History Of The Detroit Pistons, Their Highs And Lows

Fred Zollner, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, founded the Detroit Pistons in the 1940s. The team was originally named the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons. Immediately, the Pistons entered into the National Basketball League (NBL), composed primarily of teams sponsored by corporations in the Midwest.

Led by Bobby McDermott, the teams guard, the Pistons dominated the NBL and made it to the series championship the first year they competed. However, they lost to the Oshkosh All-Stars. Two years later they were defeated at the NBL Finals again, this time by the Seboygan Redskins, but by only a single point.

In 1944, they at last won their first championship title and they followed that up with another championship win in 1945. Three years later, the Pistons team transferred to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and in 1949 the NBL and BAA joined to form the National Basketball Association or the NBA. The Pistons were the NBAs premier squad.

The NBAs first five seasons featured the Pistons in the playoffs and twice the team advanced to the division finals. In 1954 and 1955, the Pistons, which now included Andy Phillip on guard, Larry Froust on center, and George...