George Edward "Chips" Sobek (February 10, 1920 – April 9, 1990) was a player in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He played with the

Sheboygan Red Skins The Sheboygan Red Skins (or Redskins) were a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which was an original National Basketball Association franchise during the 1949–50 NBA season, 1949–50 season. History Overview The Re ...

during the 1949-50 NBA season. Sobek had also played in the National Basketball League, most notably for the Toledo Jeeps. A native of

Hammond, Indiana Hammond ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. Located along Lake Michigan, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the only city in Indiana to border Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the Li ...

, Sobek attended Notre Dame, where he earned

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

status in 1941, as chosen by Madison Square Garden, although he did not make the consensus team. After graduating from Notre Dame, he would also play a season with the

Naval Station Great Lakes Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current recruit training, boot camp, located near North Chicago, Illinois, North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenan ...

while under service with them. Sobek also played

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

, spending three years in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

. With the 1946

Superior Blues The Superior Blues were a minor league baseball team based in Superior, Wisconsin, USA. From 1933 to 1943 and from 1946 to 1955, the Blues played in the Northern League. History In 1937, the Blues were affiliated with the St. Louis Browns. From ...

, he led Northern League second basemen in fielding percentage (.964), double plays (61), putouts (353) and assists (322). He hit .308/~.368/.371. In 1948, he hit .297 for the Hot Springs Bathers and had a brief tenure with the

Waterloo White Hawks Based in Waterloo, Iowa, the Waterloo White Hawks were a minor league baseball team that existed from 1946 to 1956. They played in the Three-I League and were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox. They played their home games at Riverfront Stadiu ...

. In 1949, he hit .244 for Superior to conclude his playing career. Sobek was later a

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

scout from 1950 to 1984, signing

Denny McLain Dennis Dale McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain becam ...

(most notably),

Steve Trout Steven Russell Trout (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 1980s. He is the son of former MLB pitcher Dizzy Trout. He had the nickname "Rainbow". Career Chi ...

, and

Mike Squires Mike Squires may refer to: * Mike Squires (baseball) Michael Lynn Squires (born March 5, 1952) is an American former Major League Baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox primarily as a first baseman in 1975 and from 1977 to 1985. H ...

. He also managed several seasons in the Sox organization. He also scouted for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

from 1985 to 1988. Sobek was the athletic director and baseball coach at Thornton Fractional High School in

Calumet City, Illinois Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. History Calumet City (commonly referred to locally as "Cal City") was founded in 1893 ...

, for 26 years and he directed the White Sox Boys Camp in

Chilton, Wisconsin Chilton is a city in and county seat of Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,720 as of 2024. The city is partially within the Town of Chilton. History The first residents of Chilton were African-American form ...

. Sobek also was a longtime college basketball referee, notably for the

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...

. He was an official in at least one small college championship contest.

Career statistics

NBA

Source

Regular season

Playoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sobek, Chips 1920 births 1990 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Chicago White Sox scouts Eugene Emeralds managers Guards (basketball) Hammond Calumet Buccaneers players Hot Springs Bathers players Indianapolis Kautskys players Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball players San Francisco Giants scouts Sheboygan Red Skins players Sportspeople from Hammond, Indiana Basketball players from Lake County, Indiana Superior Blues players Toledo Jeeps players Waterloo White Hawks players