Stan ‘Whitey’ Von Nieda died Thursday at 101 years in Elizabethtown, PA.
Von Nieda was not just the oldest living former NBA player, but he was also the only one to reach 100 years. He got a certificate verifying that on June 19, 2022, the date he reached age 100, from the National Basketball Retired Players Association.
Stan, a 6-foot-1 swingman, broke into the NBA with the NBL Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1947 and was a member of the NBL’s All-Rookie team.
After his second pro season, Von Nieda logged his one “official’’ NBA season, the NBAL and BAA merged in August 1949 with Tri-Cities and Baltimore. He averaged 5.3 points and 2.4 assists per game in 59 matches before an eye injury in January 1950 ended his basketball career.
“I could play either (guard or forward),” Von Nieda was quoted in Lancaster (Pa.) Online’s obituary. “Sometimes I’d take my man down inside and hook it over him.”
October 29, 1949, He scored 14 points in the inaugural post-merger NBA game pitting Tri-Cities vs. Denver.
His coach with Tri-Cities? Red Auerbach. The Tri-Cities franchise has operated uninterrupted, relocating to become the Milwaukee, St.Louis and eventually became Atlanta Hawks. Interestingly, Von Nieda’s nickname was shared by his uncle, Harry Von Nieda.
Why did the native of Ephrate, PA, become a 25-year-old rookie? After his freshman year at Penn State, Von Nieda enlisted in the Army and became a paratrooper during and after World War II. He parachuted behind German lines during the Battle of the Bulge.
After his NBLA/NBA stint, He coached three seasons at Elizabethtown College in Lancaster County. He later had a career in advertising sales and worked as a bartender.
Stan and his first wife, the late Dorothy, raised six children. He reportedly continued to play basketball, semi-pro, and recreationally, into his 60s.
Von Nieda’s widow, Arlene, told Lancaster Online that they were many social occasions where people would ask, “Is that Whitey Von Nieda? I saw him play years ago … he was great.”
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