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W
hat was it about Sheboygan in the 1940s and ‘50s
that created the circumstance that attracted and
sustained a professional basketball team in a city
of around 30,000 on the western shore of Lake Michigan
mid-way between Milwaukee and Green Bay?
Was it the love of all sports? Was it the
civic spirit? Was it the presence of family
money and a few wealthy businessmen
who loved sports?
Was it those frigid winters when you
craved an indoor spectacle? Was it the
absence of television? Was it an escape
from the clouds of war before 1941 and
relief, celebration and prosperity after the
global war was won?
Some Plenco retirees may remember the
enthusiasm and loyalty of their parents and
all of Sheboygan to the classy Red Skins in
that time in the distant past. Game night
became a social occasion for many Sheboygan families.
You may have grown up thinking that’s the way it was in
every hometown. Well, it wasn’t.
While some clues and small-town legends have survived,
not many have. The answers are not entirely clear. From
The Sheboygan Press archives and the miracle of the
Internet, we know the basic facts, but not much more.
We do know this: The Sheboygan Red Skins played in
the National Basketball League (NBL) from
1938 to 1949, when the team entered the
NBA, and continued thrilling hometown fans
until 1951. Games moved from the Eagle
Auditorium to the Sheboygan Municipal
Auditorium and Armory in 1942. The team
had one championship season, in 1943.
The Red Skins led the league in defense
five times, appeared in five championship
series and won the 1942-43 title, defeating
the league-leading Fort Wayne Zollner Pis-
tons, today’s Detroit Pistons, in the finals.
You’ll recognize some of the local
businesses that provided funding.
Starting in the 1930s, Sheboygan began to build a
basketball reputation in the Midwest that began in the
Ballhorns, the Art Imigs and then with the Enzo Jels.
Players with names like Posewitz, Kuplic, Roth, Norris and
Cinealis played well during the ‘30s.
Sheboygan’s Love of Professional Sports
Teams Created the ‘Elite’ Sheboygan Red Skins
in the 1940s. Why?
What is it about…Basketball?
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