Paul Birch
Pittsburgh Ironmen Head Coach | Fort Wayne Pistons Head Coach | BAA & NBA Coach
Paul Birch was born on January 10, 1910, in Homestead, Pennsylvania. He played college basketball at Duquesne University before beginning a professional playing career.
Birch later moved into coaching and became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Ironmen during the inaugural 1946-1947 Basketball Association of America season.
After several years away from the league, Birch returned as head coach of the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1951 and led the franchise to the playoffs in all 3 of his seasons.
Coach Birch passed away on June 5, 1982, at the age of 72.
- Overall Coaching Record: 120-147
Coaching Career
Paul Birch became the head coach of the Pittsburgh Ironmen for the first season in Basketball Association of America history.
The Ironmen finished with a 15-45 record and placed fifth in the Western Division, missing the playoffs.
The 1946-1947 season became the only season in Pittsburgh Ironmen franchise history and Birch left the BAA after the team folded.
Notable Players Coached
- Press Maravich
- Future college basketball head coach
- Father of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Pete Maravich
Birch returned to the NBA when he was hired as head coach of the Fort Wayne Pistons on April 10, 1951.
Fort Wayne went 29-37 in 1951-1952 and reached the playoffs, where the Pistons were swept by the Rochester Royals in the Western Division Semifinals.
The Pistons improved to 36-33 in 1952-1953. Fort Wayne defeated Rochester in 3 games in the Division Semifinals before losing to the Minneapolis Lakers in 5 games in the Western Division Finals.
Fort Wayne finished 40-32 in 1953-1954 but went 0-4 in the Western Division playoff round-robin against Minneapolis and Rochester.
Birch finished his BAA/NBA head coaching career with a 120-147 regular-season record and a 4-10 playoff record.
Notable Players Coached
- Larry Foust
- 8× NBA All-Star
- Andy Phillip
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1957 NBA champion
- 5× NBA All-Star
- George Yardley
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 6× NBA All-Star
- 1958 NBA scoring champion