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| Phillips 66ers | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Nickname | The Oilers | ||
| Leagues | AAU 1921–1968 Missouri Valley 1935–1940 ABL 1945–1948 NIBL 1948–1961 NABL 1966–1968 | ||
| Founded | 1919 | ||
| Folded | 1968 | ||
| Arena | Bartlesville High School Gym (1,400) Phillips Gymnasium (2,600) | ||
| Team colors | Red, White & Black | ||
| Ownership | Phillips | ||
| Championships | 11 AAU tournament 11 National Industrial Basketball League 3 ABL 2 Olympic Trial Playoffs | ||
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The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) were an amateur basketball team located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. 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.[citation needed] Under the sponsorship of the company's owner, Frank Phillips, the team, which began playing in 1919, participated in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), the nation's premier basketball league before the National Basketball Association. Between 1920 and 1950, some of the strongest basketball teams in the United States were sponsored by corporations: Phillips 66, 20th Century Fox, Safeway Inc., Caterpillar Inc., 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.[1] In 1948, the 66ers combined with Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky team to form the U.S. team that won the Olympic basketball tournament.[2]
In almost 50 seasons, the 66ers earned 1543 wins against 271 losses. Twelve 66ers and two coaches represented the United States 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.
- ^ "The Phillips 66ers: From basketball court to corner office". Archived from the original on 2016-09-27. Retrieved 2016-09-25.
- ^ "All-Time Kentucky Team (Starting PG): #12 Ralph Beard". straitpinkie.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013.