Toronto Huskies
Encyclopedia
The Toronto Huskies were a team in the Basketball Association of America
(a forerunner of the National Basketball Association
) during the 1946–47 season
, based in Toronto
, Ontario
. The team compiled a 22–38 win-loss record in its only season before formally disbanding in the summer of 1947.
In 1946 a group of men who owned or operated the larger arenas in America held a meeting in New York, which was designed to establish what we now know as the NBA, the majority of them were involved with the NHL and needed to fill empty dates. The only Canadian delegation invited was from Maple Leaf Gardens. Frank Selke Sr who was in charge of the gardens while Conn Smyth was overseas got in touch with Ben Newman. Selke not only knew Newman because of his success coaching two Canadian national championship winning teams but also from holding a game in the gardens previously. The franchise cost approximately $150,000.00 funded mostly from Bay street backers in Toronto. “ I honestly think we could have made a go of the team” Newman once said “ But we were given the worst possible home dates.” Unfortunately Bens father took ill soon after the first game and had to leave the team to take over the family scrap and steel metal business in St. Catharines. Lack of co-operation from the papers, lack of talent on the court combined with thinning crowds despite the use of such gimmicks that included free stockings to all women in attendance could not make the team successful.
On November 1, 1946, they hosted the first game in BAA league history losing 68–66 to the New York Knickerbockers
before an opening night crowd of 7,090. Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knickerbockers against the Toronto Huskies.
On that night, anyone taller than George Nostrand
, the tallest Husky at 6'8", was given free admission. Attendance quickly dwindled and the Toronto Star
published an estimate that team owners Eric Cradock (co-owner of the Montreal Alouettes
football team) and Harold Shannon lost $100,000 in one season of operations.
Managing director of the Huskies was Lew Hayman
, coach and general manager of the Alouettes and future president of the Toronto Argonauts
and the Canadian Football League
, who had been a star basketball player at Syracuse University
. Charles Watson was team president. Ben Newman and Salter Hayden were the other co-founders. Annis Stukus
was also a member of the front office.
Future all-star Ed Sadowski
began the season as player-coach and was initially the team's top player. Three weeks into the season, with the team off to a poor start, the Star reported that the players had divided into two or three cliques that rarely spoke to each other. Sadowski's coaching was openly questioned and, just a month after the first game, he quit the team. After four games with interim coaches—Hayman coached one game, and Huskies player Dick Fitzgerald ruled the bench for three games—Hayman hired former Major League Baseball
player Red Rolfe
, who had also been coach of Yale University
's basketball team.
Hayman traded the playing rights to Sadowski to the Cleveland Rebels
for Leo Mogus, at the time one of the league's top scorers. Hayman had previously traded Nostrand to the Rebels for another 6'8" giant, Kleggie Hermsen
. In February 1947 the Huskies acquired the tallest player in the league, 7'1" Ralph Siewert, from the St. Louis Bombers
. Despite his height, Siewert averaged just 1.1 points per game with the Huskies and had the lowest field goal percentage
on the team.
The team's leading scorer was Mike McCarron, with 649 points in 60 games. He and Fitzgerald were the only players to appear in every game. Sadowski had the most points per game, averaging 19.1 points over his 10 games with the Huskies. Hank Biasatti
and Gino Sovran
were the only Canadians on the Huskies, each playing just six games.
Neither of the Huskies' head coaches (or their interim coaches) would coach another game in the BAA/NBA after their time in Toronto. Of the 20 players to make it to the floor for the Huskies, only five would go on to play 10 or more games in the BAA/NBA following the 1946–47 season: Sadowski, Mogus, Hermsen, Nostrand, and Dick Schulz
.
A certain group of Toronto basketball fans have created a 'Bring back the Huskies' campaign. A website was established, TorontoHuskies.org, to abolish the current Toronto Raptors
name and revert it back to the historical 'Huskies' name.
On December 8, 2009, the Raptors introduced a throwback jersey to commemorate the Huskies. The uniform was the same except the shorts were longer than the originals. These uniforms are to be worn on six games this season and then used in the future as retro jerseys. In addition, on the Raptors' website, a Huskies banner was introduced and during the game, the team was often referred to as the Huskies, rather than the Raptors.
|colspan="6" align="center" bgcolor="#0047AB"| Toronto Huskies (BAA)
|-
|1946-47
||22 ||38 ||.367 ||Did not qualify||
|-align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|Totals ||22 ||38 ||.367 || ||
|-align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|Playoffs ||0 ||0 ||.000 || ||
|-
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 ...
(a forerunner of the 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...
) during the 1946–47 season
1946–47 Toronto Huskies season
The 1946–47 BAA season was the Toronto Huskies' inaugural season. The NBA's first game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto over sixty years ago, on November 1, 1946. The New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball...
, based in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The team compiled a 22–38 win-loss record in its only season before formally disbanding in the summer of 1947.
Franchise history
The Huskies were founded in the BAA's inaugural season of 1946–47.In 1946 a group of men who owned or operated the larger arenas in America held a meeting in New York, which was designed to establish what we now know as the NBA, the majority of them were involved with the NHL and needed to fill empty dates. The only Canadian delegation invited was from Maple Leaf Gardens. Frank Selke Sr who was in charge of the gardens while Conn Smyth was overseas got in touch with Ben Newman. Selke not only knew Newman because of his success coaching two Canadian national championship winning teams but also from holding a game in the gardens previously. The franchise cost approximately $150,000.00 funded mostly from Bay street backers in Toronto. “ I honestly think we could have made a go of the team” Newman once said “ But we were given the worst possible home dates.” Unfortunately Bens father took ill soon after the first game and had to leave the team to take over the family scrap and steel metal business in St. Catharines. Lack of co-operation from the papers, lack of talent on the court combined with thinning crowds despite the use of such gimmicks that included free stockings to all women in attendance could not make the team successful.
On November 1, 1946, they hosted the first game in BAA league history losing 68–66 to the New York Knickerbockers
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
before an opening night crowd of 7,090. Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knickerbockers against the Toronto Huskies.
On that night, anyone taller than George Nostrand
George Nostrand
George Thomas Nostrand was an American professional basketball player.A 6'8" forward/center from High Point University and the University of Wyoming , Nostrand played four seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Toronto Huskies, Cleveland Rebels, Providence...
, the tallest Husky at 6'8", was given free admission. Attendance quickly dwindled and the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
published an estimate that team owners Eric Cradock (co-owner of the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
football team) and Harold Shannon lost $100,000 in one season of operations.
Managing director of the Huskies was Lew Hayman
Lew Hayman
Lewis Edward "Lew" Hayman was an American sports figure. He was one of the driving forces behind the Canadian Football League as coach, general manager, team president, and league president. As head coach, he was a five-time Grey Cup winner with three different teams...
, coach and general manager of the Alouettes and future president of the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
and the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, who had been a star basketball player at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. Charles Watson was team president. Ben Newman and Salter Hayden were the other co-founders. Annis Stukus
Annis Stukus
Annis Paul Stukus was a Canadian football player, coach and general manager, and ice hockey general manager....
was also a member of the front office.
Ed Sadowski (basketball)
Edward Anthony Sadowski was an American professional basketball player.Born in Akron, Ohio, Sadowski starred at Seton Hall University during the late 1930s and early 1940s. A 6'5" center, he led Seton Hall to its only undefeated season in 1939-1940...
began the season as player-coach and was initially the team's top player. Three weeks into the season, with the team off to a poor start, the Star reported that the players had divided into two or three cliques that rarely spoke to each other. Sadowski's coaching was openly questioned and, just a month after the first game, he quit the team. After four games with interim coaches—Hayman coached one game, and Huskies player Dick Fitzgerald ruled the bench for three games—Hayman hired former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Red Rolfe
Red Rolfe
Robert Abial "Red" Rolfe was an American third baseman, manager and front-office executive in Major League Baseball. A native of Penacook, New Hampshire, he is one of the most prominent players to come from the Granite State...
, who had also been coach of Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
's basketball team.
Hayman traded the playing rights to Sadowski to the Cleveland Rebels
Cleveland Rebels
The Cleveland Rebels were a Basketball Association of America team based in Cleveland, Ohio.-Franchise history:The Rebels were an inaugural franchise in the BAA's first season...
for Leo Mogus, at the time one of the league's top scorers. Hayman had previously traded Nostrand to the Rebels for another 6'8" giant, Kleggie Hermsen
Kleggie Hermsen
Clarence Henry "Kleggie" Hermsen was an American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-9 center from the University of Minnesota, Hermsen began his professional career with the Sheboygan Red Skins of the National Basketball League in 1943-44 and 1945-46...
. In February 1947 the Huskies acquired the tallest player in the league, 7'1" Ralph Siewert, from the St. Louis Bombers
St. Louis Bombers (NBA)
The St. Louis Bombers were a National Basketball Association team based in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1946. The team ceased operations in 1950.- Franchise history :...
. Despite his height, Siewert averaged just 1.1 points per game with the Huskies and had the lowest field goal percentage
Field goal percentage
Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Three-point field goals are included in this percentage. Instead of using scales of 0 to 100%, the scale .000 to 1.000 is commonly used. A higher field goal percentage denotes...
on the team.
The team's leading scorer was Mike McCarron, with 649 points in 60 games. He and Fitzgerald were the only players to appear in every game. Sadowski had the most points per game, averaging 19.1 points over his 10 games with the Huskies. Hank Biasatti
Hank Biasatti
Henry Arcado Biasatti was a Canadian National Basketball Association player and a Major League Baseball first baseman...
and Gino Sovran
Gino Sovran
Gino Sovran is a former National Basketball Association player.Born in Windsor, Ontario Sovran attended Kennedy Collegiate Institute and was a top basketball player at Assumption College, scoring more than 1,000 points over three seasons, and playing as team captain in the 1943-44 and 1944-45...
were the only Canadians on the Huskies, each playing just six games.
Neither of the Huskies' head coaches (or their interim coaches) would coach another game in the BAA/NBA after their time in Toronto. Of the 20 players to make it to the floor for the Huskies, only five would go on to play 10 or more games in the BAA/NBA following the 1946–47 season: Sadowski, Mogus, Hermsen, Nostrand, and Dick Schulz
Dick Schulz
Richard A. Schulz was an American professional basketball player.A 6'2" forward/guard from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Schulz played four seasons in the Basketball Association of America/National Basketball Association as a member of the Cleveland Rebels, Toronto Huskies, Baltimore...
.
A certain group of Toronto basketball fans have created a 'Bring back the Huskies' campaign. A website was established, TorontoHuskies.org, to abolish the current Toronto Raptors
Toronto Raptors
The Toronto Raptors are a professional basketball team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1995, along with the Vancouver Grizzlies, as part of the NBA's re-expansion...
name and revert it back to the historical 'Huskies' name.
On December 8, 2009, the Raptors introduced a throwback jersey to commemorate the Huskies. The uniform was the same except the shorts were longer than the originals. These uniforms are to be worn on six games this season and then used in the future as retro jerseys. In addition, on the Raptors' website, a Huskies banner was introduced and during the game, the team was often referred to as the Huskies, rather than the Raptors.
Seasons
|-|colspan="6" align="center" bgcolor="#0047AB"| Toronto Huskies (BAA)
|-
|1946-47
1946–47 Toronto Huskies season
The 1946–47 BAA season was the Toronto Huskies' inaugural season. The NBA's first game was played at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto over sixty years ago, on November 1, 1946. The New York Knickerbockers defeated the Toronto Huskies 68–66 at Maple Leaf Gardens. The teams were part of the Basketball...
||22 ||38 ||.367 ||Did not qualify||
|-align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|Totals ||22 ||38 ||.367 || ||
|-align="center" bgcolor="#efefef"
|Playoffs ||0 ||0 ||.000 || ||
|-
Roster
- Mike McCarron G
- Leo MogusLeo MogusLeo Mogus was an American professional basketball player.A 6'4" forward/center, Mogus played at Youngstown State University from 1939 to 1943, where he scored 1,400 points. Mogus also played football at the school...
F/C - Red Wallace G
- Dick FitzgeraldDick Fitzgerald (basketball)Richard Fitzgerald was an American professional basketball player.A 6'2" forward from Fordham University, Fitzgerald played parts of two seasons in the Basketball Association of America as a member of the Toronto Huskies and Providence Steamrollers. He averaged 4.5 points in 61 games...
F - Kleggie HermsenKleggie HermsenClarence Henry "Kleggie" Hermsen was an American professional basketball player.A 6-foot-9 center from the University of Minnesota, Hermsen began his professional career with the Sheboygan Red Skins of the National Basketball League in 1943-44 and 1945-46...
F/C - Dick SchulzDick SchulzRichard A. Schulz was an American professional basketball player.A 6'2" forward/guard from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Schulz played four seasons in the Basketball Association of America/National Basketball Association as a member of the Cleveland Rebels, Toronto Huskies, Baltimore...
F/G - Roy Hurley F/G
- Bob Mullens G
- Ed SadowskiEd Sadowski (basketball)Edward Anthony Sadowski was an American professional basketball player.Born in Akron, Ohio, Sadowski starred at Seton Hall University during the late 1930s and early 1940s. A 6'5" center, he led Seton Hall to its only undefeated season in 1939-1940...
C - Harry MillerHarry MillerHarry Miller may refer to:*Harry Miller , American basketball player *Harry Miller , American college basketball coach at North Texas, Wichita State, Stephen F...
F/C - Charlie Hoefer G
- Frank Fucarino F
- Bob FitzgeraldBob FitzgeraldBob Fitzgerald is a TV play-by-play voice for the Golden State Warriors and San Jose SaberCats on CSN Bay Area, and is a co-host of the show Fitz and Brooks on KNBR with co-host Rod Brooks.-Education:...
F/C - George NostrandGeorge NostrandGeorge Thomas Nostrand was an American professional basketball player.A 6'8" forward/center from High Point University and the University of Wyoming , Nostrand played four seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Toronto Huskies, Cleveland Rebels, Providence...
F/C - Nat MilitzokNat MilitzokNathan "Nat" Militzok was an American basketball player, who played the forward position for various teams, including the New York Knicks.-Early life:...
F - Ray Wertis G
- Ralph Siewert C
- Ed Kasid G
- Gino SovranGino SovranGino Sovran is a former National Basketball Association player.Born in Windsor, Ontario Sovran attended Kennedy Collegiate Institute and was a top basketball player at Assumption College, scoring more than 1,000 points over three seasons, and playing as team captain in the 1943-44 and 1944-45...
F/G - Hank BiasattiHank BiasattiHenry Arcado Biasatti was a Canadian National Basketball Association player and a Major League Baseball first baseman...
G