Washington Bears


Washington Bears

Location: Washington, D.C.
Home Court:
Turner’s Arena
Nickname:
“Bears”, “Lichtman Bears”
Manager:
Harold “Hal” Jackson

The Washington Bears, an all-black professional basketball team, were organized in 1941 by sports business entrepreneur Harold “Hal” Jackson, a Washington, D.C. native. Jackson, a sports broadcasting and journalism pioneer, leveraged his popularity as the radio play-by-play announcer for Howard University and Homestead Grays baseball games.

This new Black Fives x HOMAGE graphic tee celebrates the Washington Bears.

With financial backing from local theater chain owner Abe Lichtman, the Bears had more cash to spend than New York Rens owner Bob Douglas, whose barnstorming revenues had been limited by wartime rationing of gasoline, tires, and related supplies. Under these conditions, Jackson was able to sign away the majority of Rens players.

The 1942-43 Washington Bears, winners of the 1943 World’s Championship of Professional Basketball. Left to right, Charles “Tarzan” Cooper, Charlie Isles, William “Dolly” King, John Isaacs, William “Pop” Gates, Clarence “Puggy” Bell, Zach Clayton, Robert “Sonny” Wood, and Jackie Bethards.
The 1942-43 Washington Bears, winners of the 1943 World’s Championship of Professional Basketball. Left to right, Charles “Tarzan” Cooper, Charlie Isles, William “Dolly” King, John Isaacs, William “Pop” Gates, Clarence “Puggy” Bell, Zach Clayton, Robert “Sonny” Wood, and Jackie Bethards.

It was an unbeatable combination of stars that included Charles “Tarzan” Cooper, William “Pop” Gates, William “Dolly” King, Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, and Zack Clayton.

The properties controlled by Lichtman, including the famous Howard Theater on T Street, were among the city’s only playhouses that catered to African Americans.

An elaborate 1943 scorecard for a Washington Bears game promotes iconic entertainment acts at nearby theaters owned by Abe Lichtman as well as an advertisement for the breakthrough book, The Negro In Sports by future Basketball Hall of Fame member Edwin Bancroft Henderson. The item also has a poignant commemorative star next to the name of the late Wilmeth Sidat Singh, a talented Bears player and Tuskegee Airman who had died tragically in a plane crash during a training mission over Lake Huron that prior May.
An elaborate 1943 scorecard for a Washington Bears game promotes iconic entertainment acts at nearby theaters owned by Abe Lichtman as well as an advertisement for the breakthrough book, The Negro In Sports by future Basketball Hall of Fame member Edwin Bancroft Henderson. The item also has a poignant commemorative star next to the name of the late Wilmeth Sidat Singh, a talented Bears player and Tuskegee Airman who had died tragically in a plane crash during a training mission over Lake Huron that prior May.

In 1943 the Washington Bears went 41-0 and won the invitation-only World Championship of Professional Basketball, the nation’s highest basketball title, held in Chicago and sponsored by the Chicago Herald-American newspaper.

“Winning the World’s title, the Washington team performed a feat that NO PREVIOUS WINNER HAS RECORDED. They finished the 1943 season with a perfect record having won every one of their 41 starts. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTURY THAT A PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL TEAM HAS ENJOYED A SEASON WITHOUT A SINGLE DEFEAT.”
—Leo Fischer, Sports Editor, Chicago Herald-American

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