Buffalo Bisons (NBL)
From Hoopedia
For information about the ABL Buffalo Bisons, go to Buffalo Bisons (ABL).
Buffalo Bisons, a professional basketball team that first played in the Midwest Basketball Conference (MBC) in the 1935-36 season. The team took third in the Eastern Division with a 7-8 record. Distinctive to the team that year was its pioneering integration of the sport by using African American player Hank Williams to play center.
The Bisons did not play in the MBC in the following season, but in the 1937-38 season the team joined the National Basketball League (NBL), which had been formed from the MBC. The team achieved an unpromising 3-6 record and fourth place in the Eastern Division, and none of its players achieved all-league recognization. The team dropped out of the league after one season.
The Bisons returned to the NBL for the 1946-47 season, but moved to Illinois before the season was out and became the Tri-City Blackhawks. The Blackhawks eventually joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) and today they are known as the Atlanta Hawks.
The Bisons ended the 1935-36 season with a 3-6 record, fourth place in the Eastern Division (out of six teams) and out of playoff contention.
The Bisons were coached by former Buffalo Germans star Allie Heerdt.
