Clinton Belmar Wager (January 20, 1920 – February 29, 1996) was a professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
and
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 played in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
from 1942 to 1945 for the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
,
Chicago Cardinals
The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons.
Roots ca ...
and the Cardinals-
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
merged team, "
Card-Pitt
Card-Pitt was the team created by the temporary merger of two National Football League (NFL) teams, the Chicago Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers, during the 1944 season. It was the second such merger for the Steelers, who had combined with ...
". However, he also played 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 ...
in 1949–50 for the Fort Wayne Pistons (now called the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...
). He also played in the
National Basketball League for the
Oshkosh All-Stars
The Oshkosh All-Stars were an American professional basketball team based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Founded in 1929 by Lonnie Darling, the team was a member of the National Basketball League, a forerunner to the NBA, from 1937 until 1949.
History ...
and Hammond Calumet Buccaneers, while finishing his career with the
Louisville Alumnites of the
National Professional Basketball League.
College career
Prior to his professional career, Wager played basketball for
Saint Mary's University. During his college career, he was an all-conference center and an individual scoring champion twice, in 1939 and 1940. He also participated in the 1941
National Invitational Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...
. He was also selected in his senior year as captain of the school's basketball team. He also played football for the school. He was elected in the schools sports hall of fame in 1977.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
Playoffs
References
External links
Stats at Basketball ReferenceSt. Mary's Athletics Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wager, Clint
1920 births
1996 deaths
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Minnesota
Card-Pitt players
Centers (basketball)
Chicago Bears players
Chicago Cardinals players
Fort Wayne Pistons players
Forwards (basketball)
Hammond Calumet Buccaneers players
Oshkosh All-Stars players
People from Winona, Minnesota
Players of American football from Minnesota
Saint Mary's Cardinals men's basketball players
Saint Mary's Redmen football players