The Denver Refiners were a professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

team who played in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, in 1950–1951 and were a member of the Western Division of the National Professional Basketball League, which lasted one season.

History

The

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams: The

Anderson Packers The Anderson Packers, also known as the Anderson Duffey Packers and the Chief Anderson Meat Packers, were a professional basketball team based in Anderson, Indiana, in the 1940s and 1950s. The team was founded and owned by brothers Ike Duffey, Ik ...

Sheboygan Red Skins The Sheboygan Red Skins (or Redskins) was a professional basketball team based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which was an original National Basketball Association franchise during the 1949–1950 season. History Overview The Redskins played in th ...

and

Waterloo Hawks The Waterloo Hawks were a National Basketball League and National Basketball Association team based in Waterloo, Iowa. The Hawks remain the only sports franchise ever based in Iowa from any of the current Big Four Leagues. Franchise history ...

jumped to the NPBL, while the

Chicago Stags The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team based in Chicago from 1946 to 1950. History 1946–47 season In the BAA's inaugural year, the Chicago Stags were placed in the Western Division, and after 60 games were tied with the ...

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

and St. Louis Bombers folded. The league went from 17 teams to 11 before the 1950–1951 season started. Midway through the 1950–1951 season, the

Washington Capitols The Washington Capitols were a former Basketball Association of America (forerunner of the National Basketball Association) team based in Washington, D.C. from 1946 to 1951. The team was coached from 1946 to 1949 by NBA Hall of Famer Red Auerb ...

folded as well, bringing the number of teams in the league down to ten. The National Professional Basketball League was formed around the former NBA teams, with teams added in new larger markets. The charter teams were the East Division: Sheboygan Redskins (Former NBA),

(Former NBA),

Louisville Alumnites Louisville Alumnites were a team in the National Professional Basketball League (1950-1951), based in Louisville, Kentucky. History The National Basketball Association contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams: The Anderson Packer ...

and

Grand Rapids Hornets Grand Rapids Hornets were a franchise for one season (1950) in the National Professional Basketball League, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. History The National Basketball Association contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams: T ...

. West Division: Denver Refiners/ Evansville Agogans,

Saint Paul Lights The St. Paul Lights were a franchise for the one season (1950) of the National Professional Basketball League, based in St. Paul, Minnesota. History The National Basketball Association contracted after the 1949–1950 season, losing six teams: ...

Kansas City Hi-Spots The Kansas City Hi-Spots were a franchise for one season (1950-1951) in the National Professional Basketball League, based in Kansas City, Missouri. History The National Basketball Association contracted after the 1949-1950 season, losing six t ...

and

(Former NBA). The next season those franchises helped form the NPBL. The Denver Refiners were the Denver franchise and were coached by Jimmy Darden and had a 18–16 record through January 28, 1951. The team began the season 8–0. The franchise had difficulty financing the team's long trips to all its eastern and midwestern counterparts. Financial pressures forced the organization to fold. A business man from

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, Bill Butterfield, bought the franchise after the January 28 game and moved it to Indiana. Butterfield named the new team the Agogans, which meant "those with intense interest and excitement." The Evansville Agogans played the last six games of the season (0-6).

The arena

The Refiners played on the stage of the

Denver Arena Auditorium Denver Auditorium Arena was an indoor arena located at the corner of 13th and Champa Streets in Denver, Colorado. It was constructed as the Denver Municipal Auditorium in 1908 during the administration of Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer. The bu ...

. In 1990 the building was remodeled into the Temple Hoyne Buell Theater. The site is at 14th and Arapahoe Streets, Denver, Colorado, 80204. On November 14 and November 18, 1950, the Refiners played against Grand Rapids and Sheboygan at Thunderbird Gym in

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is ni ...

. After the November 14, 1950, game against Grand Rapids, Future Hall of Famer

Bobby McDermott Robert Frederick McDermott (January 7, 1914 – October 3, 1963) was an American professional basketball player in the 1930s and 1940s. He was known as an outstanding shooter and has been called "the greatest long-distance shooter in the history ...

was dismissed as coach of Grand Rapids due to his behavior during the game, in which he cursed loudly and said his team had been "robbed."1950–51 Denver Refiners Game-by-Game Results
Retrieved August 28, 2021.

Notable alumni

Ed Dahler Edward Dahler Jr. (January 31, 1926 – March 16, 2012) was an American professional basketball player.Ed ...

* Jimmy Darden *

Hoot Gibson Edmund Richard "Hoot" Gibson (August 6, 1892 – August 23, 1962) was an American rodeo champion, film actor, film director, and producer. While acting and stunt work began as a sideline to Gibson's focus on rodeo, he successfully transitioned ...

* Leo Kubiak *

Milt Schoon Milton W. Schoon (February 25, 1922 – January 18, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. A 6-foot-7, 230-pound center, Schoon began his college career at Tri-State College (now Trine University) during the 1941–42 season befor ...

Glen Selbo Glendon Laverne "Glen" Selbo (March 29, 1926 – May 29, 1995) was an American professional basketball and baseball player. He was a college athlete at the University of Wisconsin, Western Michigan University, and the University of Michigan, and w ...

References

Basketball teams established in 1950 Sports clubs disestablished in 1951 National Professional Basketball League (1950–51) Sports teams in Denver 1950 establishments in Colorado 1951 disestablishments in Colorado Defunct sports teams in Colorado {{Denver-stub