Court Stars of Yesteryear Plan to Turn Out for Dinner

COURT STARS OF YESTERYEAR PLAN TO TURN OUT FOR DINNER Eddie Ferat, Winnie Kinkaid, Bob Dippy and Howard Thomas, Members of Old Camden Electrics, Plan to Attend All Sports Banquet By FITZ On a chill March night back in 1902, a driving rain beat against the old Sixth Regiment Armory at West and Mickle streets. Inside a crowd of 1200 persons were cheering 10 husky gladiators. It was that night that Camden won the National Basketball League championship by defeating New York, 47-34. Sports critics said the Camden team which captured that championship was one of the greatest basketball teams in the history of the game. Four members of that team will attend the All Sports dinner which will be held at Neil Deighan's at the Airport Circle, next Tuesday night. The team was the Camden Electrics. It was organized by the late "Billy" Morgenweck, who also organized the first basketball league in the United States, and the Camden team ranked the best tossers of the 90's. Before every game and between halves Morgenweck would give his team members a pep talk and they would receive electric shocks from a battery machine Morgenweck had in the dressing room. The machine accompanied the team on its playing trips. That was how the team got the name of the Camden Electrics. Four Still Living The team members who brought that championship to Camden included, "Snake" Deal, Eddie Ferat, forwards; Bill Keenan, center; Charlie Bossert and "Winnie" Kinkaid, guards; and Howard Thomas, all-around substitute. Keenan and Bossert have passed on but the other four will mingle with about 400 other athletes who will also attend the event. Morgenweck managed other great Camden teams in the 1900's and some of his stars included Robert "Bob" Dippy, A. L. "Budge" Middleton and Howard Thomas. Morgenweck also loved to enthuse over the doings of Randolph Cramer, Ray Wynne, Tommy Peterson, Leon Goff, Al Gettie, George Tyler, who were among the "boys" who played for him in the old Camden YMCA when the playing floor was lined off and the forwards did all the scoring. The late Dr. Bossert, who for many years was beach surgeon at Atlantic City, was one of the first men in basketball to develop the "scoring guard" idea under the tutelage of Morgenweck. In those days, the guards devoted all their time to covering the forwards, but when Morgenweck developed the "guards up" play, the idea revolutionized the game. Bossert was a wonder in going up the floor and scoring on center plays. New York Also Had Stars The old aggregation played in the Sixth Regiment Armory which figured in a tragic fire some years ago. Such popular figures as "Al" Wendelken and Bob Abadie played with the brilliant New York aggregation while "Sandy" Shields, "Reddy" Barber and John Penino were other stars in the circuit. With the development of basketball in the New England states and in the old Central League in western Pennsylvania, Morgenweck retired from the basketball picture about 1904, but got back into harness again as coach of the Camden Alpha team in the Eastern League. Ormond "Army" Fitzgerald, Walter McCallion, Charles "Jesse" James, Frank Eames, Howard Thomas, Howard "Kidder" Bourquin and Howard "Bud" Henry were among the players on the team at that time. He gave up the game after several strenuous seasons and was succeeded by the late Ward Snyder, who was responsible for the introduction of Jackie Adams, Jimmy Brown and Eddie Dolin to Camden fans in Alpha uniforms. (Continued on Page Twenty-six) Ex-Court Stars Plan to Attend Banquet (Continued from Page Twenty-five) when Morgenweck developed the “guards up” play, the idea revolutionized the game. Bossert was a wonder in going up the floor and scoring on center plays. New York Also Had Stars The old aggregation played in the Sixth Regiment Armory which figured in a tragic fire some years ago. Such popular figures as “Al” Wendelken and Bob Abadie played with the brilliant New York aggregation while “Sandy” Shields, “Reddy” Barber and John Penino were other stars in the circuit. With the development of basketball in the New England states and in the old Central League in western Pennsylvania, Morgenweck retired from the basketball picture about 1904, but got back into harness again as coach of the Camden Alpha team in the Eastern League. Ormond “Army” Fitzgerald, Walter McCallion, Charles “Jesse” James, Frank Eames, Howard Thomas, Howard “Kidder” Bourquin and Howard “Bud” Henry were among the players on the team at that time. He gave up the game after several strenuous seasons and was succeeded by the late Ward Snyder, who was responsible for the introduction of Jackie Adams, Jimmy Brown and Eddie Dolin to Camden fans in Alpha uniforms.