Jack Smiley
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Script error: No such module "person date". Sandwich, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: No such module "person date". Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Waterman (Waterman, Illinois) |
| College | Illinois (1941–1943, 1945–1947) |
| BAA draft | 1947: undrafted |
| Playing career | 1947–1951 |
| PositionTemplate:Pluralize from text | Small forward / shooting guard |
| Number | 37, 15, 10 |
| Coaching career | 1949–1951 |
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| Page Module:Infobox/styles.css has no content.Career highlights | |
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Arthur John Smiley (December 22, 1922 – July 30, 2000) was an American professional basketball player. Smiley played basketball for Waterman High School, in Waterman, Illinois. With Gene Vance, Andy Phillip, Ken Menke, and Art Mathisen, Smiley was a member of the University of Illinois' "Whiz Kids" team that went 35-6 from 1941 to 1943, earning two Big Ten Conference championships. The team voted to turn down an invitation to the NCAA tournament in 1943, after Smiley, Vance and Phillip were inducted into the military mid-season.
As an artillery corporal with the Army's 106th division, Smiley was engaged in one of the bloodiest skirmishes of the Battle of the Bulge- once firing his 105 mm Howitzer for 96 continuous hours. The 106th division suffered a 90% casualty rate in the skirmish.[1]
Smiley returned to Illinois for the 1946–47 season and won team MVP honors.[2]
After college, Smiley played two seasons in the National Basketball Association with the Fort Wayne Pistons, Anderson Packers, and Waterloo Hawks. He averaged 6.2 points per game in his NBA career.[3] Smiley also served as a player-coach for the Hawks for 27 games in the 1949–50 season, and posted an 11–16 record.[4]
Smiley spent his later years in Des Moines, Iowa. He died in 2000.[2]
Career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
BAA/NBA
Source[3]
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Fort Wayne | 59 | .247 | .683 | 2.3 | 6.7 |
| 1949–50 | Anderson | 12 | .120 | .500 | 1.2 | 2.0 |
| 1949–50 | Waterloo | 47 | .293 | .701 | 3.1 | 6.6 |
| Career | 118 | .256 | .679 | 2.5 | 6.2 | |
Head coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waterloo | 1949–50 | 27 | 11 | 16 | .407 | 5th in Western | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
Source[4]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hoxsey, Brian. "Jack Smiley Special Player". Retrieved May 5, 2013.
- ^ a b Jim Rossow. "Whiz Kid passes away". News Gazette. July 31, 2000. C1.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Jack Smiley BAA/NBA playing statistics". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
- ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Jack Smiley head coaching record". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
External links
- Career statistics from Basketball ReferenceTemplate:EditAtWikidata
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