The
Toronto Huskies were a team in the
Basketball Association of AmericaThe 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 .-History:...
(a forerunner of the
National Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league, composed of thirty teams in North America . It is an active member of USA Basketball , which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body for basketball in the United States...
) during the
1946–47 seasonThe 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
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
. The team compiled a 22–38 win-loss record in its only season before formally disbanding in the summer of 1947.
The Huskies were founded in the BAA's inaugural season of 1946–47.
On November 1 1946, they hosted the first game in BAA league history losing 68–66 to the
New York KnickerbockersThe New York Knickerbockers, known familiarly as the Knicks, are a professional National Basketball Association team based in New York City, and the most valuable franchise in the league, valued at $608 million...
before an opening night crowd of 7,090.
| Toronto Huskies |
 |
| Division |
Eastern |
| Founded |
1946 |
| Folded |
1947 |
| Home court |
Maple Leaf GardensMaple Leaf Gardens is an indoor arena in Toronto, on the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto's Garden District. It still stands, as of 2009, but has seen little use in the past decade....
|
| Colours |
Blue and White |
| BAA/NBA Championships |
0 |
| Conference Championships |
0 |
| Playoff Appearances |
0 |
| Head coach |
Ed Sadowski Edward Frank Sadowski was an American professional basketball player.A 6'5" center, Sadowski starred at Seton Hall University during the late 1930s and early 1940s. He led Seton Hall to its only undefeated season in 1939-1940...
, Lew HaymanLewis Edward "Lew" Hayman 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...
, Dick Fitzgerald and Red RolfeRobert 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...
|
| General manager |
Lew Hayman Lewis Edward "Lew" Hayman 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...
|
| Owners |
Eric Cradock and Harold Shannon |
The
Toronto Huskies were a team in the
Basketball Association of AmericaThe 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 .-History:...
(a forerunner of the
National Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is a professional basketball league, composed of thirty teams in North America . It is an active member of USA Basketball , which is recognized by the International Basketball Federation as the National Governing Body for basketball in the United States...
) during the
1946–47 seasonThe 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
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
. 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.
On November 1 1946, they hosted the first game in BAA league history losing 68–66 to the
New York KnickerbockersThe New York Knickerbockers, known familiarly as the Knicks, are a professional National Basketball Association team based in New York City, and the most valuable franchise in the league, valued at $608 million...
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 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...
, the tallest Husky at 6'8", was given free admission. Attendance quickly dwindled and the
Toronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, though 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 AlouettesThe Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current incarnation of 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 HaymanLewis Edward "Lew" Hayman 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 ArgonautsThe Toronto Argonauts are a Canadian Football League team based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1873, they are one of the oldest extant professional sports teams in North America. The Argonauts have won the Grey Cup championship a record fifteen times, most recently in 2004...
and the
Canadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located entirely in Canada.Its eight teams, which are located in eight cities, are divided into two divisions of four teams each . The league's nineteen-week regular season runs from mid-June to early November. Each team plays...
, who had been a star basketball player at
Syracuse UniversitySyracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, U.S.A.. It was founded as a university in 1870, but its roots can be traced back to a seminary founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832 which eventually became Genesee College...
. Charles Watson was team president. Ben Newman and Salter Hayden were the other co-founders.
Annis StukusAnnis Paul Stukus was a Canadian football player, coach and general manager, and ice hockey general manager....
was also a member of the front office.
Future all-star
Ed SadowskiEdward Frank Sadowski was an American professional basketball player.A 6'5" center, Sadowski starred at Seton Hall University during the late 1930s and early 1940s. 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 BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball. Specifically, Major League Baseball refers to the organization that operates the National League and the American League, by means of a joint organizational structure that has developed gradually between...
player
Red RolfeRobert 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 UniversityYale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five...
's basketball team.
Hayman traded the playing rights to Sadowski to the
Cleveland RebelsThe 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 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...
. In February 1947 the Huskies acquired the tallest player in the league, 7'1" Ralph Siewert, from the
St. Louis BombersThe 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 percentageField 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 BiasattiHenry Arcado Biasatti was a Canadian National Basketball Association player and a Major League Baseball first baseman...
and
Gino SovranGino Sovran is a former National Basketball Association player.Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 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...
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 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...
.
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 RaptorsThe 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 expansion...
name and revert it back to the historical 'Huskies' name.
Seasons
|-
|colspan="6" align="center" bgcolor="#0047AB"|
Toronto Huskies (BAA)
|-
|1946-47The 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 Mogus F/C
- Red Wallace G
- Dick Fitzgerald
Dick Fitzgerald was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Dr. Crokes and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1903 until 1923. Fitzgerald captained Kerry to back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 1913 and 1914-Biography:Dick was born in College...
F
- 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...
F/C
- 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...
F/G
- Roy Hurley F/G
- Bob Mullens G
- Ed Sadowski
Edward Roman Sadowski was a catcher in Major League Baseball who played from through for the Boston Red Sox , Los Angeles Angels and Atlanta Braves . Sadowski batted and threw right-handed. He debuted on April 20, 1960 and played his final game on October, 1966...
C
- Harry Miller
Harry Miller may refer to:*Harry Miller , Australian rules footballer with Hawthorn, drafted in 2003*Harry Miller , South African musician, exiled to England, founder of Ogun Records...
F/C
- Charlie Hoefer G
- Frank Fucarino F
- Bob Fitzgerald
Bob Fitzgerald is a TV play-by-play voice for the Golden State Warriors and San Jose SaberCats , and is a co-host of the show Fitz and Brooks on KNBR with co-host Rod Brooks .-Education:...
F/C
- 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...
F/C
- Nat Militzok F
- Ray Wertis G
- Ralph Siewert C
- Ed Kasid G
- Gino Sovran
Gino Sovran is a former National Basketball Association player.Born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 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...
F/G
- Hank Biasatti
Henry Arcado Biasatti was a Canadian National Basketball Association player and a Major League Baseball first baseman...
G
See also
- 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 expansion...
- Canada Basketball
Canada Basketball is a non-profit organization and the governing body for basketball in Canada . This national federation was founded in 1928...
- List of defunct National Basketball Association teams