Before the formation of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1946, Universal sponsored one of the premiere basketball teams in the United States? During the 1920s and 1930s, many companies sponsored amateur teams made up of employees to compete in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) tournaments. Because there was no professional basketball league, many of the country’s top collegiate players continued their basketball careers after college by competing on their company’s club teams.

Truth be known, due to the competitive nature of the AAU leagues, many of the participating companies (including Universal) hired players mainly for their basketball prowess, rather than for their contributions to the company’s bottom line. Five of Universal’s eight players were former UCLA basketball stars. However, other ‘legitimate’ employees volunteered their time to help with the team. Universal’s famed make-up artist Jack Pierce (who created such characters as Frankenstein and the Wolf Man), served as the team’s manager.

In 1936, Universal’s basketball team plowed through the AAU qualifying tournaments and eventually won an eight-team national final at New York’s Madison Square Garden. This victory earned team Universal the right to fill half of the 14-man U.S. Olympic roster. Universal defeated the Globe Oilers in the finals, a team sponsored by the Globe Oil Refinery of McPherson, Kansas.

The 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany were the first to feature basketball as a medal sport. Seven players from the Universal team, including their coach, James Needles, joined with players from the Globe Oilers and other collegiate stars to win the 1936 gold medal in basketball. Team USA defeated Canada 19 – 8 in the finals.

Universal’s 1936 Basketball Team: James Needles, coach; Carl Shy, Don Piper, Frank Lubin, Lloyd Goldstein, Carl Knowles, Duane Swanson, Art Mollner, Sam Balder, Carl Marias, trainer, Jack Pierce, manager.

Duane A Swanson