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1948/49: With four top teams joining the Basketball Association of America, the National Basketball League, made up primarily of industrial teams in the Midwest were looking to add replacement teams to keep the league competitive. One of the new teams was placed in the Central Iowa town Waterloo. The Waterloo Hawks were coached by Charley Sipp, a five-time NBL All-Star. The Hawks were no pushover, as they hovered near .500 all season. However, they would miss the playoffs by three games, posting a record of 30-32 as they finished fourth in the Western Division.

1949/50: As the NBL merged with the BAA to create the National Basketball Association, the Waterloo Hawks were one of the teams invited to join. It was clear the Hawks were overmatched in the NBA, as they won just eight of their first 35 games before Charlie Sipp was replaced as coach by Jack Smiley. The Hawks would fare slightly better with Smiley leading the team, and nearly made it back into the playoff picture, but fell just short as they posted a record of 19-43 and finished fifth in the Western Division, three games short of a playoff spot. After only one season in the NBA, the Waterloo Hawks were one of four former NBL teams to leave and attempt to create a new basketball league called the National Professional Basketball, which would fail to complete its first season.