Tri-Cities Blackhawks

From Hoopedia

The Tri-Cities Blackhawks (originally called the Tri-City Blackhawks) began as a National Basketball League (NBL) team in 1946. The Blackhawks were based in the Tri-City area between Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa (now called the Quad Cities). The Blackhawks were named after area native Black Hawk, a Sauk American Indian leader. The team started the 1946-47 NBL season as the Buffalo Bisons and relocated to the Tri-Cities early in the season.

In 1948-49 the Blackhawks, under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach, finished 36-28 and reached the NBL Western Division Semifinals before succumbing to the powerful Oshkosh All-Stars, 3 games to 1.

After the 1948-49 season the Blackhawks moved to the National Basketball Association, which was created after the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America. In the 1950 NBA Draft the team picked up Bob Cousy, but made the blunder of trading his rights to the Chicago Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal draft to the Boston Celtics after they folded), they failed to qualify for the postseason in 1949-50.

In 1951, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became the Milwaukee Hawks. In 1955 the Hawks moved yet again, this time to St. Louis, Missouri, to become the St. Louis Hawks. In 1968 the franchise moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where the Atlanta Hawks still play today.