https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Indianapolis_OlympiansIndianapolis Olympians - Revision history2026-07-31T16:00:28ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Indianapolis_Olympians&diff=398045&oldid=prevWikiDwarfBOT at 09:47, 22 July 20232023-07-22T09:47:58Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Basketball team}}<br />
{{Infobox basketball club<br />
| name = Indianapolis Olympians<br />
| color1 = #FFFFFF<br />
| color2 = #0D2240<br />
| color3 = #FF0000<br />
| logo = Indianapolis Olympians logo.svg<br />
| imagesize = 250px<br />
| division = [[Western Division (NBA)|Western]]<br />
| founded = {{start date and age|1949}}<br />
| folded = {{end date and age|1953}}<br />
| history = '''Indianapolis Olympians'''<br>1949–1953<br />
| city = [[Indianapolis|Indianapolis, Indiana]]<br />
| arena = [[Hinkle Fieldhouse|Butler Fieldhouse]]<br />
| colors = Blue, white, red<br>{{Color box|#0D2240}} {{Color box|#FFFFFF}} {{Color box|#FF0000}} <br />
| league_champs = 0<br />
| div_champs = '''1''' ([[1949–50 NBA season|1950]])<br />
}}<br />
<br />
The '''Indianapolis Olympians''' were a founding [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) team based in [[Indianapolis]]. They were founded in 1949 and folded in 1953. Their home arena was Butler Fieldhouse on the campus of [[Butler University]]--now known as [[Hinkle Fieldhouse]].<br />
<br />
==Franchise history==<br />
The Olympians were founded in 1949 to replace the [[Indianapolis Jets]]. The Olympians were led by [[University of Kentucky]] alumni [[Alex Groza]] and [[Ralph Beard]], both of whom were key contributors on the gold medal winning 1948 US [[Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics|Olympic basketball]] team. Olympic team members [[Wallace Jones]] and [[Cliff Barker]] (both also Kentucky alumni) also played on the team. An Olympic alternate and [[University of Kentucky|UK]] grad, [[Joe Holland (basketball)|Joe Holland]], played forward for the Indianapolis team through the 1952 season.<br />
<br />
After the 1951 season, Groza and Beard were suspended from the NBA for life by commissioner [[Maurice Podoloff]] when the players admitted [[point shaving]] during their college careers. The Olympians finished with a 28–43 record in 1953, and folded after that season. The Olympians compiled a 132–137 record in four seasons in the NBA. <br />
<br />
Indianapolis would not have an NBA team until [[1976–77 NBA season|1976]] when the [[Indiana Pacers]] were one of the four teams admitted from the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]] in the [[ABA–NBA merger]].<br />
<br />
The Olympians still hold the distinction of being the winning team in the longest game in NBA history—they were the 75–73 victors in a six-overtime game against the [[Rochester Royals]] in a game played on January 6, 1951.<ref>{{cite web | title =Olympians hold longest NBA game in history | website =[[The Indianapolis Star]] | date =January 14, 2016 | url =http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/01/14/olympians-hold-longest-nba-game-history/78444702/ | access-date = February 7, 2016}}</ref><br />
<br />
==Seasons==<br />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;<br />
|bgcolor="#FFCCCC"|'''[[List of NBA champions|NBA champions]]''' {{double dagger}}<br />
|bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|'''Division champions''' ^<br />
|bgcolor="#96CDCD"|'''Playoff berth''' #<br />
|}<br />
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" summary="Season (sortable), Division, Finish (sortable), Wins (sortable), Losses (sortable), Win% (sortable), GB (sortable), Playoffs, Awards and Head coach"<br />
|-<br />
!scope="col"| Season<br />
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|[[Division (sport)|Division]]<br />
!scope="col"| Finish{{#tag:ref|The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.|group=lower-alpha|name=note_b}}<br />
!scope="col"| W{{#tag:ref|The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Regular and postseason records are combined only below the table.|group=lower-alpha|name=note_c}}<br />
!scope="col"| L<ref group=lower-alpha name=note_c/><br />
!scope="col"| [[Winning percentage|Win%]]<br />
!scope="col" data-sort-type="number"| [[Games behind|GB]]<br />
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|[[NBA Playoffs|Playoffs]]<br />
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|[[National Basketball Association awards|Awards]]<br />
!scope="col" class="unsortable"|[[List of current National Basketball Association head coaches|Head coach]]<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"| [[1949-50 NBA season|1949–50]]<br />
| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|'''[[Western Division (NBA)|Western]]''' ^<br />
| bgcolor="#D0E7FF"|'''1st''' ^<br />
| 39<br />
| 25<br />
| .609<br />
| — <br />
| Won [[1950 NBA Playoffs|Division semifinals]] ([[1949–50 Sheboygan Red Skins season|Red Skins]]) 2–1<br />Lost [[1950 NBA Playoffs|Division finals]] ([[1949–50 Anderson Packers season|Packers]]) 1–2 <ref>{{cite web|title=1949-1950 Indianapolis Olympians|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1950.html|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><br />
| <br />
| [[Cliff Barker]]<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"| [[1950-51 NBA season|1950–51]]<br />
| Western<br />
| bgcolor="#96CDCD"| 4th #<br />
| 31<br />
| 37<br />
| .456<br />
| 13<br />
| Lost [[1951 NBA Playoffs|Division semifinals]] ([[1950–51 Minneapolis Lakers season|Lakers]]) 1–2<ref>{{cite web|title=1950-1951 Indianapolis Olympians|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1951.html|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><br />
| <br />
| [[Cliff Barker]]<br />[[Wallace Jones|Wally Jones]]<br />
|-<br />
|align="center" | [[1951-52 NBA season|1951–52]]<br />
| Western<br />
| bgcolor="#96CDCD"| 3rd #<br />
| 34<br />
| 32<br />
| .515<br />
| 7<br />
| Lost [[1951 NBA Playoffs|Division semifinals]] ([[1951–52 Minneapolis Lakers season|Lakers]]) 0–2<ref>{{cite web|title=1951-1952 Indianapolis Olympians|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1952.html|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><br />
| <br />
| [[Herm Schaefer]]<br />
|-<br />
|align="center"| [[1952-53 NBA season|1952–53]]<br />
| Western<br />
| bgcolor="#96CDCD"| 4th #<br />
| 28<br />
| 43<br />
| .394<br />
| 20.5<br />
| Lost [[1951 NBA Playoffs|Division semifinals]] ([[1952–53 Minneapolis Lakers season|Lakers]]) 0–2<ref>{{cite web|title=1952-1953 Indianapolis Olympians|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_1953.html|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|access-date=March 16, 2014}}</ref><br />
| <br />
| [[Herm Schaefer]]<br />
|}<br />
<br />
==Notable players==<br />
===Basketball Hall of Famers===<br />
''None''<br />
<br />
===Others===<br />
*[[Ralph Beard]]<br />
*[[Alex Groza]]<br />
*[[Wallace Jones]]<br />
*[[Paul Walther]]<br />
*[[Kleggie Hermsen]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
{{Reflist|group=lower-alpha}}<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051125154113/http://www.basketballreference.com/teams/teampage.htm?tm=INI&lg=n Indianapolis Olympians] – all-time records and statistics<br />
*[https://nbahoopsonline.com/teams/Xdefunct/IndianapolisOlympians/index.html Olympians complete history] NBA Hoops Online<br />
{{NBAdefunct}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Indianapolis Olympians| ]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball teams established in 1949]]<br />
[[Category:Basketball teams disestablished in 1953]]<br />
[[Category:1949 establishments in Indiana]]<br />
[[Category:Defunct National Basketball Association teams]]<br />
[[Category:1953 disestablishments in Indiana]]</div>WikiDwarfBOT