Paul Birch (basketball)

Paul Birch

Birch, circa 1938
Personal information
Born	(1910-01-10)January 10, 1910 Homestead, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	June 5, 1982(1982-06-05) (aged 72) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school	Homestead (Homestead, Pennsylvania)
College	Duquesne (1932–1935)
Playing career	1938–1948
Position	Guard
Career history
As player:
1938–1939	Pittsburgh Pirates
1941–1945	Fort Wayne Pistons
1945–1946	Youngstown Bears
1946–1948	Youngstown Cubs
As coach:
1945–1946	Youngstown Bears
1946–1947	Pittsburgh Ironmen
1951–1954	Fort Wayne Pistons
Career highlights and awards
2× NBL champion (1944, 1945) All-NBL First Team (1939) First-team All-American – Converse (1935)

Paul Vincent "Polly" Birch (January 4, 1910 – June 5, 1982) was an American basketball player and coach. He coached the now-defunct Pittsburgh Ironmen of the Basketball Association of America (a forerunner of the National Basketball Association (NBA)) in 1946, and the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons from 1951 through 1954. Birch had played for the Pistons during the early 1940s, and the Youngstown Bears of the NBL.

Career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	FGM	Field goals made
FTM	Free throws made	FTA	Free throws attempted
FT%	Free throw percentage	PTS	Total points
PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

†	Denotes seasons in which Cable's team won an NBL championship
*	NBL leader

NBL

Source

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	FGM	FTM	PTS	PPG
1938–39†	Pittsburgh	22	85	51	221	10.0
1941–42	Fort Wayne Z.P.	8	16	10	42	5.3
1942–43	Fort Wayne Z.P.	23*	29	20	78	3.4
1943–44†	Fort Wayne Z.P.	22*	27	17	71	3.2
1944–45†	Fort Wayne Z.P.	28	29	7	65	2.3
1945–46	Youngstown	31	35	26	96	3.1
Career		134	221	131	573	4.3

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	FGM	FTM	PTS	PPG
1942	Fort Wayne Z.P.	6	15	7	37	6.2
1943	Fort Wayne Z.P.	6	3	2	8	1.3
1944†	Fort Wayne Z.P.	5	7	2	16	3.2
1945†	Fort Wayne Z.P.	3	2	3	7	2.3
Career		20	27	14	68	3.4

Head coaching record

Legend

Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

BAA/NBA

Source

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
Pittsburgh	1946–47	60	15	45	.250	5th in Western	—	—	—	—	Missed playoffs
Fort Wayne	1951–52	66	29	37	.439	4th in Western	2	0	2	.000	Lost in Division semifinals
Fort Wayne	1952–53	69	36	33	.522	3rd in Western	8	4	4	.500	Lost in Division finals
Fort Wayne	1953–54	72	40	32	.556	3rd in Western	4	0	4	.000	Lost in Division round-robin
Career		267	120	147	.449		14	4	10	.286

External links

• BasketballReference.com: Paul Birch