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St. Louis Basketball

In 1946 The Basketball Association of America (BAA) is comprised of 11 teams in two divisions: Boston Celtics, Chicago Stags, Cleveland Rebels, Detroit Falcons, New York Knickerbockers, Philadelphia Warriors, Pittsburgh Ironmen, Providence Steamrollers, St Louis Bombers, Toronto and Washington Capitols. In 1948 four teams from the more established National Basketball League (NBL) are added to the BAA: Ft Wayne Pistons, Indianapolis Jets, Minneapolis Lakers and Rochester Royals (12-teams, 2 divisions). In 1949 the six remaining NBL franchises—Anderson (IN) Packers, Denver Nuggets, Indianapolis Olympians, Sheboygan (WI) Redskins, Syracuse Nationals, Tri-Cities Blackhawks and Waterloo (IA) Hawks—join along with the new Indianapolis Olympians; the BAA becomes the National Basketball Association; Providence Steamrollers and Indianapolis Jets drop out (17-teams, 3 divisions). In 1950 six teams drop out: Anderson Packers, Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets, Sheboygan Redskins, St Louis Bombers and Waterloo Hawks (11 teams, 2 divisions).

What is a Billiken? Several details seem to be certain. Everyone agrees that the Billiken is a good-luck figure who represents "things as they ought to be." The designer of the Billiken also seems to be fact. Florence Pretz, a Missouri art teacher and illustrator, patented her "design for an image" of the jovial creature in 1908. It's also known that the Billiken was manufactured in the early 1900s as a bank and statuette and was the national rage for about six months -- kind of that period's pet rock. During this time, the Billiken was turned into all sorts of things: dolls, marshmallow candies, metal banks, hatpins, pickle forks, belt buckles, auto hood ornaments, salt and pepper shakers and glass bottles. Legend has it that the Billiken has three kinds of luck – good, better and best. To buy a Billiken gave the buyer luck. To have one given to you is better luck. The best luck came if the Billiken were stolen. How the name became associated with Saint Louis University remains a hotly debated issue. Whatever version you accept, it happened between 1910 and 1911 at the height of Billikenmania. The generally accepted version of the story can be traced back to two St. Louis sportswriters who felt the SLU football coach, John Bender, bore a striking resemblance to the impish creature. William O’Connor and Charles Z. McNamara noticed the similarity one afternoon at practice as Bender was especially satisfied with his team’s performance. Looking at the coach with a broad grin and squinty eyes, O’Connor exclaimed, "Why Bender’s a regular Billiken!” After practice, McNamara drew a cartoon of Bender as a Billiken, posted it in a local drugstore window and tabbed the football team "Bender’s Billikens.” The sporting public took up the name with such enthusiasm that it soon became the official nickname of all SLU teams.

The first Saint Louis University Billiken team was formed for the 1915-16 season. The team joined Missouri Valley Conference in 1937 and beginning in 1975 they played in the Metro Conference. Starting in 1982 they played in the Midwestern City Conference (changed name to Midwestern Collegiate Conference in 1985) and commencing in 1991 they played in the Great Midwest Conference. Conference USA was founded in 1995 by the merger of the Metro Conference and Great Midwest Conference, two Division I conferences that did not sponsor football. The St. Louis University Billiken Basketball team is a charter member of Conference USA. The widespread NCAA conference realignment affected the Billikens, as they made the move from Conference USA to the Atlantic 10 in 2005.

In 1992, St. Louis city officials recognized the size inadequacy of the Auditorium as well as the need for a new, state-of-the-art-arena. Kiel Auditorium was torn down in December 1992 to make way for the construction of the multi-purpose Kiel Center, which was opened in 1994. The adjoining Kiel Opera House remains for renovation as a smaller venue. In August 2000, naming rights for the building were sold to SAVVIS Communications Corporation. The building is now known as Savvis Center and is the home of the St. Louis Blues Hockey Club and the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team. The glory days of Kiel Auditorium are gone, but for those you have attended functions there its memory will not be forgotten.

Hawks

The franchise, Hawks, was formed in 1946 as the Tri-City Blackhawks of the National Basketball League; it was based in the tri-city area between Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. When the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA, the Blackhawks reached the playoffs in the NBA's inaugural year. Led by coach Red Auerbach, the Blackhawks had a successful year. In 1951, however, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee and became the Hawks. In 1953, the Hawks drafted Bob Pettit, a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the Hawks were one the league's worst teams, and in 1955 the Hawks moved yet again, this time to St. Louis, Missouri.

The Henry W. Kiel Municipal Auditorium (aka Kiel Auditorium) was a St. Louis landmark for its years of existence at 15th and Market Streets. Originally known as the Municipal Auditorium, it was officially named in honor of former St. Louis mayor Henry W. Kiel on March 26, 1943. Kiel, mayor from 1913-1925, was a strong supporter of the arts, had encouraged the idea of a municipal auditorium and helped that concept become a reality. Opening on April 14, 1934, the original building had seats for 11,500 in the convention hall and 3,500 in the Opera House. It served as the home court of the St. Louis Hawks professional basketball team and the Saint Louis University Billikens basketball team.

With acquisitions in the draft and free agency, the Hawks became of the league's top teams. In 1957, the team advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime thriller in game seven. In 1958, the Hawks again advanced to the NBA Finals under coach Alex Hannum and captured their only NBA Championship in game 6 against the Celtics.

The Hawks remained one the NBA's premier teams for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed Macauley, the team advanced to the Finals yet again, but lost- again- to the Celtics in yet another game seven thriller. The following year, with the acquisition of rookie Lenny Wilkens, the Hawks repeated their success, but met the Celtics in the Finals again and lost in five games. The next few years the Hawks remained contenders, every year advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. In 1968 the team moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

"Easy" Ed Macauley

"Easy" Ed Macauley

He glided down the lanes of the NBA for easy layups and precise hook shots, frustrating many of the game's greatest big men. A two-time All-America at St. Louis University, "Easy" Ed Macauley earned MVP honors in the 1948 NIT and in 1949 was named the Associated Press Player of the Year. In 1949, "Easy" Ed started his 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Bombers. The Bombers disbanded and Ed was selected by the Boston Celtics in the 1950 NBA dispersal draft. With the Celtics, Ed teamed with fellow Hall of Famers Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, to form a trio regarded as one of the greatest scoring combinations in pro basketball history.

In 1956, as a result of a trade that included the draft rights to Bill Russell, Macauley returned home to play for the St. Louis Hawks. Two years later, he teamed with Bob Pettit in leading St. Louis to the 1958 NBA title. A seven-time NBA All-Star, Macauley earned MVP honors in the first NBA All-Star Game in 1951, scoring 20 points and grabbing six rebounds. Macauley later coached St. Louis to a pair of Western Division titles. At age 32, he became the youngest person enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

Bob Pettit

Bob Pettit, the man who was named to the NBA's 25th, 35th and 50th Anniversary All-Time teams, was unceremoniously cut from his Baton Rouge High School teams as a freshman and sophomore. It wasn't until Pettit's father, a county sheriff, implored him to practice in the backyard that Robert Jr. made the grade. He became a starter as a junior and led Baton Rouge to its first State Championship in more than 20 years as a senior. Pettit was lean, graceful and always well-conditioned, traits that made him one of the first big men to play facing the basket. Pettit's work ethic set him apart from his peers: he simply would not be outworked by his competitors. This nose-to-the-grindstone attitude made him a three-time All-SEC center and two-time All-America at Louisiana State University. Although Pettit averaged 27.8 points per game throughout his career at LSU, many were skeptical about his ability to make the transition from college basketball to the rough-and-tough NBA. Pettit's "lean stature" wasn't a detriment.

He was the Milwaukee Hawks'first draft choice in 1954, and enjoyed an 11-year career spent entirely with the Hawks organization, which moved to St. Louis in 1955. Pettit began his career by being named the NBA Rookie of the Year. As a mark of true consistency, Pettit played in 11 straight All-Star Games and was named All-Star Game MVP in 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1962. Pettit was the league's MVP in 1956 (25.7 ppg) and 1959 (29.2 ppg), yet his best season came in 1962, when he averaged 31.1 points and 18.7 rebounds per game. Pettit was named All-NBA First Team in his first 10 seasons and guided the Hawks to the 1958 NBA championship. The superbly conditioned Pettit retired in 1965, and at the time, was the league's highest scorer (20,880) and second highest rebounder (12,849).

Cliff Hagan

Cliff Hagan possessed one of basketball's most devastating hook shots, and combined his quickness and strength to score 14,870 points in 13 professional seasons with the St. Louis Hawks and the ABA's Dallas Chaparrals. Hagan, who starred under Hall of Fame coach Adolph Rupp at the University of Kentucky, was an All-America in 1952 and 1954. As a collegian, Hagan led the Wildcats to an 86-5 record and a 25-0 record in 1954. In 1954, Hagan averaged an astounding 24 ppg and 13.5 rpg and scored a school record 51 points against Temple. In 1974, Hagan was selected to the Southeastern Conference All-Time Team. Upon graduation, the Boston Celtics drafted Hagan.

After two years of military service, the Celtics traded Hagan, along with Ed Macauley to the St. Louis Hawks for the draft rights to Bill Russell. During a 10-year NBA career with the St. Louis Hawks, Hagan scored 13,447 points (18.0 ppg), played in five All-Star Games, and was chosen to the All-NBA Second Team twice. A pure shooter, Hagan scored an amazing 26 points in the fourth quarter against the Knicks in 1958. During his 10-year NBA tenure, Hagan spearheaded the Hawks to five Western Division titles and to the NBA championship in 1958. He completed his 13-year pro career as a player/coach of the ABA Dallas Chaparrals.

Stuff

Remember the ABA

This renegade basketball league is about the days of the red, white and blue ball, monstrous ’fros and being armed and dangerous.

For nine years, the American Basketball Association was the craziest show no one saw. Formed in 1967, the league was a group of NBA castoffs and a few headliners, most notably Julius “Dr. J” Erving. Overlooked by the establishment, the players were a band of rebels who toiled in glorified high-school gyms, lived on $5 per diems and faced the perpetual threat of extinction as teams constantly folded or relocated during the league’s existence.

But against the odds, this outlaw league—with its above-the-rim flash and outrageous promotions—became a cult phenomenon. By 1976, they had finally forced a merger with the NBA and grabbed 10 of the 24 All-Star spots the following season. But since the ABA teams played to mostly empty arenas with virtually no TV coverage, the history of the league that gave us soaring dunks, the three-point shot and pimp-style fashion is mostly an oral one. Some ABA vets:

George McGinnis: played for the Indiana Pacers in 1971–72, 1974–75

This big man earned his rep by pouring in points on the court and packing heat off of it while leading his Pacers to two ABA titles; once bulldozed George Karl into the stands.

David “Skywalker” Thompson: played for the Denver Nuggets in 1975–76

He’s famous for high-flying dunks like his “Rock the Cradle,” even though he couldn’t palm the ball; Michael Jordan cites him as an influence.

Rick Barry: played for the Oakland Oaks, Washington Caps, & New York Nets in 1968–72

Lured by the cash, Barry made the rare move from the NBA to the ABA; he once insulted the state of Virginia in order to force a trade to New York.

George “The Iceman” Gervin: played for the Virginia Squires & San Antonio Spurs from 1972–76

Branded a troublemaker after an NCAA brawl, Gervin turned to the ABA, where his finger roll earned him his nickname.

George “Kamikaze Kid” Karl: played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1973–76

This bruiser started the Easter Sunday Massacre, a 1976 brawl during a play-off game that led to disciplinary action against 14 players.

Freddie Lewis: played for the Indiana Pacers, Memphis Sound, & Spirits of St. Louis from 1967–76

A veteran of all nine ABA seasons, Lewis won three titles and was awarded a racehorse for being the 1975 All-Star Game’s MVP.

Marvin “Bad News” Barnes: played for the Spirits of St. Louis from 1974–76

He was renowned for his off-court antics (trying to sneak a gun through airport security, taking an in-season sabbatical to a pool hall) as much as his on-court brilliance.

Bob Costas: was the Announcer for the Spirits of St. Louis in 1975–76

He got his first pro gig by pumping up the bass on his reel to mask his squeaky voice; Barnes once tried to hire him as his chauffeur, saying he was looking for “a white dude” to drive his Rolls.

1961 - 1962 St. Louis Hawks Home Jersey (Size 56) From Mitchell & Ness, With #9 On Jersey (Bob Pettit) This jersey is part of Mitchell & Ness Hardwood Classics Collection. To order sizes 44 - 52 click here , for size 54 click here or for size 60 click here . Jersey Number This authentic jersey will have the number 9 on it. Please note: the player s name is not on the jersey. Quality Construction Authentic Materials. Accurate detailing. Exceptional workmanship. These are the hallmarks of Mitchell & Ness jerseys, jackets, sweaters and felt pennants. This jersey is made of double knit polyester and has red, white and blue knit trim and side sections. It has Hawks sewn in red on blue letters on the front. The player s number is sewn on the front and back in red on blue. Size Body Length Body Width Medium (44) 32 24 Large (46) 33 25 X-Large (48) 34 26 XX-Large (52) 35 27 3X-Large (54) 37 28 4X-Large (56) 38 29 5X-Large (60) 41 30 Please note that measurements are approximate.

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