Sheboygan Red Skins
History 1939-1951 (13 seasons)

Teams Milwaukee Sheboygan Red Skins

The Redskins played in three professional leagues and as an independent team. The leagues were, in order, the National Basketball League (NBL); the National Basketball Association (charter member), and the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL). The team originated in 1933 from informal clubs which were sponsored by local businesses. They joined the NBL by 1938 as the Red Skins, owned by a syndicate. The Red Skins played in the NBL from 1938 to 1949, led the league in defense five times, appeared in five championship series and won the 1942–43 title, defeating the league-leading Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (today's Detroit Pistons) in the finals. They were undone by the 1949 merger of the NBL and the NBA. The other league which merged with the NBA (the Basketball Association of America) had more money, played in larger cities, and generally fielded better teams. The Red Skins were one of seven franchises which quickly left the NBA. The league contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams; the Anderson Packers, Sheboygan Red Skins and Waterloo Hawks jumped to the NPBL, and the Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets and St. Louis Bombers folded. The NBA shrank from 17 teams to 11 before the 1950–1951 season began. The Washington Capitols folded midway through the season, reducing the number of teams in the league to ten. The Red Skins did not fit well, left the league, and joined the short-lived NPBL. When that league folded, the team returned to its independent roots for one more year of play before it also disappeared.

The Redskins played in three professional leagues and as an independent team. The leagues were, in order, the National Basketball League (NBL); the National Basketball Association (charter member), and the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL). The team originated in 1933 from informal clubs which were sponsored by local businesses. They joined the NBL by 1938 as the Red Skins, owned by a syndicate. The Red Skins played in the NBL from 1938 to 1949, led the league in defense five times, appeared in five championship series and won the 1942–43 title, defeating the league-leading Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (today's Detroit Pistons) in the finals. They were undone by the 1949 merger of the NBL and the NBA. The other league which merged with the NBA (the Basketball Association of America) had more money, played in larger cities, and generally fielded better teams. The Red Skins were one of seven franchises which quickly left the NBA. The league contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams; the Anderson Packers, Sheboygan Red Skins and Waterloo Hawks jumped to the NPBL, and the Chicago Stags, Denver Nuggets and St. Louis Bombers folded. The NBA shrank from 17 teams to 11 before the 1950–1951 season began. The Washington Capitols folded midway through the season, reducing the number of teams in the league to ten. The Red Skins did not fit well, left the league, and joined the short-lived NPBL. When that league folded, the team returned to its independent roots for one more year of play before it also disappeared.

1942 Sheboygan Red Skins

1939-1951 (13 seasons)

Sheboygan Red Skins Team History

All-time franchise record

250-238 (.512)

3 championships in 5 appearances

Franchise History

1951

Sheboygan Red Skins (NPBL)

1950

Sheboygan Red Skins (NBA)

1939-1949

Sheboygan Red Skins (NBL)

Top Seasons

Year Record Result

1951 29-16 NPBL Champions

1945 19-11 Lost NBL Championship

1944 14-8 Lost NBL Championship

1943 12-11 Won NBL Championship

1941 13-11 Won NBL Championship

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Last 5 Seasons

Year Record Result

1951 29-16 NPBL Champions

1950 22-40 Lost Western Division Semifinals

1949 35-29 Lost Western Quarter-Finals

1948 23-37 Missed Playoffs

1947 26-18 Lost Western Quarter-Finals

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Longest Serving GM's

Tenure Years General Manager

1941-51 11 Magnus Brinkman

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