SPORTS TEAM HISTORY

Sports Team HistorySports Logo History
  • Home
  • Sports History
    • Baseball History
    • Basketball History
    • College History
    • Football History
    • Hockey History
    • Soccer History
  • Greatest Player Polls
  • More…
    • STH News
    • Sports Team History Products
STH #3 Home Header 1440x650

Providence Steamrollers Team History

STH Clash of Logos NBA - Banner
Providence Steamrollers




  • 1946
  • Providence Steamrollers George Nostrand

    Steamrollers Team Formation

    The Steamrollers were one of the original eleven NBA franchises (when the league was called the Basketball Association of America). The franchise posted an all-time record of 46–122 (.274) before folding after three seasons. The Steamrollers still hold the dubious NBA record for the fewest games won in a season with six, in the 1947 – 1948 season. However, the ...
    Read More
    See Full Story

Steamrollers Primary Logo

History of the Steamrollers

The Providence Steamrollers were an NBA team that played in the Basketball Association of America (BAA) and National Basketball League (NBL) from 1946 to 1949. The team was founded by Al Cervi, a former professional basketball player, and coach previously involved with the Syracuse Nationals. The franchise was based out of Rhode Island’s capital city, Providence, where it enjoyed some success during its brief three-year run in the BAA/NBL.

The Steamrollers made their debut season in 1946-47 as part of the newly formed BAA league, which later merged with NBL to form what is now known as today's NBA. Led by head coach John Zaslowecky, they finished second overall during their inaugural season behind only George Mikan’s Minneapolis Lakers; however, they would fail to make any further progress over subsequent seasons due mainly to financial issues caused by ownership instability and lack of fan support at home games despite having a talented roster featuring players such as future Hall Of Famer Dolph Schayes, Jim Pollard & Ernie Calverley.

Despite not achieving much success on the court or financially off it, the legacy left behind by this short-lived but memorable franchise still lives on today through various tributes like retired jersey numbers being worn throughout different teams around North America or even mentions within conversations about great teams that have come before us. Even though we may never know how far this particular organization could have gone if given more time, we can be sure that its place among esteemed franchises will always remain intact thanks to its remarkable history and contribution towards making basketball what it is today.

Steamrollers Products

1948 Bowman # 22 Earl Shannon Steamrollers (Basketball Card) VG/EX Steamrollers Providence
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman Regular (Basketball) Card# 1 Ernie Calverley of the Providence Steamrollers VG Condition
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman # 22 Earl Shannon Steamrollers (Basketball Card) GOOD Steamrollers Providence
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman Regular (Basketball) Card# 22 Earl Shannon of the Providence Steamrollers Ex Condition
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman Regular (Basketball) Card# 1 Ernie Calverley of the Providence Steamrollers VGX Condition
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman #22 Earl Shannon ROOKIE RC PSA 6 Graded Basketball Card 48 Providence Steamrollers
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman Ernie Calverley ROOKIE RC PSA 4 Graded Basketball Card 48 Providence Steamrollers
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman #22 Earl Shannon ROOKIE RC PSA AUTHENTIC ALTERED Graded Basketball Card 48 Providence Steamrollers
Buy on Amazon
1948 Bowman #56 Lee Roy Robbins ROOKIE RC PSA 6 Graded Basketball Card 48 Providence Steamrollers
Buy on Amazon
The First Tip-Off: The Incredible Story of the Birth of the NBA
4.5 out of 5 stars(19)
Buy on Amazon




Established
1946

City
Providence

League History
1946 - 1949 / Basketball Association of America

Team History
1946 - 1949 / Providence Steamrollers

Nickname
Steamrollers - The Providence Steamrollers were a professional basketball team that played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1946 to 1949. The name “Steamrollers” was derived from the city of Providence's industrial heritage, as steam-powered machinery and mills were once prevalent throughout the area.

When it comes to sports nicknames, few have more exciting origins than that of the Providence Steamrollers. The nickname is believed to be inspired by an old mill near downtown Rhode Island that produced paper products for many years before its closure in 1930 due to financial difficulties caused by the Great Depression. This particular mill had several large rollers used for flattening and smoothing out sheets of paper during production - hence why they became known as "steam rollers."

The team was founded in 1946 when local businessman Eddie O'Brien purchased a franchise from Detroit Pistons owner Fred Zollner with plans on relocating them into his hometown of Providence, Rhode Island. After much deliberation over their new moniker, O'Brien eventually named his club after this iconic piece of local history: The Steamroller Mill! As such, he named his new NBA franchise after these powerful machines - thus becoming one of only two teams ever named based on something related directly to their home city’s past industry (the other being Chicago Stags).

While short-lived – lasting just three seasons – those who followed or rooted for them still remember fondly both their brief time spent playing at historic Kinsley Park Stadium and how unique & special it had an NBA squad whose name paid homage to such a significant part of provincial history!

Championship
NBA Championships 0
BAA Championship 0

Arena
1946 - 1949 / Rhode Island Auditorium

Owner
1946 – 1949 / Unknown

Retired Number

*Blue is this team’s history

Sports News History

Sports News Worth Knowing

RSS NBA Headline News

  • Sources: Lillard heading to Bucks in 3-team deal
  • Emotional Mike Trout responds to being shut down, questions about future with Angels
  • How will Chris Paul fit with Warriors? ‘We have 6 starters’
  • Sources: Raptors current front-runners for Lillard
  • France sets October deadline for Embiid to decide his Olympic team

Sports Market History

Sports Team Marketplace of Champions!

NBA Logo Battle

NBA Greatest Player

STH Product Sale

NBA Teams
Menu
  • Atlanta Hawks
    • St. Louis Hawks
    • Milwaukee Hawks
    • Tri-City Blackhawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Brooklyn Nets
    • New Jersey Nets
    • New York Nets
    • New Jersey Americans
  • Charlotte Hornets
    • Charlotte Bobcats
  • Chicago Bulls
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Denver Nuggets
    • Denver Rockets
  • Detroit Pistons
    • Fort Wayne Pistons
    • Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
    • San Francisco Warriors
    • Philadelphia Warriors
  • Houston Rockets
    • San Diego Rockets
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Los Angeles Clippers
    • San Diego Clippers
    • Buffalo Braves
  • Los Angeles Lakers
    • Minneapolis Lakers
  • Memphis Grizzlies
    • Vancouver Grizzlies
  • Miami Heat
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
    • New Orleans Hornets
    • Charlotte Hornets
  • New York Knickerbockers
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
    • Seattle Supersonics
  • Orlando Magic
  • Philadelphia 76ers
    • Syracuse Nationals
  • Phoenix Suns
  • Portland Trailblazers
  • Sacramento Kings
    • Kansas City Kings
    • Cincinnati Royals
    • Rochester Royals
  • San Antonio Spurs
    • Texas Chaparrals
    • Dallas Chaparrals
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
    • New Orleans Jazz
  • Washington Wizards
    • Washington Bullets
    • Capital Bullets
    • Baltimore Bullets
    • Chicago Zephyrs
    • Chicago Packers
  • Past Teams
    • Baltimore Bullets 1949
    • Chicago Stags
    • Cleveland Rebels
    • Denver Nuggets 1948
    • Detroit Falcons
    • Pittsburgh Ironmen
    • Providence Steamrollers
    • St. Louis Bombers
    • Toronto Huskies
    • Washington Capitols

STH News

Latest Sports Team History News

Could the Kentucky Basketball team land the 5 Star recruit Boogie Fland?

September 28, 2023

USFL Venues | Information on Ford Field, Protective Stadium, Canton Hall of Fame Village, and Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium

September 26, 2023

What Makes The Walter Payton Award Prestigious?

September 23, 2023

Giants vs. Jets: Who Is the Main New Jersey Football Team?

September 19, 2023

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
Sports Logo History
Sports News History
Sports Market History
  • About
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy

Sports Team History
© 2013 - 2023 Sports History Group LLC - All Rights Reserved
  • Home
  • Sports History
    • Baseball History
    • Basketball History
    • College History
    • Football History
    • Hockey History
    • Soccer History
  • Greatest Player Polls
  • More…
    • STH News
    • Sports Team History Products