Player info

Team info

Stats

Quick facts:

Founded:  1946
Folded:   1951
Arena:    Uline Arena
          1140 Third Street
          Washington, District of Columbia
          20002
Built in: 1941
Capacity: 7,500
Titles:   None
Playoffs: 1

The Capitols started the 1948-49 season by winning 15 straight games, which was the longest streak to begin a season until it was eclipsed by the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16, the Warriors won 24 straight games.

First Black Player in NBA history:
Earl Lloyd was the first black player to play in the NBA. He debuted for the Washington Capitols on Halloween Night of 1950. Lloyd's breaking of the race barrier is seen as one of the most pivotal moments in NBA history, however, people often forget he played for the Caps. Lloyd was one of three NBA players who entered the NBA in 1950 and he got the honor because the Capitols played before the Celtics and Knicks.

Lloyd scored six points in his debut. Lloyd only played 7 games for the Capitols, missing a lot of games due to injuries and than in January the team disbanded. It took Lloyd another 2 seasons to get back to the NBA. lloyd would eventually join the Syracuse Nationals and win a championship with them in 1955, which was also his best season in the NBA.

Giving a new coach a try:
The new BAA team gave an up and coming coach from the US Navy a chance to coach in the big leagues. The first head coach of the Washington Capitols was Arnold "Red" Auerbach. Auerbach seen immediate success with the Caps leading them to a 49-11 record in their first season, and a 28-20 record in their second season. In the 48-49 season Auerbach lead the Caps to the BAA finals where they lost to the George Mikan lead Minneapolis Lakers.

With the merger of the BAA and NBL, Auerbach was convinced that the Caps were not good enough to compete - but owner Mike Uline disagreed and so in protest Auerbach resigned. Auerbach would go on to coach the Boston Celtics to 9 NBA titles.

Folding:
The Capitols folded on January 9, 1951. The team was losing money and could not pay its bills, even after trading away all their good players. Because they were forced to trade away all their good players, the team was terrible and nobody wanted to watch them play.

The following season the Caps tried to comeback in the ABL, but that failed as well. The team in the ABL is not usually given their history because the NBA threatened to sue the ABL if the new franchise used the name and history.

Washington Caps:
The ABA team in Washington was called the Caps in honor of the Washington Capitols. That team folded as well

Washington Capitals:
In 1974 the NHL expanded to Washington and named their new team the Washington Capitals, again like the ABA team, paying homage to the old NBA team and the nations capitol. The NHL team did something neither the Capitols nor the Caps could accomplish and that is win a championship. The Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018.

year W L % GB place 46-47 49 11 .817 .. 1 East 47-48 28 20 .583 1 3 West 48-49 38 22 .633 .. 1 East 49-50 32 36 .471 21 3 East 50-51 10 25 .286 .. 5 East

Leading scorers by Season
1947 - Bob Feerick   16.8 ppg 
1948 - Bob Feerick   16.1 ppg 
1949 - Bob Feerick   13.0 ppg 
1950 - Don Otten     14.9 ppg 
       Jack Nichols  13.1 ppg
       Fred Scolari  860  total  
1951 - Bill Sharman  12.2 ppg 

There is some confusion about who lead them in scoring in 1950.




Ben Goldfaden



Frank Kudelka enjoys a 7 up in an ad from 1950


Uline Arena


Capitols celebrate first place




Dick Schnittker


Ealr Lloyd became the first black player in NBA history in 1950






5 Members of the 48-49 Capitols


Dick O'Keefe


1947-48 Washington Capitols