Elmore Robert Morgenthaler (August 3, 1922 – November 25, 1997) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. He played for the

Providence Steamrollers The Providence Steamrollers were a Basketball Association of America team based in Providence, Rhode Island. As of 2022, the Steamrollers were the last professional sports franchise from one of the Big Four leagues to be based in Rhode Island. ...

and the

Philadelphia Warriors The history of the Golden State Warriors began in Philadelphia in 1946. In 1962, the franchise was relocated to San Francisco, California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971, when its name was changed to the current Golden St ...

in the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

(BAA), among other franchises and leagues. Standing at ,Gustkey, Earl (October 28, 1996)
"The NBA's Dirty Secret : Amid Ostentatious Wealth, Old-timers Destitute Without Pensions"
''

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''. Retrieved July 1, 2017. Morgenthaler is officially recognized as the first seven-foot player in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). Morgenthaler was raised in

Mart, Texas Mart is a city in Limestone and McLennan counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 1,748 at the 2020 census. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land. Demographics As ...

. He attended

Hobbs High School Hobbs High School (HHS) is located in Hobbs, New Mexico, United States. It had a student population of about 1900 students as of 2017. In addition to Hobbs it serves Monument, Nadine, and North Hobbs. Ralph Tasker coached basketball at HHS ...

Hobbs, New Mexico Hobbs is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, Lea County, New Mexico, United States. Its population was 40,508 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, increasing from 34,122 in 2010. Hobbs is the principal city of the Hobbs, New Mexico microp ...

, after he had been recruited by coach Charles Finley. Morgenthaler followed Finley to play

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for the New Mexico Mines and he finished second in the nation in scoring with 21.8 points per game after playing for just the second semester of the 1945–46 season. The Mines were abolished at the end of the season and Morgenthaler transferred to play for the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisio ...

for the 1946–47 season. He quit college basketball at the end of February 1947 to play professionally for the Providence Steamrollers of the BAA. He was waived by the Steamrollers on September 27, 1947, and did not return to the BAA until he signed with the Philadelphia Warriors on November 18, 1948."Elmore Morgenthaler Stats"
Basketball Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2017 Morgenthaler's health deteriorated after his retirement. He worked at a liquor distillery to support himself. In 1996, aged 74, Morgenthaler was living by himself in a rundown apartment building in Marlin, Texas. His right arm and a part of his left leg were paralyzed from a stroke he suffered in 1984. Like other former professional basketball players in the 1940s and 1950s, Morgenthaler did not receive a pension from the NBA and lived his final years in poverty. At the time of his death, he was residing at Bremond Nursing Home in Bremond, Texas. Morgenthaler died due to

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at Falls Community Hospital in Marlin.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgenthaler, Elmore 1922 births 1997 deaths American Basketball League (1925–1955) players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Boston College Eagles men's basketball players Centers (basketball) College men's basketball players in the United States New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology alumni Sportspeople from Falls County, Texas Philadelphia Sphas players Philadelphia Warriors players Professional Basketball League of America players Providence Steamrollers players Waterloo Hawks players 20th-century American Jews Deaths from pneumonia in Texas