Cleveland Rosenblums

Cleveland Rosenblums
Leagues	Independent 1919-1925 American Basketball League 1925-1931
Founded	1919
Folded	1931

The Cleveland Rosenblums (also known as the Rosies) was an American basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio that was one of the original members of the American Basketball League. The Rosenblums played in the league between 1925–1930, winning three championships before dropping out.

The Rosenblums were organized in the late 1910s and were owned by Cleveland department store owner, Max Rosenblum (1877–1953). Originally known as the "Rosenblum Celtics," the 1919 team compiled a record of 18–2 and was selected by Cleveland sporting editors as "the recognized champions of Ohio."

During the 1922–1923 season, the team became known as "the fastest basket ball aggregation in this part of the country," and consisted of "an array of former college stars," including Kelly McBride, who was the team's top scorer for several seasons. The 1922–1923 team was coached by Bill Lange, who later led the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1941.

In April 1924, the Rosenblums traveled to Brooklyn to compete in a tournament of five professional basketball teams. The tournament was organized as a fundraiser for the U.S. Olympic Committee. The Rosenblums lost in the tournament to the Original Celtics by a score of 25 to 17 in a game that featured a fight late in the game between Celtics player Nat Holman and Marty Friedman, forward for the Rosenblums. Both players were ejected from the game.

In April 1925, Rosenblum hosted an organizational meeting at the Hotel Statler in Cleveland to establish a professional basketball league that was originally called the National Basketball League. The Pittsburgh Press reported at the time, "Max Rosenblum, of Cleveland, who has sponsored professional basketball on a large scale for many years, is the leading spirit in the organization."

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