A newsreel titled "Universal five wins Olympics basketball final" shows a game between the company team from Universal Pictures and the McPherson Globe Refiners from Globe Oil and Refining Co. of McPherson, Kansas. The McPherson team is sometimes also referred to as the Oilers, or the Refiners. The teams are seen playing in the Olympics Qualifying basketball final in New York's Madison Square Garden. People cheer the two teams. Universal defeats the McPherson Globe Refiners to win the Olympics final. The win entitled the Universal Pictures team to name 7 players to the Olympic basketball team representing the United States in the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin Germany, and McPherson Globe Refiners was able to name 6 players to the team. These two teams beat out five U.S. college teams to earn the spots in the final and determine the makeup of the U.S. Olympic Basketball team. Players in the game in this video clip include Globe Refiners forward Francis Johnson, Centers Willard Schmidt and Joe Fortenberry, and Universal forward Carl Knowles. Universal beat the Globe Refiners by a score of 44 to 43. According to a Time Magazine article of April 13, 1936, the Globe Oil & Refining team, "...have perfected a technique called dunking with which they score by jumping up above the basket, dropping the ball into it." This may be one of the earliest references to dunking, now a staple technique in basketball. The same Time article further stated of the Oilers, "On the defense, they prevent opponents from scoring by batting the ball out of the basket." Again, the Globe Refiners were demonstrating play that later became standard in modern basketball. The idea for the Globe Refiners was a company promotion scheme, thought up in 1934 by Gene Johnson, the Sales Manager of Globe Oil who had several years experience coaching basketball. The Olympic team also included Washington State Huskey player Ralph Bishop. The USA went on to win the gold, defeating Canada 19-8.
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Type | Size | Price (USD) Comprehensive All Media License |
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HD Master, Broadcast-ready (1920x1080, unmarked) | 892 MB | $190.00 | $79.00 |
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