Buffalo Germans

In 1895, six young boys who frequently played basketball together at a YMCA on Buffalo’s East Side decided to form a team. Naming themselves the Buffalo Germans, the dynasty of basketball’s first great team humbly began. The Germans became the most-feared team in the country, playing against the best pro and amateur teams in the world, and winning with relative ease. The Germans claimed no particular style or strategy; they simply dominated in every aspect of the game. The Germans captured the 1901 Pan American Championship and then took the 1904 Olympic title in St. Louis. For three years beginning in 1908, the Germans, led by star player Al Heerdt and coach Fred Burkhardt, won 111 straight games, and defeated opponents by more than 30 points a game. The most impressive victory was a 134-0 win over Hobart College. The legendary boys went undefeated in five of their first 18 seasons and disbanded in 1925 after compiling an impressive 792-86 record.