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41-637: The team's roots lay in the New York Celtics team that disbanded during World War I. In 1918, James Furey assembled his own team around a nucleus of those truly "original" Celtics, adding other players mostly from the West Side of New York City, and defiantly called his new squad the Original Celtics. Initially they played in various struggling professional leagues, before becoming primarily a touring squad which traveled up to 150,000 miles

82-663: A 2-season span. After ending the 1923 season undefeated, the "Wonder Five" were proclaimed nationally; the Detroit Free Press wrote: "Not only has this team been the best Franklin College ever had, but it is considered as the best collegiate team ever seen in Hoosierdom , the basketball center of the world." Later Coach Wagner turned down an offer to play the New York Celtics , the top professional team in

123-542: A 6'1" (1.85 m) standing guard who some credit with introducing the modern concept of pivot play. When ballhandling wizard Nat Holman (later to coach national championship teams at CCNY ) was signed to play for then-coach John Whitty in 1922, the Original Celtics hit their stride. During the 1921/22 season, the team replaced the New York Giants, whose owner also owned the Whirlwinds during the 1st half. During

164-551: A banner proclaiming the "Wonder Five" as national college champions of 1923. In 1986, Phillip Ellett wrote a history of the team, entitled The Franklin Wonder Five: A Complete History of the Legendary Basketball Team . American Basketball League (1925%E2%80%9355) The American Basketball League ( ABL ) was an early professional basketball league. During six seasons from 1925–26 to 1930–31,

205-400: A doubt the team's top star, got into a dispute with owner Max Rosenblum , thus leading to his contract being sold to Chicago. Cleveland also lost Vic Hanson, who had been one of the top college stars, but did not like the rough style of the pro level, and also did not care for the overall lack of playing time he was getting. The Celtics represented the borough of Brooklyn, which had been without

246-493: A major beneficiary at mid-season of National League players, finished second. The most important addition to the Indiana club was Benny Borgmann, who quickly established him as the league’s premier offensive star. Washington and Philadelphia followed in third and fourth place, while first-half winner Cleveland slumped badly to fifth place. Cleveland's fall was precipitated by the hasty mid-season departure of star Honey Russell, who

287-490: A match with the New York Celtics , they twice defeated the Omars, a professional Midwest team. The boys had started playing together as children and developed synergy. In high school, they thrived under the coaching of Ernest "Griz" Wagner and had a 104 to 10 win/loss record in their four years. After their high school successes, most members of the team followed Wagner to Franklin College , where he became basketball coach. At

328-686: A part owner of the NFL's Cleveland Bulldogs , financed the Cleveland Rosenblums . Future NFL ( Washington Redskins ) owner George Preston Marshall , the owner of a chain of laundries, was owner of the Washington Palace Five . Other teams were the Boston Whirlwinds , Brooklyn Arcadians , Buffalo Bisons , Detroit Pulaski Post Five , Fort Wayne Hoosiers , and Rochester Centrals . The New York Celtics were one of

369-636: A six-foot, nine inch rookie star from Georgia Tech . However, there would never be a dynasty for Cleveland. The stock market crash took its toll on the ABL. During the 1930–31 season, Max Rosenblum shocked the world of basketball when he announced that his Cleveland team would cease operations. Rosenblum was unable to pay the contracts that his players had signed. George Halas at the end of the season, opted to fold his struggling Chicago Bruins club, and Toledo, which featured three former Celtics stars (Denhert, Lapchick, and Berry) shockingly finished in last place, with

410-553: A team after the Brooklyn Arcadians dropped out of the league. The Celtics assumed Brooklyn's 0–5 start. The league also lost the team in Detroit, which dropped out after a 0–6 start. Once again, the ABL placed a team in Detroit, and once again it was a failure. Detroit was 5-13 when it opted to disband on January 3, 1927. The Washington franchise was shifted to Brooklyn on that same day. The Celtics this time represented

451-527: A year while completing a 150–200 game schedule. They won about ninety percent of their games and finished 1922–23 with the unbelievable record of 193–11–1. Hoping to claim an undisputed national championship, they challenged the nationally famous Franklin Wonder Five , but the Franklin coach refused as his team "was too tired" after a grueling year. The team's first dominant player was "Dutch" Dehnert ,

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492-794: The 1922/23 season, the team took over the Atlantic City franchise when it was 4–7 and won five of six games before the Eastern League folded in January, 1923. They also competed in the Metropolitan League but dropped out of the league during the 1st half after going 12–0. Other outstanding individual players on these squads were another "big man", Joe Lapchick ; John Beckman , called the "Babe Ruth of Basketball"; George "Horse" Haggerty; John "Pete" Barry; and speedy Davey Banks. American Basketball League owners meeting during

533-431: The 1926–27 season, the team replaced the Brooklyn Arcadians after five games and took the name Brooklyn Celtics . By the next season, they had returned to the name, New York Celtics . After winning back-to-back ABL championships in 1926–27 and 1927–28, the team was broken up. An attempt to return the team for the 1929–30 season failed, and the team dropped out of the league during the first half on December 10, 1929. Later

574-542: The ABL continued business as usual. Former Celtics owner Jim Furey had just been released from prison, and put together a new version of the Celtics. However, the players were quickly becoming past their prime, and Nat Holman didn't play weekend games because he was a coach for the City College of New York . However, Cleveland still managed to win the league title, defeated Rochester and their star player, Tiny Hearn

615-706: The ABL was the first attempt to create a major professional basketball league in the United States. Joseph Carr , who was in 1925 the president of then-new National Football League , organized the ABL from nine of the best independent pro teams from the East and the Midwest. George Halas of the NFL Chicago Bears was the owner of the Chicago Bruins , and department store magnate Max Rosenblum,

656-502: The American Basketball League, or they could try and schedule games against lesser competition, thus possibly losing out on drawing bigger crowds. In the end, ownership decided that it was worth the draw to join the ABL, so they did. the team won the league title. They defeated Cleveland, which, despite still being a good team, was not the dominant force that had won the title the year before. Honey Russell , without

697-542: The Brooklyn club to fill the gaps in his lineup left by the National League raids. The newcomers joined Rusty Saunders, Ray Kennedy and George Glasco to restore Marshall’s Palace Five club to its place among the ABL pre-season favorites. Cleveland returned with championship squad intact and further strengthened by the addition of Ohio State rookie Cookie Cunningham and valuable swingman Gil Ely. With Brooklyn out of

738-474: The Celtics, but they were already under financial stress due to the June indictment of owner Jim Furry for embezzling $ 190,000 from a New York business. Then, in early October, just a month before the ABL season was to get underway, the Celtics bolted to the newly organized National Basketball League. The new league operated solely in and around the metropolitan New York City, but despite its geographical limitations

779-526: The Celtics, who despite being a dominant team, never drew well at home. Cleveland, through purchase and trades, ended up with nearly all of the Celtics players on their roster. Cleveland ran away with the title, defeating Fort Wayne four games to none in the playoffs. The New York Stock Market crashed on October 29, 1929. John J. O'Brien the League's president, took the viewpoint that the " Great Depression " economic / financial slump would not last long, and

820-464: The Detroit and Brooklyn clubs from the ABL, and then awarded the latter franchise to the incoming Celtics. Finally, he bolstered the Baltimore franchise with players from the suddenly defunct NBL. In a single stroke, Carr had signed basketball’s most famous team, thwarted the upstart NBL, and provided his league with an additional pool of dozens of top players. The Original Celtics quickly waded into

861-572: The Great Depression. After more than two years, the league was reorganized in 1933, but as an East Coast league, with teams in Pennsylvania and New York City metro area. The league did take some measures to help modernize the game. One of the major issues that had plagued basketball was players jumping from team to team. To combat this, teams began signing players to contracts. Often these contracts went up to $ 1,500 per month, which

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902-422: The city of New York. Joe Lapchick , Nat Holman , Pete Berry , Dutch Dehnert and Davey Banks led the New York Celtics to a 40–9 record. The playoffs saw Fort Wayne defeat Cleveland 2 games to 0, and New York defeated Philadelphia 2 games to zero. New York defeated Fort Wayne 3 games to 1 in the championship series. The playoffs would be Philadelphia's last appearance in the league, as the team folded, becoming

943-547: The nation, saying his team was "ready for a rest". The leading scorer on the Wonder Five was "Fuzzy" Vandivier . In 1924, the Chicago Tribune named him one of the "Five Best Players" in the nation. Coach John Wooden , of UCLA fame, considered Fuzzy the greatest high school basketball player he had ever seen. After graduation, Vandivier returned to Franklin High School as the basketball coach. In 1939 he led

984-476: The next two ABL titles. During their first full season in the ABL, their dominance was so absolute that fans in other cities took up the cry, "Break up the Celtics!" In response, the league disbanded the Celtics and apportioned their players to the other teams. The strategy backfired as game attendance plummeted and, further deflated by the Great Depression , the ABL folded after the 1931 season. During

1025-458: The other owners over the status of the Celtics, refused to take part in the second half of the season and dropped out of the league. Five games into the 1926–27 season, the original Celtics were fully admitted to replace the Brooklyn franchise, and won 32 of the remaining 37 games. For the 1927–28 season, the ABL had an Eastern (New York, Philadelphia, Rochester and Washington) and Western (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit and Fort Wayne) division, with

1066-457: The picture, Gottlieb’s new Philadelphia entry became the third contender. The Quakers (later known as the Warriors) showcased a Who’s Who of former Eastern League stars including George Artus, Tom Barlow, Stretch Meehan, Soup Campbell, and Chickie Passon. Three weeks into the new season, the favorites were all performing up to expectations, but the league had serious problems at the other end of

1107-487: The race for first-half honors of the ABL, winning 13 of 16 games, but the 0–5 record they were forced to inherit from the Arcadians was impossible to overcome. Cleveland captured first place by one game over Washington with Philadelphia in third and the Celtics in fourth place. Starting with a fresh slate, the Celtics quickly took charge of the second half of the season with nine straight victories. Fort Wayne, which had been

1148-414: The standings. Brooklyn, Detroit and Baltimore were all winless and showing few signs of improvement. President Carr acted quickly and ruthlessly to solve the dilemma. First, he moved to destroy the foundation of the upstart National League, by secretly negotiating with the Celtics to jump to the ABL. As anticipated, the Celtics' departure triggered an immediate collapse of the rival league. Next, Carr expelled

1189-412: The summer of 1926 were generally pleased by the results of the league's inaugural session. Only Buffalo had not signed up for the second season. League President Joe Carr had signed three new members in Baltimore, New York, and Philadelphia. The latter two were of particular importance to the league's credibility. Two Philadelphia boxing promoters, Jules Aronson and Max Hoff were recruited by Carr to finance

1230-459: The team and Eddie Gottlieb was hired to run the team. The situation in New York was considerably less clear. The Original Celtics signed to represent New York, but they were reluctant recruits at best. After last season, Carr had banned any ABL team from playing games against the Celtics, drying up some of their most lucrative exhibition dates. In the past, such a tactic would not have intimidated

1271-528: The team to a runner-up in the state basketball tournament. He retired from coaching in 1944 but continued as the school's athletic director, as well as teaching history. Since the years of the "Wonder Five", the Franklin High School team took the nickname of Grizzly Cubs, and Franklin College athletic teams took the Grizzlies, both in honor of "Griz" Wagner. In 1980, Franklin College unveiled

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1312-573: The team, sponsored by popular singer Kate Smith , also played in the ABL in the 1936–37 and 1937–38 as New York Celtics and in 1938–39 as Kingston Colonials ; in this last year with the ABL, they won the regular season but lost in playoffs. The Original Celtics briefly reorganized as a barnstorming team in the 1930s, but never replicated their initial glory. Notable players with the Original Celtics include: Franklin Wonder Five The Franklin Wonder Five

1353-500: The third league team to revoke their presence. During the 1927–28 season, the league divided the league into divisions, Eastern and Western. The 1928–29 season saw the format discarded. The Celtics were dominant, to the point that the league was suffering. The rally cry of "Break up the Celtics" was heeded. Players were dispersed to other teams, and this also resolved an issue for Celtics owner Jim Furey, who had issues with Madison Square Garden management. The arena's owners sought to evict

1394-430: The time, total enrollment of the college was around 350 students. The "Wonder Five" team took on those of large universities, including Notre Dame , Illinois , Purdue , and Wisconsin . The team was undefeated in its first college season of 1922–23 and became national champions. It was not until February 1924 that the team suffered its first defeat, by Butler University , ending a string of 50 consecutive victories over

1435-454: The top teams at the time, but declined to join the ABL, instead opting to be an "at large" team. The league adopted a format with a split season that was divided into two halves, with the winner of the first half playing the winner of the second half for the championship. The 1925–26 season saw Cleveland, the second half winner, defeat Brooklyn, winner of the first half of the season, three games to none. The Boston Whirlwinds, in conflict with

1476-493: The two best teams in each division going to playoffs, and a championship between the playoff winners. Playing in Madison Square Garden , the Celtics finished with a 40–9 record in the regular season and won the championship. However, at season's end, the team was voted out of the league by the other owners. The ABL played three more seasons and then, with only five teams playing at the end of 1930–31, folded during

1517-584: Was a 1920s basketball team from Indiana's " Hoosier Hysteria " era. With basketball king in Indiana, the team from Franklin was dubbed the "Wonder Five". This small town about 20 miles south of Indianapolis produced a team that captured the Indiana State Basketball Championship three years in succession, 1920–1922. They became national college champions in 1923, playing with Franklin College and staying undefeated against teams from major universities. While they passed on

1558-447: Was considerably more than what an average laborer was making at the time ($ 15 per week). New rules that were implemented included making backboards mandatory, adding a three-second lane violation, and implementing foul outs. The ABL also eliminated the double dribble, which was done to encourage many of the game's top college stars to play in the league. One of the early stars for the league was Cleveland's Honey Russell whose 7.4 points

1599-522: Was exiled to Chicago after a disagreement with team owner Max Rosenblum. The Celtics easily disposed of the weakened Cleveland team in three straight games to take the ABL championship. In 1926, the American Basketball League , developed by sports entrepreneur George Preston Marshall , effectively railroaded the team into joining its ranks by prohibiting member teams from playing against them. The Original Celtics responded by winning

1640-510: Was stocked with some of the best players in the country. After pulling off a coup by signing the Original Celtics, the NBL brashly raided ABL rosters for additional players. The Brooklyn Arcadians were particularly hard hit, losing stars Red Conaty and Rody Cooney, while Washington lost starters Teddy Kearns and Bob Grody. Washington owner George Preston Marshall completed the destruction of the Arcadians by luring Elmer Ripley and Tillie Voss away from

1681-420: Was the second highest average in the league. Cleveland drew well, bringing in nearly 10,000 fans a game, while Brooklyn could only draw around 2,000. The league knew they had a problem when it came to the Celtics. So the league opted to force the hands of the Celtics ownership. The teams in the league agreed prohibiting any games against the Celtics, and this left the Celtics with a dilemma. They could either join

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