Fred Zollner
Encyclopedia
Fred Zollner was called "Mr. Pro Basketball" as the founder and longtime owner along with his sister Janet of the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (now the Detroit Pistons
) and a key figure in the merger of National Basketball League
and Basketball Association of America
into the National Basketball Association
in 1949.
Zollner, an industrialist, was born in Little Falls, Minnesota
and received a degree from the University of Minnesota
in 1927. Zollner Corporation, formed in 1912, was a Tier-1 supplier of pistons to companies such as Ford
, General Motors
, International Harvester (now Navistar), John Deere
and Outboard Marine
. At one time, he employed more than 1200 people in his Fort Wayne, Indiana
foundry. The company had 230 employees when it was acquired by Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG in 1999.
, Buddy Jeannette
and George Yardley
. The Zollner Pistons were a very popular franchise, winning the world championship in 1944 and 1945, and reaching the NBA Finals
in 1954 and 1955, losing both times. He was the first pro basketball team owner to hire a bench coach.
Zollner brought together leaders of the NBL and the BAA to meet at his house in 1949. Sitting around his kitchen table, they agreed to merge, forming the NBA.
In 1952, when he purchased a DC-3, Zollner was the first to fly his players to away games. Several years later, the Minneapolis Lakers
were stranded in Milwaukee; the temperature was -15 degrees Fahrenheit, and the train was running well behind schedule. Zollner sent the plane to Milwaukee to meet the players and bring them to the game, but due to a mixup, coach John Kundla was left behind. He had gone to the dining car and didn't get word. As the train pulled out the station, he looked out the window and saw the other players waving to him.
The game started with Lakers player Jim Pollard acting as coach. Kundla arrived shortly before halftime, and tried to sneak to the bench, but the fans spotted him and roared. “I took quite a razzing from the guys for that,” said John, “especially since we were ahead by eight when I arrived and we ended up losing by five.”
In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit
, a much larger city that had previously had an NBA franchise, the Detroit Falcons
, which failed after the 1946-47 season, the NBA's (BAA's) first. Since Detroit was the nation's largest automotive assembly center, the team name, based on its previous locality, still fit: The Detroit Pistons.
In 1974, he sold the Pistons to William Davidson
for $7 million. Zollner and Davidson remained the only two majority owners in the history of the longest-running franchise in the history of professional basketball until the death of Davidson in March, 2009. Davidson's wife Karen now owns the team.
At the 1975 Silver Anniversary NBA All-Star Game, Zollner was named "Mr. Pro Basketball" for his status as a founder and longtime supporter of the NBA. He died in North Miami, Florida
.
On October 1, 1999, Zollner was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Today, the NBA Western Conference Championship trophy is named in his honor.
performances. In 1958, the stadium was sold to Concordia Lutheran High School, and it served as their football field for forty years, starting in 1962. It was torn down to be replaced by Fred Zollner Memorial Stadium. The first game, on August 29, 2003, was a victory of the Concordia Cadets over North Side High School
. North Side was an appropriate opponent, since Zollner's basketball team had once been based in North Side's gymnasium, a.k.a. "the Snake Pit."
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
) and a key figure in the merger of National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
and Basketball Association of America
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
into the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
in 1949.
Zollner, an industrialist, was born in Little Falls, Minnesota
Little Falls, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,719 people , 3,197 households, and 1,899 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,232.5 people per square mile . There were 3,358 housing units at an average density of 536.2 per square mile...
and received a degree from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1927. Zollner Corporation, formed in 1912, was a Tier-1 supplier of pistons to companies such as Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
, International Harvester (now Navistar), John Deere
John Deere
John Deere was an American blacksmith and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company, one of the largest and leading agricultural and construction equipment manufacturers in the world...
and Outboard Marine
Outboard Marine
Outboard Marine Corporation was a maker of Evinrude and Johnson boat motors and many different brands of boats. Evinrude initially began in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1907. OMC was based in Waukegan, Illinois. They also owned several lines of boats such as Chris Craft, Lowe Boats, Princecraft, Four...
. At one time, he employed more than 1200 people in his Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
foundry. The company had 230 employees when it was acquired by Kolbenschmidt Pierburg AG in 1999.
Pro Basketball
The Zollner Pistons began playing in 1941 in an industrial league. In 1974, he recalled that, "Instead of making friends, we made enemies, because no one could beat us. He personally recruited his players, including later Hall of Famers Andy Phillip, Bob McDermott, Bob HoubregsBob Houbregs
Robert J. "Bob" Houbregs is a former professional basketball player.A 6'8", 225 pound forward-center, Houbregs attended the University of Washington from 1949 to 1953. In 1952, Houbregs was a Second Team Consensus All-America selection...
, Buddy Jeannette
Buddy Jeannette
Harry Edward "Buddy" Jeannette was a professional basketball player and coach.Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948. He was named to the First Team of the NBL four times, and won titles with the NBL's Sheboygan Red Skins and Fort Wayne Pistons...
and George Yardley
George Yardley
George Harry Yardley III , best known as simply George Yardley, was an NBA Hall of Fame basketball player. He was the first player in history to score 2,000 points in one season, breaking the 1,932-point record held by fellow Hall of Famer George Mikan...
. The Zollner Pistons were a very popular franchise, winning the world championship in 1944 and 1945, and reaching the NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
in 1954 and 1955, losing both times. He was the first pro basketball team owner to hire a bench coach.
Zollner brought together leaders of the NBL and the BAA to meet at his house in 1949. Sitting around his kitchen table, they agreed to merge, forming the NBA.
In 1952, when he purchased a DC-3, Zollner was the first to fly his players to away games. Several years later, the Minneapolis Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
were stranded in Milwaukee; the temperature was -15 degrees Fahrenheit, and the train was running well behind schedule. Zollner sent the plane to Milwaukee to meet the players and bring them to the game, but due to a mixup, coach John Kundla was left behind. He had gone to the dining car and didn't get word. As the train pulled out the station, he looked out the window and saw the other players waving to him.
The game started with Lakers player Jim Pollard acting as coach. Kundla arrived shortly before halftime, and tried to sneak to the bench, but the fans spotted him and roared. “I took quite a razzing from the guys for that,” said John, “especially since we were ahead by eight when I arrived and we ended up losing by five.”
In 1957, Zollner moved the team to Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, a much larger city that had previously had an NBA franchise, the Detroit Falcons
Detroit Falcons (basketball)
The Detroit Falcons were a professional basketball team based in Detroit, Michigan. It played in the 1946–47 season in Basketball Association of America, a predecessor organization to the National Basketball Association...
, which failed after the 1946-47 season, the NBA's (BAA's) first. Since Detroit was the nation's largest automotive assembly center, the team name, based on its previous locality, still fit: The Detroit Pistons.
In 1974, he sold the Pistons to William Davidson
William Davidson
William Morse "Bill" Davidson, J. D. was an American businessman who was President, Chairman and CEO of Guardian Industries, one of the world's largest manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass...
for $7 million. Zollner and Davidson remained the only two majority owners in the history of the longest-running franchise in the history of professional basketball until the death of Davidson in March, 2009. Davidson's wife Karen now owns the team.
At the 1975 Silver Anniversary NBA All-Star Game, Zollner was named "Mr. Pro Basketball" for his status as a founder and longtime supporter of the NBA. He died in North Miami, Florida
North Miami, Florida
North Miami is a suburban city located in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, about north of Miami. The city lies on Biscayne Bay and hosts the Biscayne Bay Campus of Florida International University, and the North Miami campus of Johnson & Wales University...
.
On October 1, 1999, Zollner was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor. Today, the NBA Western Conference Championship trophy is named in his honor.
Zollner Stadium
The Zollner Pistons weren't just a basketball team. There was a world champion Zollner Pistons softball team as well. On May 30, 1947, Zollner Stadium opened in Fort Wayne as home field to the softball team, and for a number of other uses, such as Holiday on IceHoliday on Ice
Holiday on Ice is an ice show currently produced by Joop van den Ende's Stage Entertainment Group with its headquarters in Amsterdam, Netherlands...
performances. In 1958, the stadium was sold to Concordia Lutheran High School, and it served as their football field for forty years, starting in 1962. It was torn down to be replaced by Fred Zollner Memorial Stadium. The first game, on August 29, 2003, was a victory of the Concordia Cadets over North Side High School
North Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
North Side High School is a secondary school in the Fort Wayne Community Schools system, serving the north central neighborhoods of Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States.- History :...
. North Side was an appropriate opponent, since Zollner's basketball team had once been based in North Side's gymnasium, a.k.a. "the Snake Pit."