John Cleo Shaffer (August 13, 1909 â June 17, 1963) was an American professional basketball player. He appeared in six games for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids in the National Basketball League during the 1937âÂÂ38 season. A son of Russian immigrants, he grew up in Grand Island, Nebraska and attended the Grand Island campus of Doane University before enrolling at DePaul University. He died of a heart attack in 1963.