New York Renaissance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New York Renaissance, also known as the Harlem Renaissance Big Five or Rens, was an all-black professional basketball team founded in 1923 by Robert "Bob" Douglas, a few years before the Harlem Globetrotters. They were named after the Harlem Renaissance Casino and Ballroom on 138th Street and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard, an upscale reception hall of that time, which served as their titular home court. The team actually played most of their games on the road, barnstorming across the country out of necessity because they were unable to join any professional leagues due to racial discrimination.
The team played its first game on November 3, 1923. The Rens were the dominant basketball team of the 1920's and 1930's. During the 1932-33 regular season, the Rens compiled a record of 112-8. During that season, the Rens won 88 consecutive games, a mark that has never been matched by a professional basketball team. In 1939, the Rens became the first all-black team to win a championship game, when they beat the Oshkosh All-Stars, 34-25, in the World Basketball Tournament in Chicago.
The team compiled a 2588-539 record over its history. A high point was the defeat of the NBL champions Oshkosh All-Stars in 1939.
They were disbanded in 1949 and inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a team in 1963.
