Morris Robert Becker (February 24, 1917 – January 9, 1996) 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

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Duquesne Dukes The Duquesne Dukes are the athletic teams of Duquesne University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Dukes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Football and bowling, however ...

. Barr played professionally for the

Pittsburgh Ironmen The Pittsburgh Ironmen were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America (a forerunner of the National Basketball Association). The team was based in Pittsburgh and played at Duquesne Gardens. They ended their only season in the BAA i ...

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

and Detroit Falcons of 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) for 43 games during the 1946–47 season. Becker also played for the Wilmington Blue Bombers,

Philadelphia Sphas The Philadelphia Sphas, also stylized SPHAs or SPHAS, were an American basketball franchise that existed in professional, semi-professional, and exhibition forms. They played their home games in the ballroom of Philadelphia's Broadwood Hotel. The ...

and Baltimore Bullets of the American Basketball League, the Youngstown Bears of the National Basketball League, and the Atlanta Crackers of the

Professional Basketball League of America The Professional Basketball League of America (1947–1948) was a basketball league in the United States that was started in 1947 in response to the tremendous upsurge in interest in basketball in the era immediately following World War II. T ...

College career

Becker formed a trio known as the "Iron Dukes" with Duquesne teammates Ed Milkovich and Paul Widowitz that led the team to a 51–10 record in three seasons.

Professional career

Becker served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

at the

Aberdeen Proving Ground Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at ...

during World War II. While at the facility, he played for teams in nearby Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Post-playing career

Becker returned to Pittsburgh after his playing career and served as a coach at Braddock High School. Becker died of complications from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

on January 9, 1996, in the Camelot Nursing Home in

Peoria, Arizona Peoria is a city in Maricopa and Yavapai counties in the state of Arizona. Most of the city is located in Maricopa County, while a portion in the north is in Yavapai County. It is a major suburb of Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, the populati ...

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

* 1917 births 1996 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Pittsburgh Boston Celtics players Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Detroit Falcons (basketball) players Duquesne Dukes men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Guards (basketball) Pittsburgh Ironmen players Professional Basketball League of America players Youngstown Bears players {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub