March 13, 1952 Ft. Wayne Pistons Multi-Signed AUTO vs Rochester Royals Program /w Hilliard Gates & Paul Birch BAS LOA

March 13, 1952 Ft. Wayne Pistons Multi-Signed AUTO vs Rochester Royals Program /w Hilliard Gates & Paul Birch BAS LOA

On March 13, 1952, the Royals visited Ft. Wayne to play the Pistons in a super close game in which the Royals won 86-84 and clinched the NBA Western Division Title in front of 3500 fans.

Offered is a Program from this historic game signed by 4 members of the Pistons team/organization.

Autographs include:

Paul Birch (Head Coach) (D. 1982) was a standout guard at Duquesne University and the school's first All-American. He gained national recognition with the legendary New York Celtics, Pittsburgh Pirates (basketball), Zollner Pistons, Pittsburgh Ironmen (player/coach), and Youngstown Bears (player/coach).

He may perhaps be best known for coaching the Fort Wayne Pistons from 1951 to 1954. A demanding and fiery coach, Birch led winning teams but was known for his volatile temperament. His career and reputation were damaged by the Jack Molinas point-shaving scandal and personal struggles with alcoholism. Once one of basketball's respected figures, Birch's later years were marked by hardship before his death in 1982.

Hilliard Gates (D. 1996)  was one of the most influential voices in Indiana sports history and a key figure in promoting the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons during the team's Fort Wayne years. For a decade, he provided play-by-play coverage of Pistons games, earning national recognition when he broadcast the inaugural NBA All-Star Game for the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1951. His broadcasting career also included NBC radio coverage of the Rose Bowl and nine years covering the Indianapolis 500 for Canadian television.

Gates became best known as the voice of Indiana high school basketball championships, winning Indiana's Outstanding Sportscaster award seven times and becoming the first broadcaster inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969. His legendary call of the 1954 Milan High School state championship victory later led to his role as the announcer in the 1987 film Hoosiers, cementing his place as one of basketball's most respected broadcasters.

Dike Eddleman (D. 2001) was one of the most versatile athletes in American sports history and is widely regarded as the greatest all-around athlete ever produced by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A three-sport star in football, basketball, and track and field, he earned 11 varsity letters and achieved All-American honors in multiple sports. Professionally, Eddleman played for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks, later the Milwaukee Hawks, and the Fort Wayne Pistons from 1949 to 1953. A two-time NBA All-Star (1951, 1952) and 1949 second-team basketball All-American, Eddleman's remarkable athletic versatility remains legendary decades after his playing career.

Boag Johnson (D. 2005) was a standout point guard whose career bridged the National Basketball League and the early NBA. A native of Huntington, Indiana, Johnson starred at Huntington University before serving in the U.S. Army during World War II. Nicknamed "Boag," he led the Anderson Packers to the 1949 NBL championship and earned All-NBL Second Team honors that season. He later played for the Fort Wayne Pistons from 1950 to 1953, averaging 8.4 points per game during his professional career

The signatures have been signed in dark bold pencil. Beckett LOA included, but they did miss Eddleman’s signature on the back cover (perhaps because it isn’t as bold as the other autographs on the program).

Super rare one of a kind piece with some TOUGH autographs!

Beckett LOA