Basketball records of the
Original Celtics
(from 1916-17 as pros)

New York Celtics
Atlantic City Celtics
(Eastern League 1922-23)
Brooklyn Celtics
The “Flying Irish”
New York Hakoahs
(1928-29)
Kate Smith Celtics
Troy Haymakers
(1938-1940)

League History (Where known)

 1921-22 New York Celtics
   Eastern Basketball League
  Replaced Brickley's New York Giants near end of 1st half of season.

 1925-26 Original Celtics
   American Basketball League
  After the all-Black New York Renaissance Five was not allowed in the new A.B.L., the Original Celtics rejected membership in that league in protest and support of the Rens.

 1926-27 Brooklyn Celtics
   American Basketball League

 1927-28 New York Celtics/Brooklyn Celtics
   American Basketball League
  On 5/11/1927, Tex Rickard, Madison Square Garden & the A.B.L. bought the New York Celtics.

 1928-29 New York Hakoahs
   American Basketball League
  Celtics change name to New York Hakoahs in November 1928.

 1939-40 Troy Celtics
   American Basketball League
  The Troy Haymakers and Kingston Colonials combine midseason to form the Troy Celtics.

 1940-41 Troy Celtics/Brooklyn Celtics
   American Basketball League
  Troy Haymakers move to Brooklyn midseason

Post-Season Records & other historical games

1916-17
 First game against full pro team:
  __/__/191_ Newark Turners 29-17 New York Celtics [Newark from Interstate League]



1918-19
 at Manhattan Casino:
  12/22/1918  Morningside A.C. 34-26 New York Celtics


1919-20
 at Central Casino:
  11/23/1919  Original Celtics 54-21 Treat 'Em Roughs 3,000

 at Webster Hall:
  1/4/1920   Original Celtics 27-13 Italian Social Club (Mike Smolick 17 points)

 at Tammany Hall:
  1/11/1920  Lyceum Quintet 38-30 New York Celtics [1st of 5 game series]


1920-21
 Post-Season Game  at Mechanics Hall, Boston
  3/28/1921  Original Celtics 27-25 New England A-S 12,000

 1921 Pro Championships (Independent Pros) (Best of 3)
 at the 71^st Regiment Armory:
  4/16/1921  New York Whirlwinds 40-29 Original Celtics 11,000 [amateur rules] 40-27?
 at the 69^th Regiment Armory:
  4/20/1921  Original Celtics 26-24 New York Whirlwinds 8,000
 [3rd game not played, probably to avert a fixing scandal]
  Spring, 1921 Original Celtics tie New York Whirlwinds, 1 game apiece
       Co-“National” Champions!


1921-22
 Sunday Games
 at Madison Square Garden (#2):
  11/20/1921 New York Celtics v. Italian Social Club
 at 143 14th Street:
  11/20/1921 New York Celtics v. Italian Social Club
 •Following the above Sunday games, a dozen players of both clubs were arrested, and proecuted by Depuy Assistant District Attorney William J. O'Shaughnessy on the ground that “they interfered with the religious liberty of the community.” City Magistrate George W. Simpson dismissed the complaint, quoting St. Mark: “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.”

 Road Game
 at Steeplechase Pier
  2/21/1922  Original Celtics 23-20 Atlantic City Knights of Columbus

 Post-Season Game
 at Holyoke, Mass.
  3/31/1922  Original Celtics W-L Holyoke (Int'l. Lg.)

 1922 Eastern League Championships (Best of 3)
 at Trenton Arena:
  3/31/1922  New York Celtics 24-20 Trenton Tigers (Potters/Royal Bengals)
 at 71^st Regiment Armory, New York:
  4/1/1922   Trenton Tigers 22-17 New York Celtics
 Final
at Camden Armory:
  4/5/1922   New York Celtics 27-22 Trenton Potters 4,000
       Champions!


1922-23
 Sunday Game
 at Madison Square Garden (#2):
  2/18/1923  Original Celtics v. Camdens (NJ) 2,000
 •Following the game, four men were arraigned in court on a complaint of violating the Sunday closing law. The New York Sabbath Committee as part of the “blue law” crusade of the Lord's Day Alliance had made the complaint. Announcer Joseph J. Humphreys and play-by-play caller John Whittley were among those arrested.

 “1^st Integrated Basketball Games” (Black v. White teams)
   [The Commonwealth Five were playing other White teams this season before meeting the Celtics]
 11/25/1922   Commonwealth Big Five 20-17 Brooklyn Celtics
 12/17/1922   Commonwealth Big Five 43-13 Brooklyn Celtics
  3/4/1923   Original Celtics 41-29 Commonwealth Five
  4/1/1923   Original Celtics 35-21 Commonwealth Five 1,200

 1923 World Championship Series (Best of 5 through season)
  [Kingston winner of NY State Lg., and Metropolitan Lg. as the Paterson Legionnaires]
 5th & Final Game
 at Kingston, N.Y.:
  4/6/1923   Kingston 24-19 Original Celtics
    Original Celtics lose to Kingston, 3 games to 2 [Celtics dropped out of Metropolitan Basketbal League and were Independent this season]

 1923 National Championship [as claimed by Eastern League President William Scheffer]
  Trenton Royal Bengals, Eastern League champions, beat Celtics during season and claimed National Championship


1923-24
 Road game
 at Akron Armory (Oh.)
  1/13/1924  Original Celtics 31-23 Kingston

 at Commonwealth Casino
  2/10/1924  Original Celtics 40-28 Commonwealth Big Five

 Game v. the “Negro Professional Basketball Champions of the World”
 at the Pittsburgh Labor Temple:
  2/__/1924  Original Celtics 42-39 Leondi Club
 More Road games
 at Washington Palace
  2/__/1924  Original Celtics 45-28 Washington Palace
 at Pittsburgh
  3/2/1924   Original Celtics 50-30 Coffey Club

 Benefit Triple-header
  (Fund raiser to send U.S. Olympic Athletes to the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris.)
 at 13^th Regiment Armory:
  4/14/1924  Original Celtics 25-17 Cleveland Rosenblums 3,500
  [1st game- Visitation Club 19-14 Glens Falls; 2nd g.- N.J. Pro Championship: Paterson 30-23 Trenton]

 1924 World Pro Champions
  1924  Original Celtics
       Champions!


1924-25
Series vs. Kingston Morgenwreckers (Metropolitan Lg.)
“The Battle of the Century”
 10/29/1924  Kingston Pros 30-22 Original Celtics, at Kingston Armory
 11/19/1924  Kingston 22-21 Original Celtics, at Kingston Armory 1,268
Game at Madison Square Garden
  1/5/1925    Original Celtics 21-26 Kingston 5,909
  1/__/1925  Original Celtics W-L Kingston
“The Battle of the Century”
  1/21/1925  Kingston 39-34 Original Celtics, at Kingston Armory
Game at Madison Square Garden
  2/22/1925  Original Celtics 38-36 Kingston 10,000


Series vs. Metropolitan League Champions
  _____1925 Celtics beat Brooklyn Visitations 2 games to none

Exhibition Series
 at Manhattan Casino
  3/22/1925 Original Celtics 49-38 New York Renaissance
  _____1925 New York Rens v. Original Celtics tie series 3 games each


1925-26
 Sunday Game
 at the new Madison Square Garden (#3):
  12/6/1925 Original Celtics 35-31 Palace Club (Wash., D.C.) 10,000 [1st g.- St. John's Prep (Brooklyn.) 53-14 St. Benedict's Prep (Newark)]
 •Following the first basketball game at the new Madison Square Garden, two players were arrested for violating the Sabbath law. Captain Johnny Beckman of the Celtics and Ray Kennedy of the Palace Five.

Rens Series
  _/__  Original Celtics W-L New York Rens
  _/__  Original Celtics W-L New York Rens
 at Renaissance Casino
  12/20 New York Rens 37-30 Original Celtics 2,500

  Series vs. Philadelphia SPHAS
  1/  /1926 Philadelphia Sphas 26-25 Original Celtics
  1/  /1926 Original Celtics W-L Philadelphia Sphas
  1/  /1926 Philadelphia Sphas 36-27 Original Celtics
    Sphas beat Celtics 2 games to 1.
Pittsburgh Road Trip
  3/  /1926 Original Celtics 27-24 Morry Club of Pittsburgh
  3/  /1926 Original Celtics 36-27 Lafayette Club at Duquesne
  3/  /1926 Original Celtics W-L McKeesport


1926-27
Exhibition Series
 at 369th Regiment Armory
  2/12/1927 Original Celtics W-L New York Rens

35 Game Winning Streak Broken, at Camden
  3/12/1927 Camden County League team 31-24 Original Celtics

 1927 American Basketball League Championships (Best of 5)
 at Cleveland Public Auditorium:
  4/6/1927  Brooklyn Celtics 29-21 Cleveland Rosenblums 10,000
  4/7/1927  Brooklyn Celtics 28-20 Cleveland Rosenblums 7,000
 at Arcadia Hall, Brooklyn:
  4/9/1927  Brooklyn Celtics 35-32 Cleveland Rosenblums
       Champions!


1927-28
 Practice Game at Lavendar Gymnasium:
  10/26/1927 Original Celtics 43-23 City College of New York [Celtic player Nat Holman also coach of CCNY]

 Exhibition Series
 at Manhattan Casino, 280 West 155th St.
  11/29/1927 New York Rens 38-25 Original Celtics 3,000
   [see continuation below]

 Road Game, at Hoboken
  1/3/1927  St. Joseph's of Hoboken 23-19 Original Celtics


 1928 A.B.L. Eastern Division Playoffs (Best of 3)
 at Philadelphia Arena:
  3/13/1928  New York Celtics 27-21 Philadelphia Warriors 5-7,000
 at Arcadia Hall, Brooklyn:
  3/14/1928  New York Celtics 32-24 Philadelphia Warriors

 1928 American Basketball League Championships (Best of 5)
 at Fort Wayne:
  3/21/1928  New York Celtics 30-21 Fort Wayne Hoosiers
  3/22/1928  Fort Wayne Hoosiers 28-21 New York Celtics 4,000
  3/23/1928  New York Celtics 35-18 Fort Wayne Hoosiers
 at Arcadia Hall, Brooklyn:
  3/25/1928  New York Celtics 27-26 Fort Wayne Hoosiers
       Champions!

 Exhibition Series
  _/_/1928  New York Rens W-L Original Celtics ?
  4/1/1928  Original Celtics 37-28 New York Rens [at Rens] 2,500
  4/8/1928  Original Celtics 47-31 New York Rens [at Rens]


1928-29
  3/3/1929  New York Rens 45-24 New York Hakoahs

 1929 World Basketball Championship Series
 at the 71^st Regiment Armory (34th & Park), New York City:
  4/5/1929  Original Celtics 38-31 New York Renaissance 8-10,000 31-30?
 at Syracuse, New York:
  4/6/1929  Original Celtics 48-38 New York Rens
 at Rockland Palace, 280 West 155th:
  4/9/1929  Original Celtics 30-25 New York Rens 2,000
       Champions!



1931-32
 11/21/1931  Original Celtics 32-26 New York Rens at Mineola High School
 11/26/1931  New York Rens 37-21 Original Celtics
  12/5/1931  Original Celtics 35-35 New York Rens [tie] (No O.T.- Celtics had to catch train)
 1932 World Professional Basketball Championship
  3/30/1932  New York Rens 37-34 New York Celtics

 1932 Exhibition Game
  4/3/1932   New York Rens 30-23 New York Celtics
Charity Game
 4/21/1932   Original Celtics 30-25 New York Rens [1st g: Mysterious 5 (girls) 19-18 Eastern Girls of Brooklyn]


1932-1933
Championship Series
 at Rockland Palace
  11/24/1932 Original Celtics 27-26 New York Rens
  12/25/1932 New York Rens 34-32 Original Celtics [site unknown]
 at Renaissance Ballroom
  2/26/1933  New York Rens 25-17 Original Celtics
 at Cleveland
  3/9/1933   New York Rens 36-35 ^O.T. Original Celtics 3/17? [may not be the correct Rens win over Celtics]
 at Washington, D.C.
  3/27/1933  Original Celtics W-L New York Rens ending 88 game winning streak.
 at Palace Ballroom, Philadelphia
  4/3/1933   Original Celtics W-L New York Rens 3/27?
 at Harrisburg, Pa.
  4/8/1933   New York Rens 36-27 Original Celtics
  New York Rens win 8 games to 6 v. Original Celtics



1934-1935
1935 Exhibition Series
 at 132nd Armory, Rockwell & Madison Streets, Chicago
  2/8/1935   Celtics 28-20 New York Renaissance 5,000

  _/__/1935  New York Rens W-L Original Celtics by one point [site unknown]
1935 Exhibition Game
  _/__/1935  Harlem Globe Trotters 32-32 Original Celtics [Celtics walk off court w/ 2 minutes to go to avoid losing.]


1935-36
 “World Championships”
 at White City Arena, Chicago
   [still looking for early round game(s)]
 Championship
  2/28/1936  New York Renaissance W-L ? Kate Smith Celtics assumed

 “World Championship World Series”
 at Oshkosh
  3/14/1936  Oshkosh All Stars 43-41 Kate Smith Celtics
 at Fond du Lac
  3/15/1936  Kate Smith Celtics 46-43 Oshkosh All Stars

 “World Championship”
 at Renaissance Casino
  4/5/1936   New York Rens 37-25 Original Celtics

 Post-Season Benefit Game
 at the 71^st Regiment Armory:
  4/13/1936  Metropolitan (College) All-Stars 46-34 Kate Smith Celtics 2,500
  [1st game- New York Jewels 42-28 Kingston City Service]


1937-38
 Game v. Globetrotters, at White City Arena, Chicago
  3/25/1938  Original Celtics 36-36 Harlem Globetrotters [No O.T., Celtics had to catch a train.]


1938-39
 Game v. Globetrotters, at White City Arena, Chicago
  3/12/1939  Harlem Globetrotters 37-24 Original Celtics

 World Professional Basketball Tournament at Chicago
 First Round:
  New York Celtics bye
 Quarter-Finals, at Madison Street Armory:
  3/27/1939  Sheboygan Redskins 36-29 New York Celtics


1939-40
 American Basketball Playoffs (Round Robin- only Haymakers games shown)
   as Troy Haymakers (also called Troy Celtics)
 at Washington:
  3/3/1940   Troy Celtics lead 32-24 Washington Brewers when game called due to fighting forfeit?
 at Troy:
  3/6/1940   Troy Haymakers W-L Baltimore Clippers
 at Troy:
  3/13/1940  Troy Haymakers 44-32 Washington Heurich Brewers
 at Philadelphia:
  3/16/1940  Philadelphia Sphas 32-29 Troy Haymakers
 at Troy:
  3/27/1940  Troy Haymakers 30-27 Baltimore Clippers 3,600 37-27?
 at Baltimore:
  3/29/1940  Troy Haymakers 37-24 Baltimore Clippers
 at 71st Regiment Armory, New York:
  3/31/1940  Troy Haymakers 38-31 New York Jewels 3,000 [1st g.- Philadelphia Sphas 42-32 NY Rens]
 at Troy:
  4/3/1940   Philadelphia Sphas 32-28 Troy Haymakers 4,000
   Haymakers 6-2 in playoffs (1 game not listed above), 2nd place in playoffs.


1940-41
Game v. Rens (sites unknown)
 at Broadway Arena, Brooklyn
  11/21/1940 New York Rens 30-24 Original Celtics 2,500

 Cleveland $1,500 Invitational Max Rosenblum Tournament
 at Public Hall
 First Round:
  3/1/1941   Original Celtics 42-40 Detroit Eagles 4,500 [2nd g.-Philadelphia Sphas (ABL) 55-48 New York Renaissance
 Championship Game:
  3/2/1941   Philadelphia Sphas 43-38 Original Celtics 6,500 [Ends 66 game winning streak] [Consolation g.: New York Renaissance 49-45 Detroit Eagles]

 American Basketball League Playoff game (site unknown)
  3/13/1941  Philadelphia Sphas 30-29 Brooklyn Celtics

 1941 American Basketball League Championship (Best of 5)
 at Philadelphia:
  4/5/1941   Philadelphia SPHAS 48-38 Brooklyn Celtics
 at Saratoga Springs, NY:
  4/6/1941   Brooklyn Celtics 40-26 Philadelphia SPHAS
 at Philadelphia:
  4/12/1941  Philadelphia SPHAS 50-43 Brooklyn Celtics
 at Broadway Arena at Halsey Street, Brooklyn:
  4/13/1941  Philadelphia SPHAS 30-29 Brooklyn Celtics



1947-48
 Exhibition Game site?
  11/30/1947 New York Celtics 46-43 Harlem Globe Trotters

 Hawaiian Invitational Tournament, at Honolulu
  4/  /1948  [still researchng]


 •In the Spring of 1949, Abe Saperstein, owner of the Harlem Globetrotters bought the New York Celtics as a farm team and opponent (patsy).

1949-50
 Exhibition Games
 at Chicago Stadium
  12/20/1949 Harlem Globetrotters 73-46 New York Celtics 8,162 [2nd g.: Chicago Stags 79-77 New York Knickerbockers]
 at Madison Square Garden
  1/1/1950   Harlem Globetrotters 75-60 New York Celtics 18,000 [2nd g.- NY Knicks 81-59 Phil. Warriors]
 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
  2/3/1950   Harlem Globetrotters 74-48 New York Celtics
  3/10/1950  Harlem Globetrotters 74-64 New York Celtics 3/11?


1950-51
 at Madison Square Garden
  10/27/1950 Harlem Globetrotters 62-49 New York Celtics 18,000 [2nd g.- NY Knicks 80-66 Syracuse Nationals] 10/28?



1952-53
 at Koraken Baseball Stadium, Tokyo (outdoors)
  9/14/1952  Celtics/Globetrotters 56-20 Japan All-Stars (1st g.) [Celtics 32-12 1st half, Globetrotters 24-8 in 2nd half]
  9/14/1952  Harlem Globetrotters 41-16 New York Celtics (2nd g.) 25,000

More Celtic history:
     •Team begun by teenagers in Chelsea District of Manhattan in 1914.
     •Promoter James A. Furey takes over team; 1st manager Frank “Tip” McCormick does not allow use of New York Celtics name, so team name changed to Original Celtics

Home Courts:
     •Amsterdam Opera House, West 44th Street (1916-17)
     •Central Opera House (1918-19)
     •Madison Square Garden (#2) (1921-22, 1927-28)
     •The Hippodrome (1937-1938)

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This list compiled and designed by P.S.Luchter.
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  Updated 7/12/2005