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48-548: 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

96-481: A barnstorming baseball team which toured rural America from the 1920s through the 1950s, playing amateur and semi-pro teams in exhibition games . They were motivated by the need to make money for their families and colony back home and by the opportunity to share their beliefs. The team members wore long hair and beards as they played. By the late 1920s, needing more skilled players, the House began hiring professionals,

144-525: A few known American amusement parks to have been successfully reopened. One of the main attractions at The Springs of Eden Park was the coal powered miniature locomotives, purchased in 1908. Members of the commune originally observed similar locomotives at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. The trains were used to carry people to the amusement park from the main entrance to the commune on Britain Avenue. In 2000, one of

192-468: A handful of members, who kept the premises open to the public. A second faction maintained the original commune, the Old House of David led by Judge T. H. Dewhirst, had 350 members in 1935, 24 of whom were clergy, and in 1955 had 150 members with 10 clergy. (As of 2010, the group was reported to have three surviving members. ) Dewhirst's faction believed that Mary Purnell had no right to usurp authority over

240-415: A native of Kentucky, published a book entitled The Church Ages in which he claimed to be the seventh and final messenger of the church ages, as foretold in the book of Revelation. A similar claim a decade earlier by Charles Taze Russell concerning himself may have been an influence on Purnell. The House of David colony soon had several hundred members. In 1907, the House owned about 1,000 acres, on which

288-453: A stunning 62–3 record in 1947–48 and won their AAU 5th title in a row. Phillips also dominated the 1948 Olympic trials, beating NCAA champion Kentucky Wildcats , 53–49, in the finals. That put five 66ers Bob Kurland , Cab Renick , Lew Beck , Gordon Carpenter and R.C. Pitts on the Olympic team, and made Phillips coach Bud Browning the head coach over Kentucky's Adolph Rupp . Ironically, it

336-600: A team to play out the schedule. The 66ers lost their last game ever, 57–52, to the Spokane (Washington) Vaughan Realtors in the quarterfinals of the AAU national tournament. The 66ers fulfilled their other goal: making the Phillips' name and their northeastern Oklahoma town known all over the country. The Oilers placed a record of 39 players in the AAU's All-America teams and 21 became members of

384-583: A year to operate, not including players' salaries. Very little of that was recouped by ticket sales. The highest tickets were $ 2, but most of the tickets were $ 1 or 50 cents. The final blow fell in 1967: The ABA was founded. The ABA was on firmer financial footing than the old ABL , and it needed bodies to compete with the established NBA. Seven 66ers jumped to the new league, most notably Darel Carrier and John Beasley , both of whom had excellent ABA careers. The 66ers already had an AAU schedule for 1967–68, so enough players were called out of retirement to form

432-562: Is a religious group founded in Benton Harbor, Michigan , in March 1903. It was co-founded by spouses Benjamin Purnell (1861–1927) and Mary Purnell (1862–1953). The Purnells claimed to be the successors to Joanna Southcott (1750–1814), an English woman who had built a following as a self-described religious prophetess. The community flourished in the 1910s, but declined and split in various factions in

480-608: The National Basketball Association . Between 1920 and 1950, some of the strongest basketball teams in the United States were sponsored by corporations: Phillips 66 , 20th Century Fox , Safeway Inc. , Caterpillar Inc. , and others. The 66ers were a perennial power in AAU basketball in the 1940s, and 1950s. The team won 11 national championships at the AAU national tournament between 1940 and 1963, including six consecutive AAU titles , from 1943 to 1948. In 1948,

528-747: 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 . Phillips 66ers The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers ) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma , sponsored and run by

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576-533: The Phillips Petroleum Company . The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a small-town team to an organization of accomplished amateur athletes receiving national and worldwide attention. Under the sponsorship of the company's owner, Frank Phillips , the team, which began playing in 1919, participated in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the nation's premier basketball league before

624-755: The 1920s, after Benjamin Purnell was accused of sexual immorality. Today, only a handful of members remain. In 1888 the Purnells discovered a group of preachers extolling a man named James Jershom Jezreel as the Sixth Messenger. Jezreel had published a series of sermons in three volumes (842 pages) titled Extracts from the Flying Roll (1879-1881). While the preachers were in Richmond, Benjamin and Mary joined their group, known as "the Visitation Movement", which

672-551: The 1920s, the standout player for the team was Paul Endacott, a former college star at Kansas who earned recognition as the Amateur Athletic Union Player of the Year in 1923, a time when there was no NCAA tournament. Joining the 66ers in 1927 as a Phillips employee, Endacott brought his talents to the team. Concurrently, a rivalry with Phillips University of Enid, the national collegiate runner-up, began to intensify. During

720-457: The 1928–29 season, Phillips 66 did not field a team. However, the subsequent season marked a pivotal moment coinciding with the company's initiation of marketing its products to the public. This prompted Phillips' leadership to make significant investments in their basketball team. In 1929, Lou Wilkie, the coach of Phillips University of Enid, was hired as the team's first full-time coach. Additionally, several skilled players, many of whom hailed from

768-480: The 1930s and then sponsored weekend semi-professional teams until the 1940s. Mary's City of David sent out barnstorming teams from 1930 until 1940 and then again from 1946 until 1955. Throughout this period, there were numerous teams which bore the House of David name and wore beards. The most famous was probably the Black House of David, an all African-American "Barn-storming" team that played solely against teams of

816-624: The 1930s for the team. Phillips gradually gained recognition, securing second place in the AAU tournament in both the 1936–37 and 1938–39 seasons, boasting an impressive 36–11 record. Notably, three of those 11 losses were inflicted by the Oklahoma City Parks. Following the disbandment of the Parks after the season, Phillips recruited their top two players, Grady Lewis and Bill Martin, both of whom had earned AAU All-America honors. G. Harold "Smitty" Schmidt took over coaching duties for 2–4 years towards

864-518: The 1948–49 season. The 66ers won the AAU title again in 1949–50, but that was followed by two bare seasons in 1950–1951 and 1951–1952 where they did not manage to repeat the triumph in the Olympic Trial Games (Peoria Caterpillars won the playoffs). Kurland set a record by being named to his second Olympic team in 1952, but he broke a lot of hearts in Bartlesville by deciding to retire just after

912-521: The 66ers combined with Adolph Rupp 's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky team to form the U.S. team that won the Olympic basketball tournament . In almost 50 seasons, the 66ers earned 1543 wins against 271 losses. Twelve 66ers and two coaches represented the United States in Olympic tournaments, and three of them were the only amateur players to have ever played on two Olympic basketball teams. The club ceased operations in 1968. Phillips Petroleum

960-572: The 66ers enlisting in the military. Bill Martin joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, followed by John Freiberger in 1943, resulting in a decline in the team's performance during the 1941–1942 season. Phillips dominated the AAU titles from 1943 to 1948, winning six straight titles and posting a 241–24 record (+909) against all comers. With the World War II war ongoing in 1943 and Phillips being a war-related industry, most of its employees were exempt from

1008-449: The 66ers more popular and powerful than ever. Huge crowds thronged to the Bartlesville high school gym, which only seated 1,400 to see Kurland and the 66ers rolled to a 52–2 record in 1946–47. It was the year that the war had ended, and most of the former players returned, including Freiberger and Martin. Those two teamed up with Bob Kurland and the 66ers rolled to their fourth straight AAU championship in 1946–1947 season. The 66ers achieved

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1056-747: The AAU Basketball Hall of Fame. In the 1930s, these All-Americans included Jay Wallenstrom (1937) and Ray Ebbing (1939). In the 1940s, Phillips 66 All-Americans were the players below: The players below played for the USA Team in major tournaments representing the 66ers. The Phillips 66ers won 11 out of the 14 championships organized by the NIBL from 1947 to 1961 and 11 Athletic Amateur leagues from 1940 to 1963. They managed to collect 27 championship medals in total. House of David (commune) The House of David (formally The Israelite House of David )

1104-515: The Bartlesville station, celebrated as champions. Although the team secured second place in the 1940–1941 season, they faced a setback in a post-season Red Cross benefit game in Tulsa, where they lost to Arkansas, led by the towering 6–8 center John Freiberger, who would later join the 66ers. However, the outbreak of World War II and the involvement of the United States led to most of the top players from

1152-740: The Games. The following year (1953) Clyde Lovellette joined Mikan signing for the Minneapolis Lakers . In 1953 a 6–6 foot forward named Pete Silas signed from the NCAA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets . Silas had led the Southeastern Conference in scoring despite competing against such talented players as Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey and Louisiana State's Bob Pettit . He made the Armed Forces All-Stars and played on

1200-660: The Negro leagues. The House of David was the inspiration behind the James Sturm graphic novel , The Golem's Mighty Swing (in which the team was called the "Stars of David") as well as Harry Turtledove 's fantasy novel The House of Daniel . The House of David was also featured in a segment of Ken Burns ' Baseball and in the movie The Winning Team (1952) about the life of pitcher Grover Cleveland Alexander . A vintage base ball club (the House of David Echoes BBC ) has been honoring

1248-472: 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

1296-592: The best players in the world, as well as thousands of fans and dozens of sports writers and broadcasters. During the 1930s, the only professional basketball teams were barnstormers like the House of David and the Harlem Globetrotters . In all those years the 66ers played against teams fielded by various commercial companies, under the sanction of the Amateur Athletic Union. Paul Endacott and promising talent David Perkins emerged as pivotal figures during

1344-441: The colony harvested fruit from a dozen orchards and cultivated grain. The commune had its own cannery , carpenter shop, coach factory, tailor shop, and steam laundry. They also owned and operated their own electricity plant, providing lighting to the community. It had three brass bands and two orchestras, and a zoological garden . Accusations arose in the 1920s towards Benjamin F. Purnell by 13 young women testifying, under oath to

1392-529: The community, as it was led by his own self-appointed council of elders. Purnell was a sports enthusiast and encouraged the members of the Israelite Community to play sports, especially baseball , to build physical and spiritual discipline. In 1913, the Israelite House of David began to play competitive baseball and by 1915, they were following a grueling schedule. The House of David became famous as

1440-563: The country almost non-stop on the three top vaudeville circuits: the Pantages, the Keith and the Orpheum. The House of David operated a world-famous zoo and amusement park in Benton Harbor, Michigan . It also established "The Springs of Eden Park" which became a popular Michigan vacation spot in the 1930s. A revamped version, Eden Springs Park, opened in late 2011, making it at the time one of only

1488-474: The courts, that they had sexual relations with the patriarch while still minors. As soon as this became public knowledge, the Detroit Free Press and other newspapers ran critical articles about Purnell. The news brought national attention to the group. The trial was lengthy, with over 300 witness testimonies and 15,000 pages of documentation. In the end, Purnell was convicted of fraud, but not convicted on

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1536-428: The daytime and practiced at night. They got no special treatment, except for being excused from work at noon on game day. As the pro salaries increased, it got harder to get and keep quality players. But still a few good players came to Bartlesville. Like a 6–1 guard from the lowly Wabash College named Charlie Bowerman , and Gary Thompson from Iowa State. Thompson helped the 66ers win the 1961–1962 AAU tournament, and he

1584-495: The disbanded Mid-Continent Oil Co. team, were recruited to bolster the roster. The 1929–30 team lost in the second round of the national AAU tournament, as did the next year's version. Then, with the Depression raging, Phillips dropped basketball to concentrate on survival. That strategy worked, and by 1936, Phillips was more convinced than ever that a strong basketball team would be good for business. The AAU's annual tournament drew

1632-539: The draft. And with other AAU teams weakened the 66ers won AAU titles in 1943–44, 1944–45 and 1945–1946. In the 1945–46 season, the college basketball was dominated by the first two "modern big men George Mikan of the DePaul Blue Demons , and two-time NCAA champion Bob Kurland of the Oklahoma A&;M Aggies . Bob Kurland became a 66er in 1946 and considered the club's greatest player since then. Kurland made

1680-560: The end of the 1930s, bringing with him experience as a player under Phog Allen at the University of Kansas. With Lewis, Martin, and talents like Joe Fortenberry and Don Lockard on the roster, the 66ers dominated with a 48–5 record. Their pinnacle moment came with a thrilling 39–36 victory over the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets , in the finals of the 1939–1940 AAU tournament. The team received an enthusiastic welcome upon their return to

1728-563: 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

1776-523: The gold medal-winning Pan-American Games team in 1955. Despite the fact that Silas was in the Army the 66ers led by a 6–9 scoring-machine forward from Colorado named Burdie Haldorson won the 1956 Olympic Trials playoffs and sent five men to the 1956 Olympics . Haldorson set the team record by scoring 53 points against the Cleveland Pipers in 1960. He also tied Kurland's record by making the Olympic team for

1824-518: The legacy of the House of David teams since 2001, playing vintage base ball under the 1858 rules while growing their beards and playing at historic Eastman Field near Benton Harbor, Michigan. Starting with the 2016 season, the Echoes moved to the original 1914 baseball field at Eden Springs Park, and will continue to use the field for the foreseeable future. The organization also fielded nationally known musical bands between 1906 and 1927. These bands toured

1872-463: The most notable being Grover Cleveland Alexander , Satchel Paige , and Mordecai Brown . Some professional players grew their beards out to show respect towards the God of Israel, while others wore false beards. They were known for their skill and played against some of the greatest teams in the country. The House of David played against Major League, Minor League, independent and Negro league teams, with all

1920-402: The same spirit of competition and fair play. At one point, the community had three separate barnstorming teams touring the country, playing and evangelizing wherever they went. The House of David teams were famous for inventing "pepper" baseball tricks, along the lines of the fancy basketball moves of the Harlem Globetrotters . The House of David continued to sponsor barnstorming teams well into

1968-494: The second time in 1960 Olympics . He retired after that and went to work for Phillips' Denver division. By the time Haldorson retired, AAU basketball was dying a slow death. TV had discovered the NBA , and the pros were starting to stabilize and pay more money than teams like Phillips could. The National Industrial Basketball League , the top amateur loop, disbanded in 1961. The Phillips players were strictly amateurs. They worked during

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2016-506: The sex charges. Purnell was sick with tuberculosis during the trial and died in 1927, before he could be sentenced. The sensation created by the trial caused a division in the group. One group, headed by Mary Purnell, remained together and in 1930 were given half of the land next to the original commune. There they rebuilt and reorganized the New Israelite House of David, better known as Mary's City of David; as of 2017, it maintained

2064-477: The winter, a contingent of Phillips employees organized a team within the Bartlesville YMCA basketball league. Initially, their matches were confined to Bartlesville and nearby areas, maintaining a modest profile. However, as time progressed, a spirited rivalry emerged with Empire Oil & Gas. The 66ers joined the Amateur Athletic Union, which featured the best basketball players at that time; in 1921. In

2112-469: Was established in 1917, amidst the burgeoning oil industry. In 1919, upon their return from World War I, a group of local individuals in Bartlesville sought employment opportunities at Phillips. Some of them, inspired by their shared experiences, decided to create a basketball team under the Phillips banner. By 1920, this team commenced playing matches against other corporate teams, gradually gaining recognition. In 1921, seeking avenues to maintain fitness during

2160-518: Was formed by Benjamin and Mary Purnell in 1903 after settling in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Prior to that, the Purnells lived in Fostoria, Ohio and had two children, one of whom died in a fireworks factory explosion at the age of 17. The Purnells were looked down upon by residents of the city when they decided to forego the funeral due to their beliefs of not having anything to do with the dead. Purnell,

2208-455: Was named the MVP. In the 1960s the AAU basketball faced hard times. The Big Ten had always prohibited its teams from playing AAU squads, and in the mid-60s other conferences followed suit. Newspapers started cutting down on space given to AAU teams, partly because of the pro glut and partly because of an attitude that companies should pay for all advertising and publicity. The team cost about $ 150,000

2256-563: Was started by a woman named Joanna Southcott, the First Messenger (Angel), in 1792. While studying the writings of Jezreel they noticed that he said that the Seventh and last Messenger was soon to emerge, allegedly mentioned in Revelation 10:7. On March 12, 1895, the Purnells announced that the spirit of Shiloh had grafted with them to become the seventh and last messenger. The House of David

2304-516: Was the second time Rupp had played second fiddle to a Phillips man. He was a back-up to Paul Endacott in their college days at Kansas. The Phillips 66ers' record finished in 1949 after the Oilers lost to the Oakland Bittners in the AAU finals. According to George Durham, the team's publicity director and business manager for 20 years that team generated approximately $ 545,000 in free publicity during

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