The Olympians were founded in 1949 to replace the Indianapolis Jets. The Olympians were led by University of Kentucky alumni Alex Groza and Ralph Beard, both of whom were key contributors on the gold medal winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team. Olympic team members Wallace Jones and Cliff Barker (both also Kentucky alumni) also played on the team. An Olympic alternate and UK grad, Joe Holland, played forward for the Indianapolis team through the 1952 season.
After the 1951 season, Groza and Beard were suspended from the NBA for life by commissioner Maurice Podoloff when the players admitted point shaving during their college careers. The Olympians finished with a 28–43 record in 1953, and folded after that season. The Olympians compiled a 132–137 record in four seasons in the NBA.
The Olympians still hold the distinction of being the winning team in the longest game in NBA history—they were the 75–73 victors in a six-overtime game against the Rochester Royals in a game played on January 6, 1951.[1]
^The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.
^ abThe Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular and postseason records are combined only below the table.
Referencesedit
^"Olympians hold longest NBA game in history". The Indianapolis Star. January 14, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
^"1949-1950 Indianapolis Olympians". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^"1950-1951 Indianapolis Olympians". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^"1951-1952 Indianapolis Olympians". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
^"1952-1953 Indianapolis Olympians". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
External linksedit
– all-time records and statistics
Olympians complete history NBA Hoops Online
April 09, 2024
indianapolis, olympians, were, founding, national, basketball, association, team, based, indianapolis, they, were, founded, 1949, folded, 1953, their, home, arena, butler, fieldhouse, campus, butler, university, known, hinkle, fieldhouse, divisionwesternfounde. The Indianapolis Olympians were a founding National Basketball Association NBA team based in Indianapolis They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953 Their home arena was Butler Fieldhouse on the campus of Butler University now known as Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis OlympiansDivisionWesternFounded1949 75 years ago 1949 Folded1953 71 years ago 1953 HistoryIndianapolis Olympians1949 1953ArenaButler FieldhouseLocationIndianapolis IndianaTeam colorsBlue white red Championships0Division titles1 1950 Contents 1 Franchise history 2 Seasons 3 Notable players 3 1 Basketball Hall of Famers 3 2 Others 4 Notes 5 References 6 External linksFranchise history editThe Olympians were founded in 1949 to replace the Indianapolis Jets The Olympians were led by University of Kentucky alumni Alex Groza and Ralph Beard both of whom were key contributors on the gold medal winning 1948 US Olympic basketball team Olympic team members Wallace Jones and Cliff Barker both also Kentucky alumni also played on the team An Olympic alternate and UK grad Joe Holland played forward for the Indianapolis team through the 1952 season After the 1951 season Groza and Beard were suspended from the NBA for life by commissioner Maurice Podoloff when the players admitted point shaving during their college careers The Olympians finished with a 28 43 record in 1953 and folded after that season The Olympians compiled a 132 137 record in four seasons in the NBA Indianapolis would not have an NBA team until 1976 when the Indiana Pacers were one of the four teams admitted from the American Basketball Association in the ABA NBA merger The Olympians still hold the distinction of being the winning team in the longest game in NBA history they were the 75 73 victors in a six overtime game against the Rochester Royals in a game played on January 6 1951 1 Seasons editNBA champions Division champions Playoff berth Season Division Finish a W b L b Win GB Playoffs Awards Head coach1949 50 Western 1st 39 25 609 Won Division semifinals Red Skins 2 1Lost Division finals Packers 1 2 2 Cliff Barker1950 51 Western 4th 31 37 456 13 Lost Division semifinals Lakers 1 2 3 Cliff BarkerWally Jones1951 52 Western 3rd 34 32 515 7 Lost Division semifinals Lakers 0 2 4 Herm Schaefer1952 53 Western 4th 28 43 394 20 5 Lost Division semifinals Lakers 0 2 5 Herm SchaeferNotable players editBasketball Hall of Famers edit None Others edit Ralph Beard Alex Groza Wallace Jones Paul Walther Kleggie HermsenNotes edit The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play a b The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play Regular and postseason records are combined only below the table References edit Olympians hold longest NBA game in history The Indianapolis Star January 14 2016 Retrieved February 7 2016 1949 1950 Indianapolis Olympians Sports Reference LLC Retrieved March 16 2014 1950 1951 Indianapolis Olympians Sports Reference LLC Retrieved March 16 2014 1951 1952 Indianapolis Olympians Sports Reference LLC Retrieved March 16 2014 1952 1953 Indianapolis Olympians Sports Reference LLC Retrieved March 16 2014 External links editIndianapolis Olympians all time records and statistics Olympians complete history NBA Hoops Online Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Indianapolis Olympians amp oldid 1215256102, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
