Founded: 1923 Folded: 1957 NBL 1st Year: 1948 NBL last Year: 1949 Location: Dayton, OH Arena: Built in: Capacity: Titles: 0 |
The Dayton Rens played less than one season (1948-1949). The team replaced the Detroit Vagabond Kings, a squad from Detroit, Michigan. The Vagabond Kings disbanded on December 17, 1948. The Rens finished last in the the National Basketball League's Eastern Division. The Vagabond Kings/Rens won sixteen and lost forty-three games. Due to the termination of the National Basketball League, the Dayton Rens disbanded at the end of the season.
The Rens were the first team to be made up primarily of African American players, predating Jacky Robinson's MLB debut by nearly a year. Some basketball historians have theorized that the reason the NBA counted the BAA history and not the NBL history as its own, despite the two leagues merging, is because of the Rens and their black players.
The Rens began life as the New York Renaissance, but the name was shortened to Rens, in 1923 as a barnstorming team. The Rens were unique in that they were mostly comprised of African American players in an era where segregation was the norm.
When they were not barnstorming the Rens often found themselves playing in established basketball leagues such as the Midwest Basketball League, The East Coast Basketball League and the National Basketball League.
Not Welcomed:When the Rens left New York for Dayton, Ohio, to join the NBL, the local community did not welcome them. Several business refused to sponsor them, and the team played half of its games in Dayton, and the other half in Springfield, Ohio. Due in part to this, and inheriting the Vega Bond's and NBL's financial trouble, the Rens often split their roster between the NBL Dayton Rens and the Barnstorming New York Rens.
Home fans often were more supportive of the visitors than they were the Rens, and the players often changed motels so often they did not know where their belongings were. Still, there were no reports of violence towards the Rens.
Dayton was an odd choice to put an all-black team. It was estimated that by the mid 1930s almost 1/5th of the cities population were members of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK). Attempts to join the BAA/NBA:The Rens tried on two occassions to join the BAA or the NBA. The first was following the BAA's second season. The BAA was still losing the top players to the struggling NBL, and needed top level athletes of its own. Bob Douglas, the owner of the Rens attempted to get his team into the league. While the BAA payed lip service to the Rens and said that they would look into it, BAA president Maurice Podloff and no intentions of allowing the Rens to join the BAA.
The second time the Rens tried to join the BAA was during the merger talks of the NBL and BAA which formed the NBA. This time, the BAA had the NBL flat out drop the Rens so there would be no discusions about them joining.
The New York Rens (1923-1942, 1943-1948, 1949-1951)
Washington Bears (1943)
Dayton Rens (1948-49) N.B.L.
New York Rens 26 Year Record
__W__ _L_ Pct.
1923-1949 2,318 381 .860
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| George Crowe | Hank De Zonie | Jim Ursy | Johnny Issacs | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Longie Powell | Pop Gates | Sonny Wood | Tom Sealy | |
 |
||||
| Willie Smith |
"Tarzan" Cooper, the first African American basketball star
Rens player
Denver's Morris Udall vs the Rens
Pop Gates of the Dayton Rens drives past defenders of the Anderson Duffy Packers
| Tweet |