USA BASKETBALL HISTORY
USA MEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM 1936 RESULTS
BERLIN, GERMANY • AUGUST 1-16, 1936
Basketball became an official medal sport at the ‘36 Olympics. The first USA Olympic Trials were held in April 1936 at the famed Madison Square Gardens in New York. Invited to the trials were the top two teams from the national AAU championship, the winner of the YMCA nationals and five college district champions. Universal edged the AAU champion Refiners 44-43. Selected for the 14-member team were seven members of the Universal team, six players from the McPherson Globe Refiners, and one collegian. At a FIBA rules meeting were approved that abolished the three-second rule, limited each team to seven players a game, and designated outdoor facilities as the official playing court. U.S. head coach Jim Needles reluctantly accepted the rules and divided the team into two seven-man units, one featured the six McPherson Globe Refiners and the one collegian, Ralph Bishop, the other featured the seven Universal players. Each unit alternated playing the games. A rule banning players over 6’2’ was rescinded only after the U.S. complained. Spain was the USA’s first opponent, but due to the Spanish civil war the team never showed up. Facing European champ Estonia, the U.S. team consisting of the Universal seven won easily 52-28 as Frank Lubin scored 13 points. Drawing a bye in the third-round, the USA team of McPherson Globe Refiners handled the Philippines 56-23, as Joe Fortenberry and Francis Johnson accounted for 21 and 18 points. Meeting Mexico next, Sam Balter scored 10 points to lead the USA to a 25-10 victory. Facing Canada in the final, after a day of rain, the outdoor clay and sand court quickly became a swamp. In front of 2,000 soaked fans, the American seven, consisting of the McPherson Globe Refiners and Bishop, took a 15-4 lead at halftime. The rain continued in the second half and both teams were only able to score a combined eight points as the U.S. held on to claim a 19-8 win. Fortenberry equaled the entire Ca- nadian roster with eight points. Because only seven players could suit up for a game, the McPherson Globe Refiners unit, which had defeated Canada, were the only U.S. players allowed to receive their Olympic gold medals at the ceremony.
1936 USA MEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM ROSTER
1936 USA RESULTS (5-0)
NAME
POS HGT WGT AGE AFFILIATION (SCHOOL)
HOMETOWN
Spain
W, 2-0 (forfeit)
Estonia
W, 52-28 W, 56-23 W, 25-10 W, 19-8
Sam Balter Ralph Bishop Joe Fortenberry John Gibbons Francis Johnson Carl Knowles
G F C G G G G G C G F F
5-10 6-3 6-8 6-1 5-11 6-2 6-7 6-0 5-11 6-0 6-8 6-0 6-2
150 185 185 175 175 165 250 160 160 175 190 170 175 175
26 21 25 28 26 26 26 23 25 30 26 27 22 27
Universal Pictures (UCLA) University of Washington
Los Angeles, CA New York, NY
Philippines
McPherson Globe Refiners (West Texas State) Happy, TX
Mexico Canada
McPherson Globe Refiners (Southwestern) McPherson Globe Refiners (Wichita State)
La Habra, CA Hartford, KS
Universal Pictures (UCLA) Universal Pictures (UCLA) Universal Pictures (L.A. J.C.) Universal Pictures (UCLA)
Los Angeles, CA Glendale, CA Los Angeles, CA Peoria, IL Tucson, AZ Swanton, NE Hollywood, CA Waterman, IL
Frank Lubin Art Mollner Don Piper Jack Ragland
FINAL STANDINGS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
United States (5-0)
McPherson Globe Refiners (Wichita State) McPherson Globe Refiners (Creighton)
Canada (5-2) Mexico (7-1) Poland (5-2)
Willard Schmidt
Carl Shy
Universal Pictues (UCLA) Universal Pictues (USC)
Duane Swanson William Wheatley
F F
6-2
McPherson Globe Refiners (Kansas Wesleyan) Gypsum, KS
Philippines (5-3) Uruguay (4-4)
HEAD COACH: James Needles, Universal Pictures (CA) ASSISTANT COACH: Gene Lee Johnson, McPherson Globe Refiners (KS)
Italy (4-4) Peru (3-5)
MANAGER: Joseph Rilley, Kansas City Athletic Club (MO) ATHLETIC TRAINER: Eddie Zanzaai, Princeton University
9. Brazil (6-2) 10. Chile (4-4) 11. Czechoslovakia (5-3) 12. Estonia (4-3) 13. Japan (2-5) 14. Switzerland (4-4) 15. Belgium (3-5)
1936 USA MEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM CUMULATIVE STATISTICS
NAME
G
FGM-A
PCT
FTM-A
PCT
PTSPTS
Fortenberry
2 2 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 4 4
13- 10- 10-
3- 2- 0- 1- 0- 0- 0- 1- 1- 2- 0- 0- 0- 0-
29/14.5 22/11.0 20/10.0 17/8.5 8/8.0 6/6.0 10/5.0 9/4.5
Lubin
Johnson
16. China (4-4) 17. Egypt (5-3) 18. France (2-6) 19. Germany (0-7) 20. Hungary (2-6) 21. Latvia (0-7) 22. Spain (0-7)
Balter
8- 4- 3- 5- 4- 3- 2- 3- 2- 2- 2-
Schmidt Gibbons
Shy
Wheatley Ragland Knowles Mollner
7/3.5 6/3.0 6/3.0 4/2.0 4/2.0 4/2.0
Bishop
Piper
Swanson
USA OPP.
71- 29-
10- 11-
152/38.0 69/17.3
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