In the 1920s, the company, which was based at 15th and Baltimore in Downtown Kansas City,[1] sponsored a series of basketball teams that were a powerhouse in Amateur Athletic Union at time when the AAU National Championships involved colleges, private athletic clubs, and factory-sponsored teams.
In 1921, the team placed fourth in the AAU after losing to the Kansas City Athletic Club (KCAC) in the semifinals, and then lost to the Atlanta Athletic Club 36-31 in the playoff for third place.
In 1922, the team won the AAU National Championship defeating the KCAC 42-28 in all Kansas City game title game held at Convention Hall in Kansas City.
Bowman who had served with Harry S. Truman with Battery D, 129th Field Artillery, 60th Brigade, 35th Infantry Division during World War I.
During lunch Bowman would visit Truman at his haberdashery three blocks away by the Muehlbach Hotel.