John Cleo Shaffer (August 13, 1909 – June 17, 1963) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player. He appeared in six games for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids in the National Basketball League during the 1937–38 season. A son of Russian immigrants, he grew up in

Grand Island, Nebraska Grand Island is a city in and the county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, Hall County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 53,131 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Nebraska, 4th most populous ...

and attended the Grand Island campus of

Doane University Doane University is a private university in Crete, Nebraska. It has additional campuses in Lincoln and Omaha. Established in 1872, Doane is the oldest private university in the state of Nebraska. History Doane College was founded on July 11, ...

before enrolling at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

. He died of a heart attack in 1963.

References

1909 births 1963 deaths Akron Firestone Non-Skids players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Nebraska Centers (basketball) DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball players Doane Tigers men's basketball players Forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Grand Island, Nebraska American people of Russian descent {{1900s-US-basketball-bio-stub