| Bill Tosheff | |
| Birth Date: | 2 June 1926 |
| Birth Place: | Gary, Indiana |
| Death Place: | Hawaii |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 1 |
| Weight Lbs: | 175 |
| High School: | Froebel (Gary, Indiana) |
| College: | Indiana (1948–1951) |
| Draft Year: | 1951 |
| Draft Round: | 4 |
| Draft Pick: | 32 |
| Draft Team: | Indianapolis Olympians |
| Career Start: | 1951 |
| Career End: | 1954 |
| Career Position: | Point guard |
| Career Number: | 9 |
| Years1: | – |
| Team1: | Indianapolis Olympians |
| Team2: | Milwaukee Hawks |
| Stats League: | NBA |
| Stat1label: | Points |
| Stat1value: | 1,859 (9.2 ppg) |
| Stat2label: | Rebounds |
| Stat2value: | 608 (3.0 rpg) |
| Stat3label: | Assists |
| Stat3value: | 661 (3.3 apg) |
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. 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.[2]
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.[3] 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.[4]
A San Diego resident, Tosheff died in Hawaii from cancer aged 85 on October 1, 2011.[5]
Source[6]
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||