New York Renaissance
Encyclopedia
The New York Renaissance, also known as the Renaissance Big Five and as the Rens, was an all-black
professional basketball
team established February 13, 1923, by Robert "Bob" Douglas
in agreement with the Renaissance Casino and Ballroom. The Casino and Ballroom at 138th Street and Seventh Avenue
in Harlem was an entertainment complex including a ballroom that served as the Big Five's home court. Following each game, a dance took place. The success of the Rens shifted the focus of black basketball from amateur
teams to professional teams. Initially, the Rens played mostly in Harlem, but by the end of the 1920s, as attendance began to dwindle, the team could be found more often playing on the road, barnstorm
ing across the country out of necessity.
The Rens were one of the dominant basketball teams of the 1920s and 1930s. The team played its first game on November 3, 1923. That night the Rens played a team of white players; interracial games featured regularly on their schedule, drawing the largest crowds. In its first years, the team strove to beat the Original Celtics
, the dominant white team of the time, and claim the title of world champions: in their fifth encounter, the Rens did so for the first time, on December 20, 1925. During the 1932-33 regular season, the Rens compiled a record of 120-8 (six of those losses came at the hands of the Celtics, who the Rens did beat eight times). During that season, the Rens won 88 consecutive games, a mark that has never been matched by a professional basketball team. In 1939, the Rens won the first professional basketball championship, when they beat the Oshkosh All-Stars, a white team, 34-25, in the World Professional Basketball Tournament
in Chicago.
The team compiled a 2588-539 record over its history. Some of the longest-serving and best-known early Rens were Clarence "Fats" Jenkins
, Pappy Ricks, Eyre Saitch, Charles "Tarzan" Cooper
, Bill Yancey, and "Wee" Willie Smith
. In 1936 the Renaissance became the first top-level team to sign a four-year African-American college star, David "Big Dave" DeJernett
of Indiana Central
.
The Rens disbanded in 1949 after completing the 1948/49 season of the racially integrated National Basketball League
as the Dayton Rens
based in Dayton, Ohio
. That was also the final season for the NBL, which merged with the all-white Basketball Association of America
to form the also all-white National Basketball Association
.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
inducted the New York Renaissance collectively in 1963. Three of the Rens are individual members: Tarzan Cooper
, Pop Gates
, and founder and coach Bob Douglas
.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team established February 13, 1923, by Robert "Bob" Douglas
Bob Douglas
Robert L. "Bob" Douglas was the founder of the New York Renaissance basketball team. Nicknamed the "Father of Black Professional Basketball", Douglas owned and coached the Rens from 1923 to 1949, guiding them to a 2,318-381 record...
in agreement with the Renaissance Casino and Ballroom. The Casino and Ballroom at 138th Street and Seventh Avenue
Seventh Avenue (Manhattan)
Seventh Avenue, known as Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard north of Central Park, is a thoroughfare on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is southbound below Central Park and a two-way street north of the park....
in Harlem was an entertainment complex including a ballroom that served as the Big Five's home court. Following each game, a dance took place. The success of the Rens shifted the focus of black basketball from amateur
Black Fives
The term Black Fives refers to all-black basketball teams that thrived in the United States between 1904, when basketball was first introduced to African Americans on a large scale organized basis, and 1950, when the National Basketball Association became racially integrated...
teams to professional teams. Initially, the Rens played mostly in Harlem, but by the end of the 1920s, as attendance began to dwindle, the team could be found more often playing on the road, barnstorm
Barnstorm
Barnstorm is the first album by Joe Walsh following his departure from the James Gang, released in 1972 . The core band on this album – Walsh, bassist Kenny Passarelli and drummer/multi-instrumentalist Joe Vitale – was also named Barnstorm.-History:With this album, Walsh and Barnstorm moved away...
ing across the country out of necessity.
The Rens were one of the dominant basketball teams of the 1920s and 1930s. The team played its first game on November 3, 1923. That night the Rens played a team of white players; interracial games featured regularly on their schedule, drawing the largest crowds. In its first years, the team strove to beat the Original Celtics
Original Celtics
The Original Celtics were a barnstorming professional basketball team in the 1920s. There is no relation to the modern Boston Celtics. The Original Celtics are often credited with extending the reach of basketball across America and for establishing the importance of aggressive defensive play...
, the dominant white team of the time, and claim the title of world champions: in their fifth encounter, the Rens did so for the first time, on December 20, 1925. During the 1932-33 regular season, the Rens compiled a record of 120-8 (six of those losses came at the hands of the Celtics, who the Rens did beat eight times). During that season, the Rens won 88 consecutive games, a mark that has never been matched by a professional basketball team. In 1939, the Rens won the first professional basketball championship, when they beat the Oshkosh All-Stars, a white team, 34-25, in the World Professional Basketball Tournament
World Professional Basketball Tournament
World Professional Basketball Tournament was an invitational tournament for professional basketball teams in the United States held in Chicago, Illinois by the Chicago Herald American. The annual event was held from 1939 to 1948...
in Chicago.
The team compiled a 2588-539 record over its history. Some of the longest-serving and best-known early Rens were Clarence "Fats" Jenkins
Fats Jenkins
Clarence Reginald "Fats" Jenkins was an African American professional baseball and basketball player from about 1920 to 1940 when both professional sports were racially segregated...
, Pappy Ricks, Eyre Saitch, Charles "Tarzan" Cooper
Tarzan Cooper
Charles "Tarzan" Cooper was an American professional basketball player. He is mostly known for his time with the New York Renaissance ....
, Bill Yancey, and "Wee" Willie Smith
Wee Willie Smith
William T. "Wee Willie" Smith was an American professional basketball player.The 6'5" Smith was one of the first great African American basketball players. He played for several amateur leagues in the Cleveland area before being signed by the New York Renaissance, an all-black professional team,...
. In 1936 the Renaissance became the first top-level team to sign a four-year African-American college star, David "Big Dave" DeJernett
David "Big Dave" DeJernett
David "Big Dave" DeJernett was a pioneer of integration in early basketball in the United States. He is best known for leading the integrated Washington Hatchets to the Indiana state title as a high school junior in the 1929-30 season....
of Indiana Central
University of Indianapolis
The University of Indianapolis is a university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The shortened name it uses is UIndy...
.
The Rens disbanded in 1949 after completing the 1948/49 season of the racially integrated National Basketball League
National Basketball League (United States)
Founded in 1937, the National Basketball League, often abbreviated to NBL, was a professional men's basketball league in the United States. The league would later merge with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association in 1949.- League history :The...
as the Dayton Rens
Dayton Rens
The Dayton Rens were a member of the USA National Basketball League for the 1948-49 season and were the only all-black team to play in a white league. This milestone came just one year after Jackie Robinson, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball...
based in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
. That was also the final season for the NBL, which merged with the all-white Basketball Association of America
Basketball Association of America
The Basketball Association of America was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. The league merged with the National Basketball League in 1949, forming the National Basketball Association ...
to form the also all-white National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
inducted the New York Renaissance collectively in 1963. Three of the Rens are individual members: Tarzan Cooper
Tarzan Cooper
Charles "Tarzan" Cooper was an American professional basketball player. He is mostly known for his time with the New York Renaissance ....
, Pop Gates
Pop Gates
William "Pop" Gates was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Decatur, Alabama and attended high school in New York, New York. After playing college basketball at Clark Atlanta University, he continued his basketball career in New York City with the Harlem Renaissance, for...
, and founder and coach Bob Douglas
Bob Douglas
Robert L. "Bob" Douglas was the founder of the New York Renaissance basketball team. Nicknamed the "Father of Black Professional Basketball", Douglas owned and coached the Rens from 1923 to 1949, guiding them to a 2,318-381 record...
.
External links
- Gaines, Jonathan. "Globetrotters weren't first B-ballers from Harlem". Actually they were from Chicago[Cleveland, OH] Call & Post. All-Ohio edition, February 10–16, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- Hareas, John. "Remembering the Rens". NBA Vintage Stories. No date. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- Kuska, Bob. Hot Potato: How Washington and New York Gave Birth to Black Basketball and Changed America’s Game Forever (University of Virginia Press, 2004)
- Smallwood, John. "Renaissance Five". Hoopedia. NBA.com. From the NBA Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2010-06-21.