The Oakland Bittners were an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball team, located in Oakland, California. The team was named after sponsor Lou Bittner and became the first club to bring a basketball championship back to Oakland back in the day. The Bittners changed their name to Oakland Blue 'n Gold Atlas in 1949 getting a sponsorship from an engineering company, called Atlas-Pacific. The sponsor was Oakland businessman Ted Harrer.
The Bittners were the brainchild of Lou Bittner, who had opened a tax consulting and insurance company. The team entered the American Basketball League in 1946 where the played for two seasons. In their first season they won 18 out of their 20 games and they finished second to Phillips 66ers. Don Barksdale was the most prominent player of the league and he set the ABL's scoring record. The next season they finished third behind the Phillips 66ers and the Denver Nuggets.
But the Bittners became widely known when they reached the AAU championship final in 1947 but they lost to Phillips 66ers (62-41). Two years later the Bittners would take revenge on the Phillips defeating with in the championship game by 55-51. That team was coached by Lou Bittner and had the likes of the later NBA stars Don Barksdale and Jim Pollard. But after the end of the season, the team got the sponsorship from the Blue 'n Gold Atlas company and lost two of its greatest players, Charles Chuck Hanger and Dave Minor who transferred to Denver Blue 'n Gold Atlas.
In the 1949-1950 season the team with Hal Fischer as a coach reached the AAU Final once again but lost to the Phillips 66ers by 65–42. The next season the Oakland Blue 'n Gold Atlas-Pacific entered the National Industrial Basketball League where they competed for two years.
^"Oakland Bittners Break AAU Reign of Phillips Oilers". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
March 12, 2023
oakland, bittners, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, february. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Oakland Bittners news newspapers books scholar JSTOR February 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Oakland Bittners were an Amateur Athletic Union AAU basketball team located in Oakland California The team was named after sponsor Lou Bittner and became the first club to bring a basketball championship back to Oakland back in the day The Bittners changed their name to Oakland Blue n Gold Atlas in 1949 getting a sponsorship from an engineering company called Atlas Pacific The sponsor was Oakland businessman Ted Harrer Oakland BittnersLeaguesAmateur Athletic Association 1946 1952 American Basketball League 1946 1948 NIBL 1950 1952Founded1941Folded1952HistoryOakland Bittners 1946 1949Oakland Blue n Gold Atlas1949 1951Oakland Atlas Pacific Engineers1951 1952Team colorsBlue White OwnershipAtlas PacificChampionships1 AAU Championship 1949 Contents 1 History 1 1 First years 2 Notable players 3 ReferencesHistory EditFirst years Edit The Bittners were the brainchild of Lou Bittner who had opened a tax consulting and insurance company The team entered the American Basketball League in 1946 where the played for two seasons In their first season they won 18 out of their 20 games and they finished second to Phillips 66ers Don Barksdale was the most prominent player of the league and he set the ABL s scoring record The next season they finished third behind the Phillips 66ers and the Denver Nuggets But the Bittners became widely known when they reached the AAU championship final in 1947 but they lost to Phillips 66ers 62 41 Two years later the Bittners would take revenge on the Phillips defeating with in the championship game by 55 51 That team was coached by Lou Bittner and had the likes of the later NBA stars Don Barksdale and Jim Pollard But after the end of the season the team got the sponsorship from the Blue n Gold Atlas company and lost two of its greatest players Charles Chuck Hanger and Dave Minor who transferred to Denver Blue n Gold Atlas In the 1949 1950 season the team with Hal Fischer as a coach reached the AAU Final once again but lost to the Phillips 66ers by 65 42 The next season the Oakland Blue n Gold Atlas Pacific entered the National Industrial Basketball League where they competed for two years Ed Voss who helped the team win the title in 1949 died four years later at age 31 Barksdale represented the Bittners in the Olympic Games as a part of the 1948 United States men s Olympic basketball team 1 Notable players EditDon Barksdale Jim Pollard Ed Voss Paul Napolitano Dave Minor Don Burness Ron Livingstone Mike O Neill Charles Hanger Bill Calhoun Ken LeslieReferences Edit Oakland Bittners Break AAU Reign of Phillips Oilers The Chicago Tribune Retrieved 8 October 2016 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Oakland Bittners amp oldid 1138339750, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
