Phillips 66ers
| Phillips 66ers | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | The Oilers |
| Leagues |
Amateur Athletic Association 1921-1968 Missouri Valley 1935-1940 ABL 1945-1948 NIBL 1948-1961 NABL 1966-1968 |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Folded | 1968 |
| Arena | Bartlesville High School Gym (1.400) and Phillips Gymnasium (2.600) |
| Team colors |
Red, White & Black |
| Ownership | Phillips |
| Championships |
11 AAU Tournament 11 National Industrial Basketball League 3 ABL 2 Olympic Trial Playoffs |
The Phillips 66ers (also known as the Oilers) basketball team was an amateur squad located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The 66ers were a national phenomenon that grew from a “small town team” to an organization of accomplished amateur athletes receiving national and worldwide attention. Under the sponsorship of the company's owner Frank Phillips the team, which began play in 1919, participated in the Amateur Athletic Union, the nation’s premier basketball league before the National Basketball Association. Between 1920 and 1950, some of the strongest basketball teams in the United States were sponsored by corporations, including Phillips 66, 20th Century Fox, Safeway Inc., Caterpillar Inc., and others.
The 66ers team was a perennial power in AAU basketball in the 1940s, and 1950s. The 66ers won 11 national championships at the AAU National Tournament between 1940 and 1963, including six consecutive AAU tournament titles from 1943 to 1948. In 1948, the 66ers combined with Adolph Rupp's "Fabulous Five" University of Kentucky team to form the U.S. team that won the Olympic tournament.
In almost 50 seasons, the 66ers earned 1543 wins against 271 losses. Twelve 66ers and two coaches represented the United States in Olympic tournaments and three of them were the only amateur players to have ever played on two Olympic basketball teams. The club ceased operations in 1968.
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