Rottner, Mickey

Marvin Rottner

Rottner played at Loyola College (Illinois), then turned pro and played in the Basketball Association of America (a forerunner of the NBA) for the Chicago Stags. In 1946-47, the first year of the new league, Rottner finished fifth in assists per game as the Stags advanced to the Finals, where they lost to the Eddie Gottlieb-coached Philadelphia Warriors. After retiring, Rottner remained connected to basketball and served as the the promotional director of the Stags in the late 1940s and then assistant promotion director for the Chicago Packers of the NBA in the early 1960s. A player in the BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization) as a youngster, Rottner also served as a coach in the Jewish league in Chicago in the 1950s.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. March 23, 1919

Career Highlights:
Rottner was a very good player at Loyola in the early 1940s under Hall of Fame coach Leonard Sachs. In 1941, the Ramblers had a record of 13-8. The following year was Sachs' final season at Loyola and his team responded by finishing with a strong record of 17-6. Following his college career, Rottner played in the NBL and NBA.

In 1945-46, Rottner joined the Sheboygan Redskins of the NBL late in the season and appeared in five regular season games, scoring 20 points. Sheboygan, who finished the regular season with a record of 21-13 won the Western Division and then defeated the Oshkosh All-Star in the semifinals to reach the NBL Championship. There, they played the Rochester Royals (owned and coached by Hall of Famer Les Harrison), who swept the Redskins in three games. Rottner played in all eight playoff games and scored a total of 24 points in the playoffs.

The following season, Rottner moved from the NBL, which had existed as a regional league, primarily in the Midwest, to the newly formed Basketball Association of America (BAA), the first serious attempt at a national professional league since the mid-1920s. He joined the Chicago Stags and during the 1946-47 season, Rottner played in 56 games, averaged 7.6 points and 1.7 assists per game (fifth best in the league). That season Rottner and teammate Max Zaslofsky (the fifth best scorer in the league) helped lead the Stags to a record of 39-22 and into the first-ever NBA Finals. In the Finals, the Stags lost to the Philadelphia Warriors, 4-1.

In 1947-48, Rottner played for the Stags (28-20) who lost to the eventual champion Baltimore Bullets in the semifinals, 2-1. Rottner retired at the end of the season, after playing in 100 career BAA (NBA) games.

Origin:
Chicago, Illinois

Career Dates:
Rottner played guard at Loyola College of Chicago, 1941-42. He played in the NBL for the Sheboygan Redskins in 1945-46, and in the NBA for the Chicago Stags in 1946-48.

Physical description:
5'10", 185 pounds

Career Statistics:
In the NBA:
Games: 100
Points: 540
Points Per Game: 5.4

Field Goals Made: 243
Field Goals Attempted: 839
Field Goal Percentage: .290

Free Throws Made: 54
Free Throws Attempted: 113
Free Throw Percentage: .478

Rebounds: not available
Assists: 139 (1.4 average)
Assists Per Game: 1.4

Personal Fouls: 158
Disqualifications: not available

NBA playoffs:
Games: 14
Points: 18
Points Per Game: 1.3

Field Goals Made: 8
Field Goals Attempted: 58
Field Goal Percentage: .138

Free Throws Made: 2
Free Throws Attempted: 7
Free Throw Percentage: .286

Rebounds: not available
Assists: 5
Assists Per Game: 0.4

Personal Fouls: 23
Disqualifications: 1 (incomplete record)

In the NBL:
Games: 5
Points: 20
Points Per Game: 4.0

Field Goals Made: 10
Field Goals Attempted: not available

Free Throws Made: 0
Free Throws Attempted: not available

Rebounds: not available
Assists: not available
Personal Fouls: not available

NBL playoffs:
Games: 8
Points: 24
Points Per Game: 3.0

Field Goals Made: 10
Field Goals Attempted: not available

Free Throws Made: 4
Free Throws Attempted: not available

Rebounds: not available
Assists: not available
Personal Fouls: 5

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