San Francisco Saints
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Saints were a traveling basketball team composed of Chinese Americans that was formed in the 1950s. The team was founded by Father Donal F. Forrester, who was serving as pastor and director of St. Mary's Chinese Catholic Center/Holy Family Parish in San Francisco
's Chinatown
.
The Saints were one of the best known and successful Chinese teams. The team competed against Asian and Non-Asian teams all across California
and the United States
. One of the major competitions that the Saints participated in was the North American Chinese Basketball Association (NACBA) Invitational Basketball tournament. The tournament, started in 1981 recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The Saints dominated the early years of the tournament, winning 10 out of the first 11 championships.
The team still exists and won the NACBA championship in 1998, finished 2nd in 1999 and won the championship for the 35 and Over Division in 2003. The team, with some local talent, still competes under the Saints name in some Bay Area adult leagues.
St. Mary's Chinese Catholic Center also adopted the name of the Saints for its 3rd to 8th grade grammar school sports teams.
An offshoot of the Saints team, the San Francisco Duke, has carried the legacy of the Saints on. The Duke team has continued to compete and play in leagues and tournaments as the Saints did in years past. To honor the memory of the Saints, the San Francisco Duke team combined with some of the older Saints players to form the San Francisco Duke/Saints to participate in the 25th Annual NACBA tournament in Chicago. The combined team played well but lost to the Seattle Bladerunners in the championship.
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
's Chinatown
Chinatown, San Francisco, California
San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Since its establishment in 1848, it has been highly important and influential in the history and culture of ethnic Chinese immigrants to the United States and North America...
.
The Saints were one of the best known and successful Chinese teams. The team competed against Asian and Non-Asian teams all across California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. One of the major competitions that the Saints participated in was the North American Chinese Basketball Association (NACBA) Invitational Basketball tournament. The tournament, started in 1981 recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary. The Saints dominated the early years of the tournament, winning 10 out of the first 11 championships.
The team still exists and won the NACBA championship in 1998, finished 2nd in 1999 and won the championship for the 35 and Over Division in 2003. The team, with some local talent, still competes under the Saints name in some Bay Area adult leagues.
St. Mary's Chinese Catholic Center also adopted the name of the Saints for its 3rd to 8th grade grammar school sports teams.
An offshoot of the Saints team, the San Francisco Duke, has carried the legacy of the Saints on. The Duke team has continued to compete and play in leagues and tournaments as the Saints did in years past. To honor the memory of the Saints, the San Francisco Duke team combined with some of the older Saints players to form the San Francisco Duke/Saints to participate in the 25th Annual NACBA tournament in Chicago. The combined team played well but lost to the Seattle Bladerunners in the championship.