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Robert (Bob) L. Douglas | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1882-11-04)November 4, 1882 |
| Died | July 16, 1979(1979-07-16) (aged 96) |
| Occupation | Hall of Fame, Contributor |
Robert L. Douglas (b. (St. Kitts) November 4, 1882[1] – d. (unknown) July 16, 1979) was the founder of theNew York Renaissancebasketball team, the first fully all-black professional black-owned basketball team.[2]
Nicknamed the "Father of Black Professional Basketball", Douglas owned and coached the Rens from 1923 to 1949, guiding them to a 2,318-381 record (.859).
The Rens barnstormed throughout the United States, mostly in the Midwest, and played any team that would schedule them, black or white. Traveling as far as 200 miles for a game, they often slept on the bus and ate cold meals; they were barred from many hotels and restaurants byJim Crow laws and norms of racial discrimination which prevailed in the northern United States at the time.[2]
The Rens soon became a dominant team, winning as many as 88 consecutive games during the 1932–33 season. In the twenties and early thirties, their matches with theOriginal Celtics were basketball's greatest gate attraction.[2] At theWorld Professional Basketball Tournament they won in 1939, lost to the eventual championHarlem Globetrotters in 1940, and finished second to theNational Basketball League championMinneapolis Lakers in 1948.
He was inducted into theBasketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 1972, the first African American enshrined.[3]
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