National Basketball Association

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Lore & Background

The roots of this Denver franchise trace back to 1932 as the amateur Denver Piggly Wiggly, an AAU team sponsored by local grocery stores. Over the years, they rebranded multiple times: becoming the Denver Safeway in 1935, the Denver American Legion until 1942, and the Denver Ambrose Jelly Makers from 1943 to 1946. The team dominated amateur basketball, winning AAU championships in 1937, 1939, and 1942. In 1948, General Manager Hal Davis secured a spot in the nine-team National Basketball League (NBL), where the team finished last in the Western Division with an 18–44 record. The following season, they entered the newly formed NBA under player-coach Jack McCracken, who had been a star for the AAU teams. The Nuggets started the 1949–50 season 0–15 and finished 11–51, becoming one of four teams (along with St. Louis, Anderson, and Chicago) to drop out of the league that year.

In Their Own Story

The transition from amateur powerhouse to professional struggler defined the original Nuggets' brief NBA existence. After years of AAU success with stars like Ace Gruenig and Vince Boryla, the team stepped into the pro ranks in 1948–49 only to finish last in their division. The 1949–50 season proved even more difficult; led by Jimmy Darden, the Nuggets lost their first fifteen games before managing eleven wins total. Despite the poor record, the franchise made history as Colorado's first major professional sports team. Following the season's end, the Nuggets left the NBA entirely. A successor team, the Denver Frontier Refiners, played six games in the National Professional Basketball League (NPBL) during the 1950–51 season before relocating and becoming the Evansville Agogans. Colorado remained without major league sports until the Denver Broncos began play in 1960.

Reader's Guide

The original Denver Nuggets played their home games at the Denver Auditorium Arena, a venue that would later host the modern franchise from 1967 to 1975. The team's journey through professional leagues was marked by constant rebranding and league instability. After leaving the NBA in 1950, the organization attempted to continue as the Frontier Refiners in the NPBL but folded shortly after moving to Evansville. A final attempt saw the Nuggets return to AAU play for the 1951–52 season before operations ceased permanently. The name lived on decades later when the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association (ABA) won a contest in 1974 to rebrand, selecting 'Nuggets' as their new moniker to honor this early history. Vince Boryla, a key player from the original AAU era, would return in 1985 as president and general manager of the modern franchise, earning NBA Executive of the Year honors.

Did You Know?

• The original Denver Nuggets were the first major professional sports franchise in Colorado.
• Before joining the NBA, the team won three AAU championships (1937, 1939, 1942) under various names like the Denver Safeway and American Legion.
• Jack McCracken served as player-coach during the Nuggets' only NBA season, but was not a player-coach for the amateur-era AAU teams.
• The team finished the 1949–50 NBA season with a record of 11 wins and 51 losses, starting the year 0–15.
• Vince Boryla, a star from the original AAU Nuggets, later became president and GM of the current franchise in 1985.