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 who had previously been 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 largely 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 just 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.