124:
17:
60:
that season. Nearly seven feet tall, Mikan then led playoff upsets for the Gears over three teams en route to the 1947 NBL Championship, then widely considered the most prestigious title in pro basketball. Secondly, Gears owner
Maurice White was so impressed with Mikan that, after winning the 1947
80:
Chicago played their home games at
International Amphitheatre.Despite finishing tied for third place in the Western Division, the American Gears made a surprise playoffs run by winning the first series three games to two (3–2) over the Indianapolis Kautskys, followed by a 2–0 sweep of Oshkosh
76:
The 1946–47 Chicago
American Gears season was the Gears' third year in the United States' National Basketball League (NBL), which was also the tenth year the league existed. Twelve teams competed in the NBL in 1946–47, comprising six teams in both the Eastern and Western Divisions.
55:
as a collegian. After holding out for several weeks for money he felt owed him by the Gears, Mikan joined the team early enough to help them finish with a third-place record in the West
Division of the 10-team
65:. Start-up costs proved prohibitive, however, and crowds for PBLA games were often very small. After several weeks the entire league collapsed, with the Gears folding as well.
213:
169:
101:
208:
203:
81:
All-Stars in the semifinals. They then went on to win their first league championship 3–1 over
Eastern Division champion Rochester Royals.
198:
162:
57:
32:
62:
36:
47:
They are notable in professional basketball history for two things. First, they were the rookie year pro team of basketball legend
193:
155:
52:
218:
84:
Player-coach Bobby McDermott (First Team), George Mikan (First), and Bob
Calihan (Second) earned All-NBL honors .
188:
143:
61:
NBL title, he announced he was leaving the NBL to form his own league, the ambitious 24-team
8:
139:
68:
Previous to their NBL pro success, the Gears had also been a notable AAU team.
182:
48:
20:
16:
131:
35:(NBL) team who played from 1944 to 1947. The team also played in the
135:
108:. April 10, 1947. Retrieved on September 10, 2009.
180:
214:Midwestern United States basketball team stubs
163:
170:
156:
63:Professional Basketball League of America
39:(PBLA) in 1947–48 after leaving the NBL.
37:Professional Basketball League of America
15:
209:Basketball teams disestablished in 1947
23:as member of the Chicago American Gears
181:
71:
204:Basketball teams established in 1944
118:
13:
199:1947 disestablishments in Illinois
14:
230:
122:
194:1944 establishments in Illinois
94:
1:
87:
51:. Mikan had starred at local
142:. You can help Knowledge by
102:Gears capture pro cage title
7:
10:
235:
219:Illinois sports team stubs
117:
58:National Basketball League
33:National Basketball League
42:
189:Chicago American Gears
29:Chicago American Gears
24:
130:This article about a
19:
72:The 1946-47 Season
25:
151:
150:
53:DePaul University
226:
172:
165:
158:
126:
125:
119:
109:
98:
234:
233:
229:
228:
227:
225:
224:
223:
179:
178:
177:
176:
123:
115:
113:
112:
99:
95:
90:
74:
45:
12:
11:
5:
232:
222:
221:
216:
211:
206:
201:
196:
191:
175:
174:
167:
160:
152:
149:
148:
127:
111:
110:
92:
91:
89:
86:
73:
70:
44:
41:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
231:
220:
217:
215:
212:
210:
207:
205:
202:
200:
197:
195:
192:
190:
187:
186:
184:
173:
168:
166:
161:
159:
154:
153:
147:
145:
141:
137:
133:
128:
121:
120:
116:
107:
103:
97:
93:
85:
82:
78:
69:
66:
64:
59:
54:
50:
40:
38:
34:
30:
22:
18:
144:expanding it
129:
114:
106:Toledo Blade
105:
96:
83:
79:
75:
67:
49:George Mikan
46:
28:
26:
21:George Mikan
183:Categories
132:basketball
88:References
136:Illinois
134:team in
31:were a
138:is a
43:About
140:stub
27:The
104:".
185::
171:e
164:t
157:v
146:.
100:"
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
