Pioneers of the Hardwood: Indiana and the Birth of Professional Basketball

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Long before there was an NBA, there was professional basketball, and as far back as 1913 its most active incubator was Indiana. Todd Gould, who focuses his engaging chronicle on the barnstorming exploits of three Indianapolis clubs and the Fort Wayne (later Detroit) Pistons, makes it clear that what passed as professional then bears little relation to what is considered to be professional today. The salaries were small, the conditions less than ideal, and while the players, like all top athletes, burned to win, it was the quality of the show that was remembered long after the final score. Perhaps the most famous pro from this colorful era, UCLA coaching legend John Wooden, provides the kind of fascinating first-person witness that elevates good history into lively--and living--narrative.


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While everyone knows about the growth of basketball in high schools and colleges, the story of Indiana's role in the development of professional basketball has not been told before. It is a lively story of raucous fans, local heroes, and men who loved the game and were willing to play for nickels. Gould covers the three Indianapolis teams - the Em-Rocs, the Kautskys, and the Olympians - and the Fort Wayne Pistons (later the Detroit Pistons), who dominated professional basketball for a number of years. Setting his story within the context of the times, he also discusses some of the teams that the local heroes competed against, including the famous New York Celtics (the original Celtics) and the gifted Harlem Rens (the first all-black professional team).


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