Indianapolis Jets

Basketball team in Indianapolis, Indiana

Indianapolis Jets

Leagues| NPBL: 1932–1933
MBC: 1935–1937
NBL: 1937–1948
BAA: 1948–1949
Founded| 1931
Folded| 1949
History| Indianapolis Kautskys
1931–1948
Indianapolis Jets
1948–1949
Arena| Butler Fieldhouse (15,000)
Location| Indianapolis, Indiana
Team colors| Red, navy blue, white

Ownership| Frank Kautsky

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The Indianapolis Jets were a Basketball Association of America (BAA) team based in Indianapolis. They were founded as the Indianapolis Kautskys and used that name until the team joined the BAA. They played for one year in the BAA and then ceased operations due to the formation of the Indianapolis Olympians.

## Franchise history

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In 1931, Frank Kautsky, an Indianapolis grocer, formed a professional basketball team and named it the Indianapolis Kautskys. Their first game they ever played was on November 24, 1931, which they won 37–18 against the Kokomo 66ers in Kokomo, Indiana. Their first home game would be on December 11, where they'd win 31–17 over the Fort Wayne Firemen.[1] After playing in the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL) in 1932–33[2] and the Midwest Basketball Conference (MBC) in the 1935–36 and 1936–37) seasons,[3] the Kautskys became one of the original members of the newly formed National Basketball League (NBL) in 1937.[4]

The franchise's best season was in 1946–47; led by Arnie Risen, they set the franchise mark for most wins (27) and won the World Professional Basketball Tournament.

With the Minneapolis Lakers, Rochester Royals, and Fort Wayne Pistons, the team moved to the Basketball Association of America (BAA) for the 1948–49 season. At that time the team's name was changed to the Indianapolis Jets because the BAA prevented its teams from having commercial sponsors, similar to how the Fort Wayne Pistons removed the Zollner sponsor from their original name.[4] With the team's inclusion into the BAA, they effectively replaced the already defunct BAA Indianapolis franchise that was originally planned for the league, but never played a single game there.[5]

Following the 1948–49 season, the Jets folded alongside the Providence Steamrollers on August 3, 1949. This coincided with the BAA and the NBL merging to form the National Basketball Association (NBA).[6] For the 1949–50 season, a new Indianapolis franchise, the Indianapolis Olympians, was created.[4]

## Season-by-season records

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Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %

Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results

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Indianapolis Kautskys (NPBL)
1932–33 | 7 | 4 | 0.636 | Did not qualify |
Indianapolis Kautskys (MBC)
1935–36 | 9 | 3 | 0.750 | Round Robin Tourney |
1936–37 | 2 | 5 | 0.286 | Did not qualify |
Indianapolis Kautskys (NBL)
1937–38 | 4 | 9 | 0.308 | Did not qualify |
1938–39 | 13 | 13 | 0.500 | Did not qualify |
1939–40 | 9 | 19 | 0.321 | Did not qualify |
1941–42 | 12 | 11 | 0.522 | 0–2 |
1945–46 | 10 | 22 | 0.312 | Did not qualify |
1946–47 | 27 | 17 | 0.614 | 2–3 |
1947–48 | 24 | 35 | 0.407 | 1–3 |
Indianapolis Jets (BAA)
1948–49 | 18 | 42 | 0.300 | Did not qualify |

## Players

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This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (February 2016)

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* Ernie Andres
* George Chestnut
* Norman Cottom
* Gene Cramer
* Gus Doerner
* Glynn Downey
* Hal Gensichen
* George Glamack
* Bruce Hale
* Bob Kessler
* Branch McCracken
* Charles "Stretch" Murphy
* William Perigo
* Cy Proffitt
* Arnie Risen
* Herm Schaefer
* Jim Springer
* Dave Strack
* Earl Thomas
* John Wooden
* Jewell Young
* Ash Resnick

## Basketball Hall of Famers

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Indianapolis Jets Hall of Famers

Players
No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted
— | Arnie Risen | C | 1945–1948 | 1998
— | John Wooden | G | 1932–1937
1938–1939 | 1960
— | Charles "Stretch" Murphy | C | 1932–1934 | 1960
— | Branch McCracken | C/F/G | — | 1960

## References

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1. ^ Indianapolis Kautskys/Indianapolis Jets History
2. ^ "National Basketball League 1932-33". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
3. ^ "Midwest Basketball Conference [1935-36 to 1936-37]". The Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved June 9, 2019.
4. ^ a b c Biesel, David B. (1991). Can You Name that Team?: A Guide to Professional Baseball, Football, Soccer, Hockey, and Basketball Teams and Leagues. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN 0-8108-2458-2.
5. ^ https://www.apbr.org/baaminutes.html
6. ^ Curtis Harris (21 January 2022). "How the NBA's 75th anniversary sweeps away its early history". The Washington Post. Retrieved 23 June 2024.

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Defunct National Basketball Association teams

* Anderson Packers
* Baltimore Bullets
* BAA Buffalo
* BAA Indianapolis
* Chicago Stags
* Cleveland Rebels
* Denver Nuggets
* Detroit Falcons
* Indianapolis Jets
* Indianapolis Olympians
* Pittsburgh Ironmen
* Providence Steamrollers
* Sheboygan Red Skins
* St. Louis Bombers
* Toronto Huskies
* Washington Capitols
* Waterloo Hawks

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