Kweller, Ed

Edward Kweller

A 6'6" center, Kweller was one of the tallest players in college basketball when he played for Duquesne in the mid-1930s. He was the team captain in 1936 and 1937; and, during his three-year college career, Ed helped lead the Dukes to a combined record of 45-10. Kweller later played professionally in the ABL (American Basketball League) and the NBL (National Basketball League).

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
A classmate of Herb Bonn, Kweller began his varsity career at Duquesne in 1934-35. That year, the Dukes won their first 14 games of the season, defeating some of the top teams in the country, including CCNY (City College of New York), Loyola (Illinois), and St. John's. In the 15th game of the season, Duquesne lost to Pittsburgh, 35-34, but later rebounded to win their final four games of the season, including a 30-25 victory over LIU (Long Island University) at Madison Square Garden. The Dukes finished the season with a record of 18-1 and were considered one of the top five or ten teams in the country.

Kweller captained the team in 1935-36, his junior year. The Dukes began the season with four easy victories (they won by 27, 24, 47, and 38), before returning to Madison Square Garden and a rematch with the LIU Blackbirds. With Kweller's height advantage, Duquesne was favored in the contest because of their ability to control the center jump, and therefore, the ball for the majority of the game (at this time, a center jump followed all made baskets, including free throws). This indeed proved to be the case during the game. Kweller won every jump except one, and the Dukes had constant control of the basketball. On defense, their zone stymied LIU's penetration, but could not stop the Blackbirds from hitting from the outside. Led by Leo Merson, Ben Kramer, Jules Bender, and Willie Schwartz, LIU captured the victory, 36-34, although Kweller scored five points for Duquesne.

Duquesne rebounded from their loss to LIU and won their next eight games of the season. Although they finished the year with only two wins in their final four games, the Dukes had a record of 14-3 and were still considered one of the top teams in the nation. Kweller continued to captain the team through his senior year, when the Dukes compiled a record of 13-6, including a loss to LIU, 33-26.

After graduating from Duquesne, Kweller played professionally in the ABL (American Basketball League), the top league in the East, and the NBL (National Basketball League), the top league in the Midwest - at this time, there was no national professional league. Kweller began in the NBL and played with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 1937-38, the first year of the league's existence (it was founded by industrial companies), Pittsburgh finished third in the Eastern Division with a record of 8-5 as Kweller played in eight games and scored 13 points.

In November 1938, Kweller then signed with the Washington Heurichs, a member of the ABL, an established professional league in the East. Announcing his signing, the Washington Post declared that Kweller "had proven a key man on every team with which he has been affiliated." That season, which was the Heurich's first in the ABL (they had been playing as an independent outfit), Kweller played in 18 games and averaged 2.2 points per game.

Then, in early January 1939, he unexpectedly agreed to returned to his hometown Pirates of the NBL. The Washington Post declared "Kweller's loss at this time is costly. One of the best-looking centers...improving every time out, it is thought that home sickness as much as anything, resulted in the overnight return of big Ed to his hometown team." Upon his return to the Pirates, Kweller appeared in 13 games and scored 42 points as the Pirates finished last in the Eastern Division with a record of 13-14.

Origin:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Career Dates:
Kweller played center at Duquense from 1935-1937. He then played professionally in the ABL and NBL.

Physical description:
6'6"

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