ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Stanley "Whitey" Von Nieda, who had been the oldest living former NBA player, has died at the age of 101.

Von Nieda died Wednesday in Elizabethtown.

Von Nieda played a combined 59 games for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks and Baltimore Bullets in 1949-50. The National Basketball Retired Players Association had given him a certificate last year recognizing him as the first former NBA player to reach 100 years of age.

After playing college basketball at Penn State, Von Nieda served in the Army during World War II. He went to paratrooper school and was part of the 17th Airborne Division that took part in the Battle of the Bulge.

When he returned, Von Nieda began playing for Tri-City of the National Basketball League. He ended up in the NBA following the 1949 merger of the NBL and the Basketball Association of America.

During that 1949-50 season, Von Nieda averaged 5.3 points and 2.4 assists. He continued playing semipro basketball after the end of his career and participated in Penn State alumni games.