27 February

## 1920

**Syracuse Herald**- Tonawanda To Play Locals On Armory Court

The All-Tonawanda basketball team will oppose All-Syracuse Saturday night at the Armory. The Tonawanda aggregation, if it produces the players expected, should give Syracuse a real battle. Smith and Scott, forwards for the University of Buffalo last year, are scheduled for the same positions with the visiting team. Rut Lewis, center for the Buffalo Hewitts, will be in the pivot position. Miller and Wolf of the Company K team of Tonawanda will be the guards.

**Syracuse Journal**- Tonawanda To Meet All-Syracuse Saturday

All-Tonawanda’s basketball team will play the All-Syracuse at the State Armory Saturday night. The Tonawanda is composed of three members of Company K team, which thrice defeated the famous Buffalo Orioles, two members of last year’s University of Buffalo quintet and Burt Lewis, the clever center of the Hewitts. The forward berths will be filled by Smith and Scott, two of the fastest forwards in western New York. Burt Lewis, who is under contract to play baseball with the Syracuse Stars this year, will be at center. Blake Miller, noted Michigan Agricultural College football star, will hold down right guard, while A. Wolf will occupy the other defensive position. W. Wolf and Kibler will be carried as utility players. Miller, Kibler and the Wolf brothers are members of the wonderful Company K quintet of Tonawanda, which swept aside all opposition in the scramble for the court title three years ago. Capt. Jim Tormey and his teammates went through a long practice drill last night in preparation for the game next Saturday night and four hard battles on the card for next week.

**Syracuse Post Standard**- All-Syracuse To Face Fast Court Rivals

Contest With All-Tonawanda Five Bound To Prove Hard Tilt; Stars With Invaders; Local Quintet Practices For Series Of Important Basketball Games

That the All-Tonawanda basketball team will give All-Syracuse one of the hardest battles of the season on the Armory court tomorrow night is evident from the array of talent in the lineup of the invaders. The team is composed of three members of Company K team, which thrice defeated the famous Buffalo Orioles, two members of last year’s University of Buffalo quintet and Burt Lewis, the clever center of the Hewitts. The forward berths will be filled by Smith and Scott, two of the fastest forwards in western New York. They played with Art Powell’s University of Buffalo team last season. Burt Lewis, who is under contract to play baseball with the Syracuse Stars during the approaching torrid term, will jump center. Blake Miller, noted Michigan Agricultural College football star and a basketball player of fine parts, will hold down right guard, while A. Wolf will occupy the other defensive position. W. Wolf and Kibler will be carried as utility players. Miller, Kibler and the Wolf brothers are members of the wonderful Company K quintet of Tonawanda, which swept aside all opposition in the scramble for the court title three years ago. Captain Jim Tormey and his teammates went through a long practice drill last night in preparation for the game next Saturday night and four hard battles on the card for next week. Indications point to three record breaking crowds at the State Armory next week. The demand for reservations for the fourth contest of the state title series with the Orioles next Tuesday night has exceeded all expectations and interest in the scheduled game with the St. Mary’s Sodality five of Cortland has reached a high pitch. An effort is being made to book the formidable Beechnut five of Canajoharie for Saturday, March 4.

## 1947

**Syracuse Herald Journal**- Nats Face Jeeps In Toledo

Toledo- The Syracuse Nationals and Toledo Jeeps bids for playoff berths reached another critical stage today as they made ready for tonight’s clash here. Toledo holds a two to one game edge in the series between the two clubs. Syracuse, Toledo and Moline in third, fourth and fifth spots respectively in the standings, are separated by only one and one-half games. Following tonight’s tilt, Toledo has only three games remaining while both Syracuse and Moline have eight more to play. Left behind by Syracuse on the present trip were Chick Meehan who is convalescing in Memorial Hospital with an eye hemorrhage, and John Gee who was unable to get relieved from school duties. Mike Novak is still hindered by a hip injury he received in an exhibition game at Hartford Sunday, but he will play tonight. Following tonight’s tilt here the Nats will return to Syracuse until the team will go to Rochester for a game against the Royals and then to Sheboygan for a Sunday night encounter.

## 1955

**Syracuse Herald American**- Nats Play Warriors Today

Philadelphia Seeks Season Edge

Philadelphia, only Eastern Division team
with an opportunity to shade the Syracuse Nats in seasonal play this year,
seeks to end an eight-game home winning streak of the Syracusans at the War
Memorial this afternoon. The Nats have ideas of their own. They want to cement
Eastern Division leadership before starting an arduous road trip in New York
Tuesday night. Successive road games are scheduled with Fort Wayne at Elkhart,
Ind., Wednesday, and if Fort Wayne Thursday with an added tilt due at Milwaukee
Friday. Philadelphia already has scored two triumphs over the Nats at the War
Memorial this year. Coach Al Cervi has been unable to devise a defense to stop
the Warriors in any of their last three meetings. It is a continuance of a jinx
that carries over from last year. Neil Johnston usually has his best nights
against Syracuse. The clubs have broken even in 10 games. This afternoon Cervi
may use Jim Tucker extensively in a new maneuver designed to slice the
Warriors’ ace point production. Paul Arizin and Joe Graboski also have hurt the
Nats considerably this year while Ken Murray’s outside shots decided the last
game here. The Nats have been concentrating on defense in recent games while
pulling out in front of the eastern pack adopting the slogan: “Keep them under
80 and we’ll win.” In the last three games with Syracuse, the Warriors have
riddled this defense, winning by 96-87, 93-83 and 110-86 counts. George Senesky
will handle the visitors in the absence of Eddie Gottlieb who has been confined
to Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia for an operation. The Warriors are
still battling for a spot in the Eastern Division playoffs. Jackie Moore, who
played with the Nats during pre-season training and in the opener before being
sold to Milwaukee, will make his first appearance here as a Warrior. During
Canastota Day festivities at the game this afternoon Cliff Carpenter, village
trustee, will conduct ceremonies. Carmen Basilio also has announced he will be
in attendance. Park Club members of Electronics Park also have worked on
special details for today’s encounter. Youths desiring to enter their names on
a scroll to be presented Billy Gabor next week will have the opportunity to
affix their signatures to the pact both before and during the game today.

Gabor Fans Invade City Next Sunday

Members of the “Billy Gabor Day” committee
and aiming for a big crowd turnout next Sunday afternoon when the former
Syracuse Nat, who recently announced his retirement, will be honored.
Ceremonies are planned at halftime of the Nats-Philadelphia Warriors contest.
The game will be played at 3:30 P.M. like all remaining Sunday games on the
Syracuse club’s regular N.B.A. schedule. A group of 300 will be coming by train
from Gabor’s native Binghamton, and a Southern Tier five, the Cortese quint,
will play in a preliminary. Geneva is sending a delegation by chartered bus.
The Manlius Cadets will march into the War Memorial in a body, and their school
band will play. Knothole Gang youngsters also will attend the game.

From Highlighting Sports By Jack Slattery

Even though I have watched and thrilled to the exciting, fiercely
competitive style of play demonstrated by Bullet Bill Gabor, the full impact of
Gabor in Syracuse, because of his basketball talent, was never appreciated
fully until I scrounged around looking for material for this piece. First, I
talked with his college coach, Lew Andreas. Then to Harold “Whitey” Anderson
who coached Billy during his career at Binghamton Central High School. Al
Cervi’s impressions of Gabor haven’t been much of a secret for a long time. The
first thing Andreas, now athletic director at Syracuse University, said was,
“No player since Vic Hanson so captured the imagination of the fans as Gabor
did. And no single player contributed so much to the material success of
professional basketball as did Gabor. “Before Gabor joined the pro ranks it had
made no impression of note on the fans of Syracuse. When Gabor joined the
professionals the basketball fans of Syracuse went along with him.” In four
years on the Hill the Bullet scored 1,344 points. That was during an era when a
high scoring game found the teams in the 60 and 70-point bracket. Andreas
contributed Bill’s success to speed, agility and the ability to be going at
full speed after a step or two.

Billy Always Gave 100 Percent

“Billy thrilled the fans and they turned out to see him. Time after
time, he stole the ball and sped the full length of the court for a solo
basket. The fans came just to watch him perform the feat. The crowd always knew
it was going to get a 100 percent effort from Bill. He gave them all he had and
never loafed. He was a fierce competitor. And when the ball game was over Bill
was dragging his feet off the court. Everything he had in him went into the
game. It’s no wonder he enjoyed the success he did.” Whitey Anderson, now the
director of athletics at the Manlius School, had a 110 and 14 record while
coaching the Binghamton school. And Whitey’s quick to admit that Gabor played a
big part in Anderson’s success. Gabor played for Anderson during the 36-37,
38-39 and 39-40 seasons. “I watched him play a little bit of jayvee ball and
then saw him make the first squad in his first year. From that time on Billy
was a regular,” said Whitey. “During the final two years playing for the
Bulldogs Billy led the Southern Tier Conference in scoring and that’s a first
class league.”

Several Schools Sought Him

Whitey echoed many of the things Andreas had said. “He loved to drive
with the ball, was chain lightning fast and delighted in stealing the ball.
From the first day I saw him I knew he was a competitor of the fiercest kind.
In fact, his desire to win set him apart from all the other players and made him
the good player he was. Colgate, Syracuse, Cornell and New York University
wanted Billy,” continued Whitey. “But after he left me he went to Peekskill
Military Academy and then a Syracuse alumnus, a man who has sent many boys to
college, grabbed Bill and directed him toward Syracuse. The man is Dr. Sol
Bloom. He was a former Syracuse star and more than anyone else he was
responsible for Billy’s attending Syracuse.” During the eight years Whitey
coached in Binghamton, during which time he won 110 games, he named Gabor, Bill
Chanecka, Fred Diute, Fred Eydt and John Charno as the best men he coached.
Diute played ball at St. Bonaventure with Bill Kenville and Eydt later
captained Cornell. At Syracuse Bill’s best night’s work resulted in 36 points.
He performed the feat twice, once against Oswego State Teachers on Dec. 8,
1945, and again against Temple on Feb. 4, 1948. His best single season output
was 409 in the 1946-47 season and his total four years was 1,344. For the Nats
he has been an inspirational-type guy. A battler all the time. Along with the
gifts and many other forms of recognition to be given him on March 5 there will
be laudatory speeches. But if you listen closely you will be able to hear sighs
of relief from every city in the National Basketball Association. The Bullet
will be missed by different people in different ways.