Jack Smiley

Jack Smiley
The Illio, 1947
Personal information
Born (1922-12-22)December 22, 1922
Sandwich, Illinois
Died July 30, 2000(2000-07-30) (aged 77)
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school Waterman
(Waterman, Illinois)
College Illinois (1941–1943, 1945–1947)
BAA draft 1947 / Undrafted
Playing career 1947–1951
Position Forward / Guard
Number 37, 15, 10
Coaching career 1949–1951
Career history
As player:
1947–1949 Fort Wayne Pistons
1949 Anderson Packers
1949–1951 Waterloo Hawks
As coach:
1949–1951 Waterloo Hawks
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Arthur John "Jack" Smiley (Dec. 22, 1922 - July 30, 2000) was an American professional basketball player. Smiley played basketball for Waterman High School, in Waterman, Illinois. With Gene Vance, Andy Phillip, Ken Menke, and Art Mathisen, Smiley was a member of the University of Illinois' "Whiz Kids" team that went 35-6 from 1941 to 1943, earning two Big Ten Conference championships. The team voted to turn down an invitation to the NCAA tournament in 1943, after Smiley, Vance and Phillip were inducted into the military mid-season.

As an artillery corporal with the Army's 106th division, Smiley was engaged in one of the bloodiest skirmishes of the Battle of the Bulge- once firing his 105 mm Howitzer for 96 continuous hours. The 106th division suffered a 90% casualty rate in the skirmish.[1]

Smiley returned to Illinois for the 1946-47 season and won team MVP honors.[2]

After college, Smiley played two seasons in the National Basketball Association with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Anderson Packers, and Waterloo Hawks. He averaged 6.2 points per game in his NBA career.[3] Smiley also served as a player-coach for the Hawks for 27 games in the 1949-50 season, and posted an 11-16 record.[4]

Smiley spent his later years in Des Moines, Iowa. He died in 2000.[2]

BAA/NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 FT%  Free-throw percentage  APG  Assists per game
 PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP FG% FT% APG PPG
1948–49 Fort Wayne 59.247.6832.36.7
1949–50 Anderson 12.120.5001.22.0
1949–50 Waterloo 47.293.7013.16.6
Career 118.256.6792.56.2

References

  1. ↑ Hoxsey, Brian. "Jack Smiley Special Player". Retrieved 2013-05-05.
  2. 1 2 Jim Rossow. "Whiz Kid passes away". News Gazette. July 31, 2000. C1.
  3. ↑ Jack Smiley playing statistics. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on May 27, 2010.
  4. ↑ Jack Smiley coaching statistics. basketball-reference.com. Retrieved on May 27, 2010.
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