1902 NEL Season
6 teams competed during the regular season
South Framingham (Mass.) finished in 1st place to claim the championship
League Note
League was known as the Massachusetts League in 1902.
League President
RetroSeasons
RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
New England Basketball League (NEL)
1901-02 NEL Season Overview
During the summer of 1901, the two Lowell-based teams broke away from the three-year old Massachusetts League to organize a new league, which they brazenly called the Massachusetts League, forcing the established league to change its name to the Massachusetts Central League. In addition, the new league recruited the players off the Hudson squad to relocate to South Framingham and added a team in Maynard and two Boston teams, Somerville and Cambridge. Somerville lasted just one game before dropping out of the league, but Cambridge proved to be one of the league’s best teams.
The breakup between the Lowell squads and the Worcester-based teams did not end the acrimony between the two groups. The struggle between the two organizations would go on for years with serious repercussions for all concerned.
I sincerely appreciate the research work, and the information being shared. It is important and interesting history.