Bill Tosheff

Bill Tosheff
Personal information
Born	June 2, 1926; Gary, Indiana
Died	October 1, 2011 (aged 85); Hawaii
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school	Froebel (Gary, Indiana)
College	Indiana (1948–1951)
NBA draft	1951: 4th round, 32nd overall pick
	Selected by the Indianapolis Olympians
Playing career	1951–1954
Position	Point guard
Number	9
Career history
1951–1953	Indianapolis Olympians
1953–1954	Milwaukee Hawks
Career NBA statistics
Points	1,859 (9.2 ppg)
Rebounds	608 (3.0 rpg)
Assists	661 (3.3 apg)
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball Reference

William Mark Tosheff (June 2, 1926 – October 1, 2011) was an American professional basketball player.

A 6'1" guard, Tosheff played at Indiana University from 1947 to 1951 after a stint with the U.S. Army Air Corps.^[1] From 1951 to 1954, he played in the NBA as a member of the Indianapolis Olympians and Milwaukee Hawks, averaging 9.2 points in 203 games.^[2] Some sources list him as the 1952 NBA Co-Rookie of the Year (with Mel Hutchins);^[1] however, official NBA guides generally have not included pre-1953 winners.^[3]

In 1988, Tosheff founded the Pre-1965 NBA Players Association in order to secure fair pension plans for NBA players who were active before 1965.^[4] Tosheff lobbied to close a loophole in the NBA pension that granted benefits to post-1965 players with a minimum of three years of service, but required pre-1965 players have five years of service.^[5]

A San Diego resident, Tosheff died in Hawaii from cancer aged 85 on October 1, 2011.^[6]

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Source^[2]

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1951–52	Indianapolis	65	31.6	.327	.824	3.3	3.4	9.4
1952–53	Indianapolis	67	36.7	.323	.806	3.4	3.6	11.3
1953–54	Milwaukee	71	25.7	.291	.743	2.3	2.8	6.9
Career		203	31.2	.315	.793	3.0	3.3	9.2

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1952	Indianapolis	2	34.0	.111	1.000	3.0	3.5	3.5
1953	Indianapolis	2	33.0	.063	1.000	2.5	2.0	4.5
Career		4	33.5	.088	1.000	2.8	2.8	4.0

References

^ ^a ^b Michael Schumacher. Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA. Bloomsbury, 2007. page 274.
^ ^a ^b "Bill Tosheff NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
^ Bill Tosheff: NBA Co-Rookie of the Year and Tireless Advocate for the "Pre-1965ers" (Part II). 20 Second Timeout. March 2, 2009. Retrieved on August 23, 2011.
^ Ron Kroichik. "Pensions in pro sports: An age old issue for all the big leagues". San Francisco Chronicle. March 18, 2007. Retrieved on August 23, 2011.
^ Burstein, Rachel (January 1998). "Bill "Tosh" Tosheff". Mother Jones. 23 (1): 16. Retrieved September 1, 2011.
^ Al Hamnik. "NBA pension fighter, Gary native Tosheff, dead at 85". nwitimes. October 3, 2011. Retrieved on October 3, 2011.

[mikan-1] Michael Schumacher. Mr. Basketball: George Mikan, the Minneapolis Lakers, and the Birth of the NBA. Bloomsbury, 2007. page 274.

[bbr-2] "Bill Tosheff NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved August 18, 2023.

[3] Bill Tosheff: NBA Co-Rookie of the Year and Tireless Advocate for the "Pre-1965ers" (Part II). 20 Second Timeout. March 2, 2009. Retrieved on August 23, 2011.

[4] Ron Kroichik. "Pensions in pro sports: An age old issue for all the big leagues". San Francisco Chronicle. March 18, 2007. Retrieved on August 23, 2011.

[5] Burstein, Rachel (January 1998). "Bill "Tosh" Tosheff". Mother Jones. 23 (1): 16. Retrieved September 1, 2011.

[6] Al Hamnik. "NBA pension fighter, Gary native Tosheff, dead at 85". nwitimes. October 3, 2011. Retrieved on October 3, 2011.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]