Waterloo Hawks

founding

1948

resolution

1951

Stadion

McElroy Auditorium

Location

Waterloo , Iowa

Club colors

Black, gold, white

league

BAA (1948-1949)
NBA (1949-1950)

division

Western Division (1949–1950)

Head coach

Charley Shipp (1948–1950)
Jack Smiley (1950–1951)

owner

PL "Pinkie" George

Waterloo Hawks was the name of an American basketball franchise from Waterloo , Iowa , which played in the 1948-1949 season in the BAA and 1949-1950 in the later NBA . To date, the Hawks are the only Iowa sports franchise to ever play in one of America's four major leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB). The Hawks played in the McElroy Auditorium , also known as the Waterloo Hippodrome .

history

A signed season book of the Waterloo Hawks 1949–50

The team was formed in 1948 and played in the National Basketball League (NBL). In 1949, the NBL merged with a rival league, the Basketball Association of America (BAA), to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Waterloo Hawks are considered a founding member of the NBA. In the 1949-1950 season, their first and only in the NBA, they achieved a statistic of 19 wins and 43 losses. They finished fifth of six places in the Western Division . For the 1950-1951 season, the Hawks moved to the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL). In 1951 the team disbanded.

Season statistics

season	Victories: defeats	percent	Play-offs
Waterloo Hawks (NBL)
1948/49	30:32	48.4	no participation
Waterloo Hawks (NBA)
1949/50	19:43	30.6	no participation
Waterloo Hawks (NPBL)
1950/51	32:24	57.1	no participation

Web links

Team profile at basketball-reference.com

Individual evidence

↑ Note: The Keokuk Westerns played baseball for a year in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1875, but this league was not a direct precursor to a current league. There is also a fundamental debate about whether this league is even counted among the important.

[1] Note: The Keokuk Westerns played baseball for a year in the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players in 1875, but this league was not a direct precursor to a current league. There is also a fundamental debate about whether this league is even counted among the important.