 Armstrong in 1948 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 1, 1918 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | June 6, 1983 (aged 64) Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Central (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
| College | Indiana (1938–1941) |
| Playing career | 1941–1951 |
| Position | Forward / guard |
| Number | 31, 3 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1941–1943, 1945– 1951 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| As coach: | |
| 1947 | Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (interim HC) |
| 1948–1949 | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| 1951–1953 | Wabash |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Paul Carlyle "Curly" Armstrong (November 1, 1918 – June 6, 1983) was an American professional basketball player and coach. [1] [2]
A 5'11" guard/ forward, Armstrong starred at Central High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he reached two state championship games while leading his team to a 50–6 record. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Armstrong attended Indiana University, earning All- Big Ten Conference honors during his junior year. He then played, and briefly coached, for the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons professional basketball team (today's Detroit Pistons). In 1943, he was named the World Professional Basketball Tournament's Most Valuable Player. [3] He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.
He was head basketball coach at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana, for two seasons. His record in 1951–52 was 10 wins and 10 losses. His record in 1952–53 was 9 wins and 10 losses.
BAA/NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | RPG | Rebounds per game | ||
| APG | Assists per game | PPG | Points per game | ||
| Bold | Career high | ||||
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Fort Wayne | 52 | .306 | .698 | – | 2.0 | 7.3 |
| 1949–50 | Fort Wayne | 63 | .279 | .705 | – | 2.8 | 7.3 |
| 1950–51 | Fort Wayne | 38 | .310 | .644 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 5.3 |
| Career | 153 | .295 | .692 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 6.8 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Fort Wayne | 3 | .182 | .250 | – | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| 1951 | Fort Wayne | 3 | .368 | 1.000 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 5.0 |
| Career | 6 | .268 | .400 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 4.0 | |
References
-
^
"Former IU star, Pistons coach 'Curly' Armstrong dies at 64".
The Courier-Journal. 7 June 1983. p. 11. Retrieved 12 November 2022 – via
Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Curly's company". News-Sentinel. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
-
^
"Washington takes crown in pro meet". Vidette-Messenger of Porter County. 18 March 1943. p. 8. Retrieved 6 April 2022 – via
Newspapers.com.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
 | This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1910s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1918 births
- 1983 deaths
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Indiana
- Basketball players from Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Guards (basketball)
- Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players
- Fort Wayne Pistons head coaches
- Fort Wayne Pistons players
- Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons coaches
- Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons players
- Basketball player-coaches
- Sportspeople from Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Wabash Little Giants basketball coaches
- American basketball biography, 1910s birth stubs