Frank J. Basloe

Frank J. Basloe (‘baes.lou’, September 24, 1887 – December 12, 1966) was a basketball promoter and important figure in the history of basketball. He claims basketball was invented by Lambert Will in Herkimer, New York. The most notable teams under Basloe's ownership were the Basloe Globe Trotters (1903–1923), the 31st Separate Co. of Herkimer (1909–1911), the Oswego Indians (1912–1916), and the Mohawk Indians (1923–1929). He was inducted in the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame for the 2027 class, and is the namesake of the Herkimer public library.

Early years Basloe was born on September 24, 1887, in Budapest, Hungary. His family immigrated to the United States in 1891, moving to Herkimer, New York. In 1897, at 10 years old, he played his first game of basketball in the barn behind his house with friends and a ball that his mother made out of rags. Their initial nine game barnstorming netted $300. making them “the most traveled and successful of the early barnstorming teams.” The 31st Separate Co. defeated the Buffalo Germans, ending a 111-game winning streak on February 22, 1911. The Oswego Indians was the first team to ever defeat the Buffalo Germans on their home court, on January 25, 1914. The Germans were among the most famous of the early basketball teams. As a result, Basloe was “easily the best ambassador of professional basketball at the time,“

Beyond basketball, Basloe was a semi-pro baseball player, marathon promoter, prize fight promoter, motorcycle racing enthusiast, and vaudeville comedian. Basloe contended the game was developed before Naismith claims, in Herkimer. In the book, Basloe claims Lambert Will invented the game of basketball in the 1891–92 season. and inducted by the athletic department and Alpha Phi Sigma into the Utica College of Syracuse University (now Utica University) Hall of Fame in 1954 for his contribution to the development of basketball into a national sport. He also received the Colgate University Civic Award during its 1958 Founder's Day Convocation.

Personal life Basloe's father, then known as Josef Breslau, came to the United States in 1891 and found work on a railroad in Herkimer, New York. After earning enough money, Breslau brought his son, daughter, and wife to the United States, with help from the Jewish Aid Society (now officially known as HIAS). Breslau changed his name when it was painted on the sign for his store as “Joseph Basloe.” In 1975, his children contributed funds to help the Herkimer Library move to a new building; the library was renamed the Frank J. Basloe library.