John Payak Jr. (November 20, 1926 – February 27, 2009)[1] was a National Basketball Association (NBA) player for the Philadelphia Warriors, Waterloo Hawks, and Milwaukee Hawks.

John Payak
Personal information
Born(1926-11-20)November 20, 1926
Rossford, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 27, 2009(2009-02-27) (aged 82)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High schoolWoodward (Toledo, Ohio)
CollegeBowling Green (1946–1949)
BAA draft1949: undrafted
Playing career1949–1953
PositionShooting guard
Number11, 5, 6
Career history
1949–1950Philadelphia Warriors
1950–1951Waterloo Hawks
1951–1952Toledo Mercuries
1952–1953Milwaukee Hawks
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Born in Rossford, Ohio, Payak graduated from Woodward High School in Toledo in 1944 and then attended Bowling Green State University, graduating in 1949 after an interruption for service in the United States Navy. Payak was a 6'4" shooting guard.[2] Payak played for the Philadelphia Warriors and Waterloo Hawks during the 1949–50 season, and for the Milwaukee Hawks in 1952–53. He also played with the Toledo Mercuries, a traveling team that competed against the Harlem Globetrotters at various exhibitions.

He followed his retirement as a player as a basketball referee, officiating for over 17 years in the Big Ten Conference, the Mid-America Conference and in NCAA tournament action. He also served as Supervisor of Basketball Referees for the Mid-American Conference.[3] Payak was elected to the Bowling Green State University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Toledo City Athletic Hall of Fame, and the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame. He died February 27, 2009, in Toledo, Ohio.[4]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Source[5]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1949–50 Philadelphia 17 .375 .619 .5 2.2
1949–50 Waterloo 35 .288 .711 2.2 8.0
1952–53 Milwaukee 68 21.6 .343 .726 1.7 2.1 6.4
Career 120 21.6 .321 .715 1.7 1.9 6.3

References

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  1. ^ Toledo Blade obituary, March 1, 2009
  2. ^ Johnny Payak statistics at basketball-reference.com
  3. ^ Toledo Blade obituary, March 1, 2009
  4. ^ Toledo Blade obituary, March 1, 2009
  5. ^ "John Payak". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
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