Stanley Szukala (June 12, 1918 â October 30, 2003) was an American basketball player. He was an All-American college player at DePaul University and played for four seasons in the American National Basketball League (NBL), a forerunner to the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a member of the 1947 NBL champion Chicago American Gears, playing alongside future Hall of Fame center George Mikan.