PSProvidence Steamrollers

Franchise history

The Steamrollers were one of eleven charter franchises of the Basketball Association of America, the league that became the NBA, when it launched in 1946. Owned by Louis Pieri and playing at the Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence was weak from the outset and never posted a winning season in its three years in the league. The low point came in 1947-48, when the Steamrollers won just 6 of 48 games, still the fewest wins in a season in NBA history; that year player-coach Nat Hickey activated himself for two games at age 45, a record for the oldest player to appear in a game that stands to this day.

Unable to draw fans or compete on the court, Providence folded in August 1949 as the BAA consolidated ahead of its merger with the National Basketball League to form the NBA, finishing with an all-time record of 46-122. Several of the team's players were bought out and signed with the Boston Celtics after the franchise closed.

Sources

• Providence Steamrollers — Wikipedia