Bill Tosheff
William Mark Tosheff (June 2, 1926 – October 1, 2011) was an American professional basketball player.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 2, 1926 Gary, Indiana |
| Died | October 1, 2011 (aged 85) Hawaii |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Froebel (Gary, Indiana) |
| College | Indiana (1948–1951) |
| NBA draft | 1951: 4th round, 32nd overall pick |
| Selected by the Indianapolis Olympians | |
| Playing career | 1951–1954 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 9 |
| Career history | |
| 1951–1953 | Indianapolis Olympians |
| 1953–1954 | Milwaukee Hawks |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 1,859 (9.2 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 608 (3.0 rpg) |
| Assists | 661 (3.3 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
A 6'1" guard, Tosheff played at Indiana University from 1947 to 1951 after a stint with the U.S. Army Air Corps.[1] From 1951 to 1954, he played in the NBA as a member of the Indianapolis Olympians and Milwaukee Hawks, averaging 9.2 points in 203 games.[2] Some sources list him as the 1952 NBA Co-Rookie of the Year (with Mel Hutchins);[1] however, official NBA guides generally have not included pre-1953 winners.[3]
In 1988, Tosheff founded the Pre-1965 NBA Players Association in order to secure fair pension plans for NBA players who were active before 1965.[4] Tosheff lobbied to close a loophole in the NBA pension that granted benefits to post-1965 players with a minimum of three years of service, but required pre-1965 players have five years of service.[5]
A San Diego resident, Tosheff died in Hawaii from cancer aged 85 on October 1, 2011.[6]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Source[2]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–52 | Indianapolis | 65 | 31.6 | .327 | .824 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 9.4 |
| 1952–53 | Indianapolis | 67 | 36.7 | .323 | .806 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 11.3 |
| 1953–54 | Milwaukee | 71 | 25.7 | .291 | .743 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 6.9 |
| Career | 203 | 31.2 | .315 | .793 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 9.2 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Indianapolis | 2 | 34.0 | .111 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| 1953 | Indianapolis | 2 | 33.0 | .063 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 4.5 |
| Career | 4 | 33.5 | .088 | 1.000 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 4.0 | |
References
- Michael Schumacher. Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA. Bloomsbury, 2007. page 274.
- "Bill Tosheff NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- Bill Tosheff: NBA Co-Rookie of the Year and Tireless Advocate for the "Pre-1965ers" (Part II). 20 Second Timeout. March 2, 2009. Retrieved on August 23, 2011.
- Ron Kroichik. "Pensions in pro sports: An age old issue for all the big leagues". San Francisco Chronicle. March 18, 2007. Retrieved on August 23, 2011.
- Burstein, Rachel (January 1998). "Bill "Tosh" Tosheff". Mother Jones. 23 (1): 16. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
- Al Hamnik. "NBA pension fighter, Gary native Tosheff, dead at 85". nwitimes. October 3, 2011. Retrieved on October 3, 2011.