BYRON BELL.		Height:	6:03		Weight:		180		College:		Wisconsin’39
Byron Oliver Bell Jr.		Born: Jun 8, 1914			Died:  Oct 18, 2008				Hometown:		Neenah, Wi.
			REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1936-37	Wisconsin	College
1937-38	Wisconsin	College
1938-39	Wisconsin	College
1938-39	Oshkosh	NBL	1	1	2				4	4.0
	Major League Totals		1	1	2				4	4.0

Matty Begovich was a member of the St.John’s University “Wonder Five” team for two  seasons from 1929 through 1931. During his second year, Begovich also played professional basketball under an assumed name in the Pennsylvania State Basketball League. The following season, Begovich offically turned pro along with St.John’s teammates  Allie Schuckman, Mac Kinsbrunner, Mac Posnack and Rip as as the Brooklyn Jewels, then after three seasons renamed themselves the New York Jewels, although they continued to play all home games in Brooklyn.  In six seasons, they reached three finals and won one championship, the 1932-33 Metropolitan Basketball. After retiring from pro basketball, Begovich  worked for the FBI and was an salesexecuti at U.S. Steel.  Begovich became one of the best-known referees of the era. He was a fixture at Madison Square Garden games for 21 years where he officiated five N.I.T. finals from 1946-51. Begovich also refereed ABL pro basketball games from 1938-1946.

 

MATTY BEGOVICH		Height:	6:05		Weight:	205			College:		St.John’s(NY)’31
Mathew William Begovich		Born:  Oct 2, 1910			Died: Nov 20, 1966				Hometown:		New York, NY
			REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG	Union (NY)’27
1928-29	St.John’s (Frosh)	College
1929-30	St.John’s	College
1930-31	St.John’s	College
1930-31	Honesdale	PSL	18	50	57				157	8.7
1931-32	Brooklyn Jewels	MBL	14	22	12				56	4.0
1931-32	Dunsmore	PSL	5	31	30				92	18.4
1932-33	Brooklyn Jewels	MBL	36	32	18				82	2.3
1932-33	Philadelpia Moose	ESBL	12	10	17				37	3.1
1932-33	Wilkes Barre-Freeland	PSL	8	10	17				37	4.6
1933-34	Brooklyn Jewels	ABL	35	37	29				103	2.9
1933-34	Tunkhannock	PSL	19	39	30				108	5.7
1934-35	New York	ABL	39	34	46				114	2.9
1934-35	Tunkhannock	PSL	11	23	25				71	6.5
1934-35	Atlantic City	EBL	1	0	0				0	0.0
1935-36	New York	ABL	38	28	17				73	1.9
1936-37	New York Jewels	ABL	33	29	23				81	2.5
1937-38	New Haven/New York  Jewels	ABL	35	26	19				71	2.0
1938-39	Wilkes-Barre–New York	ABL	3	2	2				6	2.0
1938-39	Lebanon	TCL	15	43	50				136	9.1
	Major League Totals		245	220	183				623	2.5
					PLAYOFF RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1931-32	Dunsmore	PSL	8	22	31				75	9.4
1932-33	Brooklyn Jewels	MBL	2	1	0				2	1.0
1933-34	Tunkhannock	PSL	1	0	1				1	1.0
1934-35	New York	ABL	5	0	7				7	1.4
1937-38	New York Jewels	ABL	6	1	4				6	1.0
	Major League Totals		13	2	11				15	1.2

Harry “Bushel” Beggs” was a rarity among early professional basketball player.. Most players of  the era moved directly from high school into independent or pro league basketball. Beggs played college basketball at three colleges during the two  years before he joined the Reading Independents in 1905. The following season (1906-07), Beggs finished fourth in individual scoring in the inaugural season of the Central Basketball League. In the fall of 1907,  Beggs rejoined the Reading Independents where he captained the team and was its leading scorer for the next two seasons. Playing top-notch teams including the independent powerhouse Paterson Crescents and Eastern and Central Basketball League teams, Reading won 113 and lost 20 games.    Beggs played in  the CBL for three seasons before returning once again to Reading where he was hired to captain the 1912-13 EBL team. Beggs joined a talented squad that included many of his former teammates from the powerful Reading Independents of three seasons early. Everything was in place for what turned out to be the greatest season of Beggs’ career. Reading won the EBL championship and then won a playoff series against the famed Troy Trojans for the overall professional basketball championship.

 

 

BUSHELL BEGGS		Height:	5:09		Weight:	165			College:		Lehigh’04’Ursinus’05/Lebanon Valley’05
Harry Linton Beggs		Born:	Nov 1, 1883			Died:			Hometown:		Reading, Pa.
			REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1903-04	Lehigh	College
1904-05	Ursinus	College
1904-05	Lebanon Valley	College
1905-06	Reading Independents	Indep
1906-07	Butler	CBL	35	127	183				437	12.5
1907-08	Reading Independents	Indep	64	384	68				836	13.1
1908-09	Reading Independents	Indep	56	242	115				599
1909-10	Greensburg	CBL	55	115	126	240	.525		356	6.5
1910-11	Connellsville	CBL	58	143	2				288	5.0
1911-12	Connellsville	CBL	55	119	0				238	4.3
1912-13	Reading	EBL	40	85	5			51	175	4.4
1913-14	Reading	EBL	38	75	20			23	170	4.5
1914-15	Reading	EBL	30	41	31	65	.477	31	113	3.8
1915-16	Reading	EBL	12	10	0			11	20	1.7
1916-17	Reading	EBL	12	21	18	34	.529	11	60	5.0
1917-18	U.S. Army	Military
1919-20	Reading	EBL	4	1	6	13	.462	1	8	2.0
1919-20	Reading Walnuts	Indep
	Major League Totals		339	737	391				1865	5.5
				POST SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1912-13	Reading	WS	5	8	2				18	3.6
	Major League Totals		5	8	2				18	3.6

 

 

 

HY BEDNOWICZ		Height:	5:09		Weight:	160			College:		Union (NY)’27
Hyman Lewis Bednowitz		Born:  May 9, 1905			Died:  Jul 17, 1966				Hometown:		Brooklyn, NY
Hank Bednowitz					REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1923-24	Union (Frosh)	College
1924-25	Union	College
1925-26	Union	College
1926-27	Union	College
1927-28	Troy	MBL	1	0	0				0	0.0
	Major League Totals		1	0	0				0	0.0

 

 

 

 

VERNON BEDFORD		Height:	6:01		Weight:		145		College:		Western State Teachers(Mi)’31
Vernon Oswald Bedford		Born:  Oct 9, 1908			Died: Jan 1,  1996				Hometown:		South Bend, In.
					REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1929-30	Western State Teachers (MI)(Frosh)	College
1930-31	Western State Teachers (MI)	College
1931-32	Battle Creek Kellogg’s	Indep
1932-33	South Bend	NPBL	5	5	4				14	2.8
1932-33	Battle Creek Laings	Indep
1933-34	Battle Creek Recreation Union	Indep
1934-35	Battle Creek Recreation Union	Indep
1935-36	Battle Creek Kellogg’s	Indep
1936-37	Battle Creek Kellogg’s	Indep
Battle Creek Colonial Finance		Indep
	Major League Totals		5	5	4				14	2.8

 

Johnny Beckman  is usually associated with the New York Original Celtics, but he actually had an outstanding ten year pro career behind him when he first joined the Celtics in 1921. Always among any league’s top scorers, Beckman saw duty in the New York State Basketball League, Interstate Basketball League , Eastern Basketball League  and Pennsylvania State Basketball League during the teens. He led the 1915-16 Paterson and 1916-17 Bridgeport team to IBL titles. He added to his collection of championships as the star of the 1919-20 Nanticoke club that won the PSL title. Beckman also led the PSL in scoring during both the 1919-20 and 1920-21 seasons. Beckman consistently played over 150 games a season during his prime years from 1915 to 1925. He played on five teams in five different leagues during 1919-20 season in addition to countless games with independent teams. From 1921 through 1927, Beckman played with the New York Original Celtics. He and Nat Holman were the primary scorers on the famed team. Beckman was equally adept at long set shots and slashing drives to the basket. Beckman was a brilliant individual performer, but he was devoted to the Celtics’ principles of teamwork, passing and defense.  In the middle of the 1926-27 season, Beckman was sold to the lowly Baltimore club in the American Basketball League where he became player-coach. He served in the same capacity in Detroit the following year until the club folded 18 games into the season. Beckman remained in the ABL through the 1929-30 season, but the huge number of games he had played finally took their toll. Wracked by injuries during the final years of his career, Beckman survived on guile and his always fierce determination to win. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.

 

JOHNNY BECKMAN		Height:	5:09		Weight:		160		College:		None
John Albert Beckman		Born:   Oct 26, 1895			Died: Jun 22, 1968				Hometown:		New York, NY
					REGULAR SEASON RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1912-13	Brooklyn St. Gabriels	Indep
1913-14	Union Hill (NJ) Troys	Indep
1913-14	Bridgeport Blue Ribbons	Indep
1913-14	Sheepshead Bay Gabriels	Indep
1913-14	North Hudson Troys	TSBL	2	10	17				37	18.5
1913-14	Kingston	NYSL	41	107	78				292	7.1
1914-15	Paterson	NYSL	20	46	39				131	6.6
1915-16	Philadelphia De Neri	EBL	34	88	74	133	.556	19	250	7.4
1915-16	Paterson	NYSL	9	7	22				36	4.0
1915-16	Danbury Woosters AC	Indep	11	34	32				100	9.1
1915-16	Union Hill (NJ) Troys	Indep
1915-16	Bridgeport Blue Ribbons	Indep	28	93	108				294	10.5
1916-17	Danbury–Bridgeport–Newark Turners	IBL	21	42	54				138	6.6
1916-17	Reading	EBL	38	92	54	94	.574	20	238	6.3
1917-18	Philadelphia De Neri	EBL	8	20	34			7	74	9.3
1917-18	Danbury/Jersey City	CBL	15	50	42				142	9.5
1917-18	Nanticoke	PSL	20	57	111			7	225	11.3
1917-18	New Brunswick Wright-Martin Aeroplane Co.	Indep
1917-18	Newark Turners	Indep		109	118				336
1918-19	Newark Turners	Indep	33	103	104				310	9.4
1918-19	Bridgeport Blue Ribbons	Indep
1918-19	Nanticoke	Indep
1918-19	Staten Island Standard Ship Yard	Indep
1919-20	Nanticoke	PSL	38	101	144	175	.823	14	346	9.1
1919-20	Philadelphia De Neri	EBL	19	56	64	124	.516	20	176	9.3
1919-20	Adams	NYSL	5	11	2				24	4.8
1919-20	New York–Jersey City–Brooklyn	IBL	8	18	33				69	8.6
1919-20	Thompsonville	IL	9	46	5				97	10.8
1919-20	Brooklyn St. James Triangles	Indep
1919-20	Jordan Bay Big-Five	Indep
1919-20	Stamford	Indep
1920-21	Nanticoke	PSL	40	84	193			27	361	9.0
1920-21	Stamford	CSL	2	8	1				17	8.5
1920-21	Philadelphia–Trenton	EBL	8	16	42	66	.636	9	74	9.3
1920-21	Thompsonville	IL	9	31	40				102	11.3
1920-21	New York Original Celtics	Indep
1920-21	Beckman All-Stars	Indep
1921-22	New York Original Celtics	Indep
1921-22	New York	EBL	21	59	80	152	.526	20	198	9.4
1922-23	New York Original Celtics	Indep
1922-23	Atlantic City	EBL	6	27	30	52	.577	8	84	14.0
1922-23	New York	MBL	12	36	44				116	9.7
1923-24	New York Original Celtics	Indep
1924-25	New YorkOriginal Celtics	Indep
1925-26	New York Original Celtics	Indep
1926-27	New York	NYN	17	39	67				145	8.5
1926-27	Brooklyn–Baltimore	ABL	37	91	141				323	8.7
1927-28	Paterson	MBL	1	6	8				20	20.0
1927-28	Detroit–Chicago	ABL	44	109	72				290	6.6
1928-29	Rochester–Cleveland	ABL	38	101	67				269	7.1
1929-30	New York–Cleveland–Fort Wayne	ABL	42	45	27				117	2.8
	Major League Totals		634	1732	1930				5394	8.5
					PLAYOFF RECORD
Year	Team	League	GA	FGM	FTM	FTA	PCT.	AST	PTS	AVG
1915-16	Paterson	IBL	5	6	12				24	4.8
1916	Paterson	WS	4	12	18				42	10.5
1916-17	Bridgeport	IBL	2	4	6				14	7.0
1919-20	Nanticoke	PSL	4	7	15				29	7.3
1920-21	Thompsonville	IL	5	10	15				35	7.0
1921-22	New York	EBL	3	5	13				23	7.7
1928-29	Cleveland	ABL	4	12	2				26	6.5
	Major League Totals		27	56	81				193	7.1