Al Bonniwell starred in basketball at Lower Merion, Pennsylvania High School where he led the team to the state finals in 1930.  Bonniwell attended Dartmouth University where he was named a Helms Foundation All-American in 1935. After college, he played professional basketball for two seasons for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids in the National Basketball League. Both seasons  Bonniwell was with the team, Firestone reached the NBL finals and won on the title on the second try in 1939. Bonniwell served in the U.S. Army in both World War II and the Korean War, and retired from the Army in 1967 as a colonel. 

 

AL BONNIWELL		Height:	6:03		Weight:		185		College:		Dartmouth’35
Alfred Eugene Bonniwell		Born:  Oct 6, 1911			Died:  Mar 8, 2002				Hometown:		Lower Merion, Pa.
			REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1931-32	Pennsylvania	College
1932-33	Dartmouth	College
1933-34	Dartmouth	College
1934-35	Dartmouth	College
1935-36	Penn Wynne	Indep
1935-36	Philadelphia Penn A.C.	AAU
1936-37	Philadelphia Penn A.C.	AAU
1937-38	Akron Firestone	NBL	15	36	19	31	.613		91	6.1
1938-39	Akron Firestone	NBL	24	49	8				106	4.4
1939-40	Philadelphia Penn A.C.	Indep
1940-1945	U.S. Army	Military Service
	Major League Totals		39	85	27				197	5.1
				PLAYOFF RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1937-38	Akron Firestone	NBL	2	0	1				1	0.5
1938-39	Akron Firestone	NBL	5	5	3				13	2.6
	Major League Totals		7	5	4				14	2.0

\

Paul Birch  attended Homestead High School (1927-1931)  and later returned to coach Homestead to the 1939 Pennsylvania state title. He played at Duquesne University form 1932-1935 under coach Chick Davies and helped lead the Dukes to a record of 51-4.  Birch was named a First-Team Converse All-American in 1935. Birch toured  with the famed New York Celtics from the mid-thirties into the  early forties. He joined Pittsburgh in the National Basketball League for the 1938-39 season and led the team in scoring. Birch also spent four seasons in the NBL (1941-45) with the Fort Wayne Pistons. Birch was 31 years old when he joined the Pistons, no longer a stop scorer, but he brought maturity and court savvy to  the team.  He developed a strong relationship with Bobby McDermott, the Pistons’ volatile star. Birch excelled at reading defenses, setting picks and and pinpoint passes to McDermott, who was the most accurate set shooter in the league. In 1946-47, Birch coached Pittsburgh in the  inaugural  season of the Basketball Association of America and later coached Fort Wayne for three seasons ( 1951-54)  in the NBA. After leaving the NBA, Birch was a high school coach in the Pittsburgh area for twenty years. He coached General Braddock High School to the 1972-73 Pennsylvania state title.

 

PAUL BIRCH		Height:	6:01		Weight:	195			College:		Duquesne’35
Paul Vincent Birch		Born:  Jan 4, 1910:			Died: Jun 5, 1982				Hometown:		Homestead, Pa.
Polly Birch					REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1931-32	Duquesne (Frosh)	College
1932-33	Duquesne	College
1933-34	Duquesne	College
1934-35	Duquesne	College
1934-35	New York Celtics	Indep
1935-36	New York  Celtics	Indep
1936-37	New York Celtics	Indep
1937-38	New York Celtics	Indep
1938-39	Pittsburgh	NBL	22	85	51				221	10.0
1938-39	Pittsburgh Pirates	Indep
1939-40	New York Celtics	Indep
1940-41	New York  Celtics	Indep
1941-42	New York  Celtics	Indep
1941-42	Fort Wayne	NBL	8	16	10				42	5.3
1942-43	Fort Wayne	NBL	23	29	20				78	3.4
1943-44	Fort Wayne	NBL	22	27	17	32	.531		71	3.2
1944-45	Fort Wayne	NBL	28	29	7	15	.467		65	2.3
1945-46	Youngstown	NBL	31	35	26				96	3.1
1947-48	Youngstown	AAL	4	8	1				17	4.3
48-50	Voluntraily Retired
1950-51	Erie	AAL	4	1	3				5	1.3
	Major League Totals		116	144	81				369	3.2
					POST SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1941-42	Fort Wayne	NBL	6	15	7				37	6.2
1941-42	Fort Wayne	WBT	1	2	0	0	.000		4	4.0
1942-43	Fort Wayne	NBL	6	3	2				8	1.3
1942-43	Fort Wayne	WBT	4	8	4	8	.500		20	5.0
1943-44	Fort Wayne	NBL	5	7	2				16	3.2
1943-44	Fort Wayne	WBT	3	2	0	0	.000		4	1.3
1944-45	Fort Wayne	NBL	3	2	3				7	2.3
1944-45	Fort Wayne	WBT	3	0	0	0	.000		0	0.0
	Major League Totals		28	39	18				96	3.4

 

Hank Beenders was a standout at Long Island University during his three-year career from 1939-42 when the Blackbirds posted a 69-9 record and went to three National Invitation Tournaments.
With Beenders at the center, the 1940-41 team  posted a 25-2 and captured the  National Invitational Tournament championship. He captained the 1941-42 team to a 25-3 mark and later spent three seasons playing professionally in the Basketball Association of America, which later became the NBA.

 

HAMK BEENDERS		Height:	6:06		Weight:	185			College:		L.I.U.’42
Henry Gerald Beenders		Born: Jun 2, 1916			Died:  Oct 25, 2003				Hometown:		North Plainfield, NJ
			REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1938-39	Long Island (Frosh)	College
1939-40	Long Island	College
1940-41	Long Island	College
1941-42	Long Island	College
1941-42	New York Orbach’s	AAU
1942-46	U.S. Army	Military Service
1945-46	Paterson	ABL	5	10	8				28	5.6
1945-46	Syracuse Stars	Indep
1946-47	Providence	BAA	58	266	181	257	.704	37	713	12.3
1947-48	Providence–Philadelphia	BAA	45	76	51	82	.622	13	203	4.5
1948-49	Boston	BAA	8	6	7	9	.778	3	19	2.4
1948-49	Schenectady	NYSL	23						180	7.8
1949-50	Schenectady-Hartford	ABL	18	46	19	38	.500	19	111	6.2
	Major League Totals		116	358	247				963	8.3
				PLAYOFF RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1947-48	Philadelphia	BAA	12	8	7	13	.538	4	23	1.9
1948-49	Schenectady	NYSL	3						11	3.7
	Major League Totals		12	8	7	13	.538	4	23	1.9