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The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in
Bartlesville, Oklahoma Bartlesville is a city mostly in Washington County and Osage County, Oklahoma. The population was 37,290 at the 2020 census. Bartlesville is north of Tulsa and south of the Kansas border. It is the county seat of Washington County. The Cane ...
, sponsored and run by the
Phillips Petroleum Company Phillips Petroleum Company was an American oil company incorporated in 1917 that expanded into petroleum refining, marketing and transportation, natural gas gathering and the chemicals sectors. It was Phillips Petroleum that first found oil in th ...
. 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 The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
(AAU), the nation's premier basketball league before 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 ...
. Between 1920 and 1950, some of the strongest basketball teams in the
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were sponsored by corporations:
Phillips 66 The Phillips 66 Company is an American Multinational corporation, multinational energy company headquartered in Westchase, Houston, Texas. Its name, dating back to 1927 as a trademark of the Phillips Petroleum Company, assisted in establishing ...
,
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
,
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,
Caterpillar Inc. Caterpillar Inc., also known as Cat, is an American construction, mining and other engineering equipment manufacturer. The company is the world's largest manufacturer of construction equipment. In 2018, Caterpillar was ranked number 73 on the ' ...
, 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, the 66ers combined with
Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournam ...
's "Fabulous Five"
University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...
team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...
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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
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.


History


Team creation

Phillips Petroleum 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 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.


1921–1942: First years in AAU

The 66ers joined the Amateur Athletic Union, which featured the best basketball players at that time; in 1921. In 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 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 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 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 The Davidic line refers to the descendants of David, who established the House of David ( ) in the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. In Judaism, the lineage is based on texts from the Hebrew Bible, as well as on later Jewish tradit ...
and the
Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...
. 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 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 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 The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...
, in the finals of the 1939–1940 AAU tournament. The team received an enthusiastic welcome upon their return to 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 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.


1943–1946: Beginning of the dynasty

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 the draft. And with other AAU teams weakened the 66ers won AAU titles in 1943–44, 1944–45 and 1945–1946.


1946–1952: Bob Kurland era

In the 1945–46 season, the college basketball was dominated by the first two "modern big men''
George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of ...
of the
DePaul Blue Demons The DePaul Blue Demons are the athletic teams that represent DePaul University, located in Chicago, Illinois. The Blue Demons participate in NCAA Division I and are a member of the Big East Conference. DePaul's Athletic Director is DeWayne Pe ...
, and two-time NCAA champion
Bob Kurland Robert Albert Kurland (December 23, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was an American basketball center, who played for the two-time NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now Oklahoma State Cowboys). Standing tall, he has been credited as the first pe ...
of the Oklahoma A&M Aggies. Bob Kurland became a 66er in 1946 and considered the club's greatest player since then.'' Kurland made 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 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 The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...
, 53–49, in the finals. That put five 66ers
Bob Kurland Robert Albert Kurland (December 23, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was an American basketball center, who played for the two-time NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now Oklahoma State Cowboys). Standing tall, he has been credited as the first pe ...
, Cab Renick, Lew Beck,
Gordon Carpenter Gordon "Shorty" Carpenter (September 24, 1919 – March 8, 1988) was an American basketball player, and part of gold medal winning American basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Born in Ash Flat, Arkansas and nicknamed ''Shorty'' despite ...
and R.C. Pitts on the Olympic team, and made Phillips coach
Bud Browning Omar M. "Bud" Browning (October 5, 1911 – September 11, 1978) was an American basketball coach. In 1948, he became the United States' second Summer Olympics men's basketball head coach. Browning led 1948 USA team to a final record of 8–0, ...
the head coach over Kentucky's
Adolph Rupp Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournam ...
. Ironically, it 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 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 the Games. The following year (1953)
Clyde Lovellette Clyde Edward Lovellette ( ; September 7, 1929 – March 9, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. Lovellette was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988. He was the first basketball player in history to ...
joined Mikan signing for the
Minneapolis Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, having played and won championships in both the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to ...
.


1953–1960: Restructure and Olympic triumphs

In 1953 a 6–6 foot forward named Pete Silas signed from the NCAA
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is the name used for all of the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The teams have also been nicknamed the ...
. Silas had led the Southeastern Conference in scoring despite competing against such talented players as
Cliff Hagan Clifford Oldham Hagan (born December 9, 1931) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6′ 4″ forward who excelled with the hook shot, Hagan, nicknamed "Li’l Abner", played his entire 10-year National Basketball Association, ...
and Frank Ramsey and Louisiana State's
Bob Pettit Robert E. Lee Pettit Jr. ( ; born December 12, 1932) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, NBA, all with the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee/St. Louis Hawks (1954–1965). In ...
. He made the Armed Forces All-Stars and played on 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 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
. 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 the second time in
1960 Olympics The 1960 Olympics may refer to: *The 1960 Winter Olympics, which were held in Squaw Valley, United States *The 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 19 ...
. He retired after that and went to work for Phillips' Denver division.


1960–1968: Decline and the end

By the time Haldorson retired, AAU basketball was dying a slow death. TV had discovered the
NBA 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 ...
, and the pros were starting to stabilize and pay more money than teams like Phillips could. The
National Industrial Basketball League The National Industrial Basketball League was founded in 1947 to enable U.S. mill workers a chance to compete in basketball. The league was founded by the industrial teams (teams sponsored by the large companies and made up of their employees) bel ...
, the top amateur loop, disbanded in 1961. The Phillips players were strictly amateurs. They worked during 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 Gary Thompson may refer to: * Gary Thompson (basketball coach) (c. 1932 – 2010), American college basketball coach, head basketball coach at Wichita State University from 1964 to 1971 * Gary Thompson (basketball player), All-American basketball p ...
from Iowa State. Thompson helped the 66ers win the 1961–1962 AAU tournament, and he 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 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 ABA may refer to: Aviation * AB Aerotransport, former Scandinavian airline * IATA airport code for Abakan International Airport in Republic of Khakassia, Russia Businesses and organizations Broadcasting * Alabama Broadcasters Association, Uni ...
was founded. The ABA was on firmer financial footing than the old
ABL ABL may refer to: Aviation * Airborne Laser, a weapons system designed for use by the United States military * Air Busan of South Korea (ICAO airline code) * IATA airport code for Ambler Airport in State of Alaska, USA Companies, groups, organiz ...
, and it needed bodies to compete with the established NBA. Seven 66ers jumped to the new league, most notably
Darel Carrier James Darel Carrier (born October 26, 1940) is a former professional basketball player. Born in Warren County, Kentucky, Carrier played his high school basketball at Bristow High School (now operates as Bristow Elementary due to consolidation). ...
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 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.


Notable players

The Oilers placed a record of 39 players in the AAU's All-America teams and 21 became members of the AAU Basketball Hall of Fame. In the 1930s, these All-Americans included Jay Wallenstrom (1937) and Ray Ebbing (1939).


AAU All-Americans

In the 1940s, Phillips 66 All-Americans were the players below: *
Doc Lockard DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: People and characters * Doc, an abbreviation of doctor * Doc (nickname) * Doc (mascot), the Towson University mascot Persons * The D.O.C., American rapper (born 1968) * Doc Gallows (born 1983), ring name of ...
(1940) *
Joe Fortenberry Joe Cephis Fortenberry (April 1, 1911 – June 3, 1993) was an American basketball player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was a captain of the American basketball team, which won the gold medal in the first Olympics to include basket ...
(1940) *
Grady Lewis Grady W. Lewis (March 25, 1917 – March 11, 2009) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Southwestern Oklahoma State Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners. Lewis played four seasons with the Phillips 66 Oil ...
(1940) *
Hank Luisetti Angelo-Giuseppi "Hank" Luisetti (June 16, 1916 – December 17, 2002) was an American college basketball player. He is considered to be one of the great innovators of the sport. In an era that featured the traditional two-handed set shot, Luise ...
(1942) * Bill Martin (1942, 1946) * Jimmy McNatt (1943–1946) *
Gordon Carpenter Gordon "Shorty" Carpenter (September 24, 1919 – March 8, 1988) was an American basketball player, and part of gold medal winning American basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Born in Ash Flat, Arkansas and nicknamed ''Shorty'' despite ...
(1943–1947) * Fred Pralle (1944) *
Paul Lindemann Paul F. Lindemann (April 30, 1918 – June 24, 1990) was an American basketball player who was an All-American at Washington State University in 1941 and was later an AAU All-American with the Bartlesville Phillips 66ers. Lindemann was a 6'7 cen ...
(1945) * Marty Nash (1946–1947) *
Bob Kurland Robert Albert Kurland (December 23, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was an American basketball center, who played for the two-time NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now Oklahoma State Cowboys). Standing tall, he has been credited as the first pe ...
(1947–1952) * Cab Renick (1947–1948) * R. C. Pitts (1948) * Gerald Tucker (1949–1950) * Roy Lipscomb (1949–1950) and *
John Stanich John Stanich (January 18, 1925 – April 1, 2020) was an American basketball player. He was an All-American college player at UCLA and represented the United States in the 1950 FIBA World Championship where he was named to the FIBA Basketball Worl ...
(1949).


Players in the USA Team

The players below played for the USA Team in major tournaments representing the 66ers. *
Gordon Carpenter Gordon "Shorty" Carpenter (September 24, 1919 – March 8, 1988) was an American basketball player, and part of gold medal winning American basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics. Born in Ash Flat, Arkansas and nicknamed ''Shorty'' despite ...
played in the 1948 Olympics * Jesse Renick played in the 1948 Olympics *
Bob Kurland Robert Albert Kurland (December 23, 1924 – September 29, 2013) was an American basketball center, who played for the two-time NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M Aggies (now Oklahoma State Cowboys). Standing tall, he has been credited as the first pe ...
played in the 1948 Olympics and the
1952 Olympics 1952 Olympics refers to both: *The 1952 Winter Olympics, which were held in Oslo, Norway *The 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were a ...
* R.C. Pitts played in the 1948 Olympics * Omar Browning played in the 1948 Olympics (head coach) * Louis Wilke played in the 1948 Olympics (team manager) *
Jerry Shipp Jerome Franklin Shipp (September 27, 1935 – October 5, 2021) was an American basketball player. He played for the U.S. national team at the 1963 FIBA World Championship, 1963 Pan American Games and 1964 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal a ...
played in the
1963 FIBA World Championship The 1963 FIBA World Championship was the 4th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The competition was hosted by Brazil from 12 to 25 May 1963. The Philippines was originally awarded ...
(captain), the
1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games, officially known as the IV Pan American Games () and commonly known as São Paulo 1963, were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted b ...
and the 1964 Olympics (captain) *
Burdette Haldorson Burdette Eliele "Burdie" Haldorson (January 12, 1934 – October 13, 2023) was an American basketball player who competed in the 1956 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics. Haldorson played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes ...
played in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
, the
1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games, officially known as the III Pan American Games and commonly known as Chicago 1959, were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially su ...
and the
1960 Olympics The 1960 Olympics may refer to: *The 1960 Winter Olympics, which were held in Squaw Valley, United States *The 1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 19 ...
* Gilbert "Gib" Ford played in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
* Charles Darling played in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
* William Hougland played in the
1952 Olympics 1952 Olympics refers to both: *The 1952 Winter Olympics, which were held in Oslo, Norway *The 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer Olympics (, ), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad (, ) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952, were a ...
and the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
* Robert Jeangerard played in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
* James Walsh played in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
* Gerald Tucker participated in the
1956 Olympics 1956 Olympics refers to both: *The 1956 Winter Olympics, which were held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy *The 1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were ...
(head coach) *
Darel Carrier James Darel Carrier (born October 26, 1940) is a former professional basketball player. Born in Warren County, Kentucky, Carrier played his high school basketball at Bristow High School (now operates as Bristow Elementary due to consolidation). ...
played in the
1967 FIBA World Championship The 1967 FIBA World Championship was the 5th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. It was hosted by Montevideo, Uruguay from 27 May to 11 June 1967. Venues Competing nations Compet ...
and the
1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...
* Raymond Carey played in the
1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...
*
Kendall Rhine Kendall Lee Rhine (February 13, 1943 – March 16, 2022) was an American basketball player. He played in college for the Rice Owls, then as a professional in the American Basketball Association with the Kentucky Colonels and Houston Mavericks. ...
played in the
1967 Pan American Games The 1967 Pan American Games, officially known as the V Pan American Games () and commonly known as Winnipeg 1967, were held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, from July 23 to August 6, 1967. Winnipeg was chosen as host of the Pan American Games on ...
*
Don Kojis Donald R. Kojis (January 15, 1939 – November 19, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kojis is credited as involved in the creation or advancement of the ...
played in the
1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games, officially known as the IV Pan American Games () and commonly known as São Paulo 1963, were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted b ...
* George Bon Salle played in the
1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games, officially known as the III Pan American Games and commonly known as Chicago 1959, were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially su ...
* William Evans played in the
1959 Pan American Games The 1959 Pan American Games, officially known as the III Pan American Games and commonly known as Chicago 1959, were held in Chicago, Illinois, United States between August 28 and September 7, 1959. Host city selection One city initially su ...


Trophies

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. * AAU National Tournament: 11 (1939–1940, 1942–1943, 1943–1944, 1944–1945, 1945–1946, 1946–1947, 1947–1948, 1949–1950, 1961–1962) *
National Industrial Basketball League The National Industrial Basketball League was founded in 1947 to enable U.S. mill workers a chance to compete in basketball. The league was founded by the industrial teams (teams sponsored by the large companies and made up of their employees) bel ...
: 11 (1948–1949, 1949–1950, 1950–1951, 1951–1952, 1952–1953, 1953–1954, 1954–1955, 1955–1956, 1956–1957, 1957–1958, 1959–1960) *
ABL ABL may refer to: Aviation * Airborne Laser, a weapons system designed for use by the United States military * Air Busan of South Korea (ICAO airline code) * IATA airport code for Ambler Airport in State of Alaska, USA Companies, groups, organiz ...
: 3 (1946, 1947, 1948) * Olympic Trial Playoffs: 2 (1948, 1956)


References


External links


ionOklahoma.com



The Deseret News – Mar 26, 1945Voices of Oklahoma interview with Bob Kurland.
First person interview conducted on January 27, 2011, with Bob Kurland, former player of the Phillips 66ers. {{ConocoPhillips Amateur Athletic Union Basketball teams in Oklahoma ConocoPhillips Phillips 66ers players Defunct sports clubs and teams in Oklahoma 1919 establishments in Oklahoma Basketball teams established in 1919 1968 disestablishments in Oklahoma Basketball teams disestablished in 1968 Bartlesville, Oklahoma