The Irwin Phillips Company

1915 Champion Commercial League Basketball Team

Thanks to Tom Baxter for sharing this great photo of the Irwin Phillips Company Basketball Team that he found in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The January 20 Keokuk Daily Gate newspaper listed the team line-up.

Left Forward

Venning

Right Forward

McQuoid

Center

Hopp

Left Guard

Ringstrom

Right Guard

Starr

In the second to the last game of the season, if Irwin-Phillips won the game, they would win the championship, if they lost, they would be tied with two other teams for first. The game was against Huiskamps. At the end of the first half, Irwin-Phillips led by a score of 10 to 3, so it appeared that they would win. However, in the second half, Huiskamps made some long shots and Irwin-Phillips couldn't hit theirs. So Huiskamps won the game by a score of 21 - 17. Venning made 6 field goals for Irwin-Phillips and McQuoid made one. Hopp made three of seven free throws.

In the final game of the season, Irwin-Phillips played Keokuk Electric and won. The Commercial League thus ended in January, 1915, with the Irwin Phillips team on top, sporting a record of 10 wins and 2 losses. Here are the final standings:

Team

Wins
Losses

Irwin-Phillips

10
2

Huiskamps

9
3

Purity Oats

9
3

Kellogg - Birge

6
6

M. H. P. Co.

5
7

Keokuk Electric

2
10

C. B. & Q.

1
11

Below are close up scans of the players and coach. I have photos of some of the Company personnel and based on that photo, I am tentatively identifying some of the basketball team members. I believe that most were salesmen for the Irwin Phillips Company. However, most of the names listed below do not match the names listed above, so if you can add information or make corrections, please let me know.

Above: Joe McAndrew

Above: possibly Hopp

Above: J. P. Johnson

Above: S. M . Hitchcock

Above: Dan McQuoid*

Above: Raymond Majors

A banquet was held on January 28 at the YMCA in honor to teams. This gave the players "a chance to pledge their allegiance to basketball in the future, as well as recount the good times of the past league."

(Note to Tom Baxter - Tom I lost your email address in a computer disaster on December 1, so if you read this, let me know).

* Thanks to Martin Peterson for identifying Dan McQuoid. Martin wrote, "I caddied for him in the late thirties and early forties. His office was to the left of the front door and you could always see him setting at his desk when you went in the store."

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If you have questions or can add information to this page, email me.