 25, 1997 |
|
Hometown: |
Hobbs, NM |
| Elmo Morgenthaler |
|
REGULAR SEASON RECORD |
|
|
|
|
| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
|
| 1945-46 |
New Mexico Mines |
College |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1946-47 |
Boston College |
College |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 1946-47 |
PProvidence |
BAA |
11 |
4 |
7 |
12 |
.583 |
3 |
15 |
1.4 |
|
| 1947-48 |
Birmingham |
PBLA |
7 |
35 |
32 |
50 |
.640 |
|
102 |
14.6 |
|
| 1947-48 |
Philadelphia |
ABL |
28 |
167 |
147 |
210 |
.700 |
|
481 |
17.2 |
|
| 1948-49 |
Philadelphia |
BAA |
20 |
15 |
12 |
18 |
.667 |
7 |
42 |
2.1 |
|
| 1948-49 |
Atlantic City/Philadelphia |
ABL |
17 |
130 |
107 |
155 |
.690 |
|
367 |
21.6 |
|
| 1949-50 |
Hartford-Scranton |
ABL |
37 |
267 |
194 |
327 |
.593 |
|
728 |
19.7 |
|
| 1950-51 |
Grand Rapids–Waterloo |
NPBL |
35 |
143 |
145 |
217 |
.668 |
|
431 |
12.3 |
|
| 1950-51 |
Scranton |
ABL |
6 |
19 |
16 |
22 |
.727 |
|
54 |
9.0 |
|
| 1951-52 |
Scranton |
ABL |
21 |
54 |
31 |
|
|
|
139 |
6.6 |
|
| 1952-53 |
Scranton |
ABL |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
|
|
2 |
2.0 |
|
|
Major League Totals |
|
73 |
97 |
96 |
297 |
.660 |
|
488 |
7.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
PLAYOFF RECORD |
|
|
|
|
| Year |
Team |
League |
GA |
FGM |
FTM |
FTA |
PCT. |
AST |
PTS |
AVG |
|
| 1949-50 |
Scranton |
ABL |
7 |
47 |
40 |
|
|
|
134 |
19.1 |
|
| 1951-52 |
Scranton |
ABL |
10 |
15 |
14 |
|
|
|
44 |
4.4 |
|