Professional
Basketball
in
Camden NJ
The Early Years

When James Naismith, a physical education instructor, was asked to create an indoor game that would provide an "athletic distraction" for a rowdy class through the brutal New England winter, he never would have imagined the world-wide impact of the game he would invent. Under orders from Dr. Luther Gulick, head of physical education at the School for Christian Workers (now Springfield College), Naismith had 14 days to create a game for a rowdy group of 18 students. Naismith came up with the game we know as basketball.

Basketball became almost an immediate sensation, and with seven years of its invention, the first professional basketball league was organized, the National Basketball League. Camden NJ in the 1890s was a place that men with ideas for new and exciting things would come, a place where the latest inventions would not only be developed, but would be produced and gain world-wide fame. In many ways, Camden of these years could be compared to the Silicon Valley of the 1990s. Within a span of twenty years, new technologies such as the condensed soup made by the Campbell company and Eldridge Johnson's Victrola, as well as less well remembered inventions at the Warren Webster Company, the Esterbrook and C. Howard Hunt Pen Companies, Acme Staple and others put the words "Made in Camden, New Jersey" probably in the mouths of more people who did not speak English than did!

It was only natural then, when the entrepreneurs who organized the National Basketball League looked for places for the new sport to be played, Camden was among the first chosen. The Camden Electrics, under owner and player-coach William E. "Billy" Morgenweck, had organized were playing the game as early as as 1895. 

	1895-1896 Camden Electrics Front: B. Bates, Jim the Mascot,  H. Reiners Middle: H. Gifford, Ray Wynn, A. Austermuhl, H. Blankorn, Charlie Newcomb, Leon Goff,  George Tyler. Rear: C.F. Ware, H. D'Emo, L. Oliphant, H. Nixon, E. Garrigues, Randolph Cramer, Click on Image to Enlarge
	1898-1899 Camden Electrics Front: C. Weaver, J. Zimmerman, Randolph Cramer, Eddie Ferat, W.A. Stewart Rear: William Morgenweck, A.P. Cartwright, R.J. Kelly, Charlie Newcomb, A. Middleton, A. Austermuhl Click on Image to Enlarge

The Electrics were one of the six original professional teams when the league began play in the 1898-1899 season. Of the six teams, besides Camden, three were in Philadelphia, one in Millville NJ, and the other in Trenton. Two of the Philadelphia teams folded prior to New Years Eve 1898, but the other four completed the season, with the Trenton Nationals winning the first championship with an 18-2-1 record. Camden finished 11 games back, with 7 wins against 13 defeats and a tie.  

The following season was more stable for the new league. The New York Wanderers joined, and only one team, out of Chester PA dropped out, and they were immediately replaced by the Millville team, which had originally elected not to participate that season. Trenton and Millville providing again to be the best teams in the loop, with Trenton gaining a disputed championship.

The National Basketball League began the the 1900-1901 season with an expanded schedule of 32 games, and seven teams. Of the seven teams, six had participated in league play before, the only new entry, from Burlington NJ, failed to complete the season. With 5 of the seven teams finishing with records of .500 or better, NBL fans saw good competitive play from most teams throughout the season. In his season the Camden team also went by the handle of Camden Skeeters, apparently after what many call the New Jersey state bird, the mosquito! With the split season dropped, no playoffs were necessary, and the New York Wanderers captured the League title by three games.

The 1901-1902 season may have been the most successful year of the National Basketball League in terms of stability. The schedule expanded once again to 40 games, every game save one was played as scheduled, no teams dropped out, and there was only one rally weak team in the league. Camden finally became more than a .500 team, and lost the league crown to the Bristol Pile Drivers by only 3 games.

1901-1902	Wins	Losses	Pct.
Bristol Pile Drivers	28	12	.700
Camden	25	15	.525
Trenton Nationals	23	17	.625
Millville Glassblowers	21	19	.525
New York Wanderers	18	21	.461
Philadelphia Phillies	4	35	.103
1901-1902 Camden Skeeters NAME G FG FT TP PPG Charlie Bossert 41 102 7 211 5.1 Charlie Carr 6 0 0 0 0 Randolph "Red" Cramer* 24 33 59 125 5.2 John "Snakes" Deal 42 112 381 605 14.4 Bob Dippy 29 11 0 22 0.8 Ed Ferat 41 88 5 181 4.4 Winnie Kincaid 41 18 0 36 -.9 A. "Budge" Middleton 37 28 1 57 1.5 Bill Thomas 4 4 5 13 3.3 *Cramer's totals are for games with Camden and Philadelphia Phillies

 1902-1903 was the season that made brought Camden its first professional sports title, a season that would forever place the city in as the home of one of the greatest professional teams of all times. The league had returned to the split season format, but it hardly mattered, as the Coach Billy Morgenweck's Camden Electrics cruised to 36 wins against only 9 defeats, a winning percentage of .800 Coach Morgenweck's brother, Frank "Pop" Morgenweck, a future member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, was a team owner and coach that year. No playoffs were necessary, needless to say

1902-03 Camden Electrics Picture was mislabeled when printed in  1942 Camden Courier-Post Front: Eddie Ferat Sitting: Bob Dippy, Winnie Kinkaid, John "Snake" Deal, Billy Keenan, Howard Forest Standing: William Morgenweck, Charles Bossert, Howard Middleton, Charles Stevenson Click on Image to Enlarge

The National Basketball League however, fared less well than its best team. Two teams dropped out before the season finished. The Burlington team was doing so poorly that its owner-coach, Frank Reber, fired his entire team, purchased the Bristol franchise and used Bristol's players to represent Burlington. There was another mid-season ownership change as Frank Morgenweck disbanded his team, in order to purchase the Wilmington DE, ball club. 

1902-1903	Wins	Losses	Pct.
First "Half"
Camden Electrics	15	2	.882
New York Wanderers	11	2	.846
Bristol Pile Drivers**	12	5	.706
Philadelphia Phillies*	10	7	.588
Trenton Potters	6	9	.400
Conshohocken	4	11	.267
Burlington Shoe Pegs**	2	12	.143
Wilmington*	2	14	.125
Second "Half"
Camden Electrics	21	7	.750
Burlington Shoe Pegson	16	11	.593
Wilmington Peaches	14	12	.538
Trenton Potters	14	15	.483
New York Wanderers	11	14	.440
Conshohocken	4	21	.160
*21Dec02 Philadelphia resigns from league  Phillies Manager Frank Morgenweck purchases the Wilmington franchise from Charles Kraus. **30Dec02 Burlington resigns from league. Burlington Manager Reber purchase the Bristol franchise and has the former Bristol team represent Burlington.  NBL CHAMPIONSHIP As Camden won both halves of the season they were awarded the NBL pennant and cup without the necessity of any playoff games.
1902-1903 Camden Electrics NAME G FG FT TP PPG John "Snakes" Deal 47 144 452 940 15.7 Charlie Bossert 46 138 42 318 6.9 Bill Keenan* 18 50 0 100 5.6 Ed Ferat 47 126 41 293 6.2 A. "Budge" Middleton* 11 11 0 22 2.0 Winnie Kincaid* 8 8 4 20 2.5 Howard Thomas* 8 8 0 16 2.0 * First Half Stats only

Things did not go very well during the off season in 1903 in the National Basketball League. Only five teams  elected to play that year, more importantly, New York, Burlington, and Wilmington, all with experienced owners and coaches, failed to return. The league began the season with only five teams. Trenton dropped out on December 26, 1903, and Camden left on  December 31st. The disbanded on National Basketball League January 4, 1904, not without controversy, and at least one law suit followed its demise. Billy Morgenweck was subsequently sued by investors in the team, including local businessman Sig Schoenagle.

1903-1904	Wins	Losses	Pct.
Camden Electrics	10	4	.714
Conshohocken	8	4	.667
Trenton Potters	8	5	..615
Millville Glass Blowers	6	9	.400
St. Bridget's Biddies	2	12	.143
*Trenton resigned from league on 26Dec03  **Camden resigned from league on 31Dec03  League disbanded Jan04

Trenton Times - June 10, 1905

After the dissolution of the Eastern League, the Camden Electrics carried on as a semi-pro team. Pro basketball would return to Camden in 1910 in a reborn Eastern Basket Ball League. The Camden Electrics, however, were not a part of the new league, the new team being the Camden Alphas. The Electrics were, however, active in semipro circles as late as 1914, when they went 16-3-1, won the New Jersey independent championship and came within a game of winning a Pennsylvania championship.

Camden Post-Telegram - May 1, 1914

---

Camden Post-Telegram - December 11, 1914

Scores of downtown basketball bugs will accompany the local Eastern League team to Cooper Battalion Hall, Philadelphia, this evening, and root for Adams and his colleagues to atone for their recent defeat by walloping Greystock.

STATISTICS of CAMDEN PLAYERS in the EASTERN BASKET BALL LEAGUE
[1909-10 TO 1917-18, 1919-20 TO 1922-23]
Contributed by John Grasso and Robert Bradley of the Association for Professional Basketball Research 

1910-11 EBL

 CAMDEN ALPHAS                          G  FG   FT   TP   PPG
 Howard "Kidder" Bourquin               22  17    0   34   1.5
 Ormond "Army" Fitzgerald               38  83  116  282   7.4
    Ford                                 5   3    0  6   1.2
 Jimmy Kane                              1   2    0  4   4.0
 Gus Krueger                            29  20    0  40   1.4
    Loos                                29  36    0  72   2.5
 Bill Lukens                            22  20   28  68   3.1
 Walter McCallion                       37  71   33  175   4.7
    Paterson                             4   1    0   2   0.5
 Howard Thomas                          36  35  314  384  10.7
 Kirk Thomas                            38  41    0  82   2.2
    Weaver                               9   1    0  2   0.2

 1911-12 EBL

 CAMDEN ALPHAS                          G  FG   FT  TP   PPG
 Howard "Kidder" Bourquin               22  17    0  34   1.5
 Ormond "Army" Fitzgerald               38  83  116 282   7.4
    Ford                                 5   3    0   6   1.2
 Jimmy Kane                              1   2    0   4   4.0
 Gus Krueger                            29  20    0  40   1.4
    Loos                                29  36    0  72   2.5
 Bill Lukens                            22  20   28  68   3.1
 Walter McCallion                       37  71   33 175   4.7
    Paterson                             4   1    0   2   0.5
 Howard Thomas                          36  35  314 384  10.7
 Kirk Thomas                            38  41    0  82   2.2
    Weaver                               9   1    0   2   0.2

 1912-13 EBL

 CAMDEN ALPHAS                          G   FG   FT TP   PPG
 Jack Adams                             34   91  467 649  19.1
    Blackburne                           2    1    0   2   1.0
 Howard "Kidder" Bourquin               10   10    0  20   2.0
 W. Brooks                               4    3    0   6   1.5
 Jimmy Brown                            34   72   15 159   4.7
 Eddie Dolin                            34   64    0 128   3.8
 John Featherstone                      10    5    0  10   1.0
 Eddie Ferat                             5    4   17  25   5.0
 Howard "Pud" Henry                      1    0    0   0   0.0
 Bill Herron                            29   26    0  52   1.8
 Gus Krueger                             2    0    0   0   0.0
    Loos                                 2    0    0   0   0.0
 Allie McLaughlin                       36   20    0  40   1.1
 Jack Nugent                             2    0    0   0   0.0
 Roy Steele                              1    3    0   6   6.0
 Kirk Thomas                             5    2    0   4   0.8
    Thompson                            11   10    0  20   1.8
    Weaver                               2    0    0   0   0.0

 1913-14 EBL

 CAMDEN ALPHAS                          G   FG   FT TP   PPG
 Jack Adams                             39   76  507 659  16.9
 Jimmy Brown                            38   98   14 210   5.5
 Rube Cashman                           28   23    7