Chicago Stags

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Chicago Stags
Chicago Stags logo
Conference Western (1946–49)
Central (1949–50)
Division Western Division
Founded 1946
History 1946-50
Arena Chicago Stadium
Location Chicago, Illinois
Team colors Red, Blue, White
              
Head coach Harold Olsen (1946–1948)
Philip Brownstein (1948–1950)
Championships 0
Conference titles 1
(1947)
Uniforms
Kit body.png
Home jersey
Kit shorts.png
Team colours
Home
Kit body.png
Away jersey
Kit shorts.png
Team colours
Away

The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago, Illinois.

Franchise history

The Chicago Stags were founded in 1946 and folded in 1950. During their short history, they were able to acquire the draft rights to a young Bob Cousy in a trade with the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (although he never played a game for them). When the Stags folded, a dispersal draft was held to divide their players throughout the league. Cousy was drafted by the Boston Celtics. Despite their short existence in the BAA and NBA, the Stags made their way to the BAA finals in 1947, where they lost to the Philadelphia Warriors.

The beginning of a new league

In the BAA's inaugural year, there were 11 teams split into two divisions. The Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and won the division by one game, finishing 39–22 over the St. Louis Bombers. They finished second in the regular season standings, behind only the 49–11 Washington Capitols. In the playoffs, they received a first-round bye, only to play the Capitols in the semi-finals. Chicago won the series 4–2, and proceeded to the finals, where they played the Philadelphia Warriors, who won 4–1.

1947–1948 season

The next season, the Stags finished second in their four-team division with a mark of 28–20, one game behind the St. Louis Bombers, and second overall in the league (the total number of teams was down from 11 to 8). In the playoffs, they won a tiebreaking game against the Washington Capitols), advancing to play the Boston Celtics in the quarter-finals. The Stags won, moving into the semi-finals for the second consecutive year. However, they were then defeated by the eventual champions, the Baltimore Bullets.

1948–1949

The next year, each division was instantly made more competitive with more teams, including the Minneapolis Lakers and the New York Knickerbockers. The Stags finished 3rd, 38–22, seven games behind division-winning Rochester Royals. The playoffs were expanded from 6 to 8 teams, and the Stags played the Lakers. They lost again to the eventual champions, the Lakers, 2–0.

The final season

In the Stags final season, the league consistently continued its growth, forming a third division, and a total of 17 teams. The Stags finished tied for third with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons (and behind the Lakers and Royals), 11 games back, with a 40–28 record, and again lost to the Lakers in the opening round. It marked the end of the NBA in Chicago until the Chicago Packers were enfranchised in 1961.

Players of note

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Season-by-season records

Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, % = Win–Loss %

Season W L  % Playoffs Results
Chicago Stags (BAA)
1946–47 39 22 .639 Won BAA Semifinals
Lost BAA Finals
Chicago 4, Washington 2
Philadelphia 4, Chicago 1
1947–48 28 20 .583 Won Division Tie
Won 1st Round
Lost Semifinals
Chicago 1, Washington 0
Chicago 2, Boston 1
Baltimore 2, Chicago 0
1948–49 38 22 .633 Lost Division Semifinals Minneapolis 2, Chicago 0
Chicago Stags (NBA)
1949–50 40 28 .588 Lost Division Tie
Lost Division Semifinals
Fort Wayne 1, Chicago 0
Minneapolis 2, Chicago 0

Chicago Stags

Aftermath

The Chicago Bulls wore replicas of the 1946 Stags uniforms during the 2005-06 NBA season as part of the NBA's "Hardwood Classics" program. (They wore them on December 5, 2005, February 22, 2006 and April 16, 2006)

References