Zollner Foundation

Mission To support educational organizations, hospitals, YMCA and Boy Scout organizations, and other charitable organizations in the Fort Wayne, IN and Golden Beach, FL areas. About the Foundation Fred Zollner was born on January 22, 1901 in Little Falls, Minnesota to Theodore and Margaret Zollner. His father, Theodore Zollner, was an inventor and manufacturer of machinery. Zollner Corporation, formed in 1912, manufactured pistons for companies such as Ford, General Motors and John Deere. In 1931, the Zollner Corporation was moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1937, Fred Zollner sponsored a company basketball team at the request of employees. The team performed so well in the local industrial league that in 1941 they turned pro and joined the old National Basketball League. In 1949, the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons joined the newly formed NBA (National Basketball Association). In 1957, the team was moved to Detroit, Michigan, thus becoming the Detroit Pistons. Mr. Zollner was called “Mr. Pro Basketball” as the founder and longtime owner of the Pistons and a key figure in the merger of the National Basketball League and Basketball Association of America into the NBA. Fred Zollner passed away on June 21, 1982 at the age of 81, leaving behind a great legacy in Fort Wayne, Indiana. There are sports facilities named after Mr. Zollner such as the Fred Zollner Memorial Stadium, Fred Zollner Tennis Complex, and the Fred Zollner Athletic Stadium at Trine University.