Between 1920 and 1950, some of the strongest basketball teams in the United States were sponsored by corporations: Phillips 66, 20th Century Fox, Safeway Inc., Caterpillar Inc., and others.

In 1919, upon their return from World War I, a group of local individuals in Bartlesville sought employment opportunities at Phillips.

In 1921, seeking avenues to maintain fitness during the winter, a contingent of Phillips employees organized a team within the Bartlesville YMCA basketball league.

However, the subsequent season marked a pivotal moment coinciding with the company's initiation of marketing its products to the public.

The AAU's annual tournament drew the best players in the world, as well as thousands of fans and dozens of sports writers and broadcasters.

Phillips gradually gained recognition, securing second place in the AAU tournament in both the 1936–37 and 1938–39 seasons, boasting an impressive 36–11 record.

Following the disbandment of the Parks after the season, Phillips recruited their top two players, Grady Lewis and Bill Martin, both of whom had earned AAU All-America honors.

G. Harold "Smitty" Schmidt took over coaching duties for 2–4 years towards the end of the 1930s, bringing with him experience as a player under Phog Allen at the University of Kansas.

Their pinnacle moment came with a thrilling 39–36 victory over the reigning champions, the Denver Nuggets, in the finals of the 1939–1940 AAU tournament.

Although the team secured second place in the 1940–1941 season, they faced a setback in a post-season Red Cross benefit game in Tulsa, where they lost to Arkansas, led by the towering 6–8 center John Freiberger, who would later join the 66ers.

However, the outbreak of World War II and the involvement of the United States led to most of the top players from the 66ers enlisting in the military.

Bill Martin joined the Army Air Corps in 1942, followed by John Freiberger in 1943, resulting in a decline in the team's performance during the 1941–1942 season.

In the 1945–46 season, the college basketball was dominated by the first two "modern big men George Mikan of the DePaul Blue Demons, and two-time NCAA champion Bob Kurland of the Oklahoma A&M Aggies.

Huge crowds thronged to the Bartlesville high school gym, which only seated 1,400 to see Kurland and the 66ers rolled to a 52–2 record in 1946–47.

Kurland set a record by being named to his second Olympic team in 1952, but he broke a lot of hearts in Bartlesville by deciding to retire just after the Games.

In 1953 a 6–6 foot forward named Pete Silas signed from the NCAA Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Silas had led the Southeastern Conference in scoring despite competing against such talented players as Cliff Hagan and Frank Ramsey and Louisiana State's Bob Pettit.

TV had discovered the NBA, and the pros were starting to stabilize and pay more money than teams like Phillips could.

Like a 6–1 guard from the lowly Wabash College named Charlie Bowerman, and Gary Thompson from Iowa State.