Houston Mavericks
| Houston Mavericks | ||
|---|---|---|
| founding | 1967 | |
| resolution | 1969 | |
| history |
Houston Mavericks 1967–1969 Carolina Cougars 1969–1974 Spirits of St. Louis 1974–1976 Utah Rockies planned |
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| Stadion | Sam Houston Coliseum | |
| Location | Houston, Texas | |
| Club colors | golden, black and white | |
| league | American Basketball Association | |
| division | Western Division | |
| Head coach |
Slater Martin 1967/68 Slater Martin, Art Becker & James Weaver 1968/69 |
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| owner |
William Whitmore, Charles Frazier and Cloyce Box 1967 T.S. Morrow and Bud Adams 1967-1969 Southern Sports Corporation 1969 |
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The Houston Mavericks were an American basketball franchise based in Houston , Texas and a founding member of the American Basketball Association .
Origins
The Mavericks were one of the ABA's first franchises and were launched with the league on February 2, 1967. One of the early owners of the Mavericks was Bud Adams, who owned the Houston Oilers in the American Football League .
1967-1968
Their first season ended the Mavericks with 29 wins and 49 losses, which brought them to fourth in the Western Division. They played at the Sam Houston Coliseum in front of an average of 1,543 people. Willie Somerset and DeWitt Menyard played in the All Star Game. Art Becker was named for the All ABA team. The financial problems weighed heavily, so the ABA took over the team and made transactions to limit costs. The Mavericks lost to the Dallas Chaparrals in the divisional semi-finals of the playoffs 3-0.
1968-1969
The Houston Mavericks finished their second season with 23 wins and 55 losses. Willie Somerset returned to the All Star Game. During the season, a group around James C. Gardner, the later commissioner of the ABA, the new owner of the team. The average attendance was 1147, but was often glossed over. Often fewer than 100 spectators came to the home games. The Mavericks made their last game on April 2, 1969 in front of only 89 fans. They defeated the New York Nets with 149-132. Another notable figure was the 43 converted free throws in a row. The series began with seven in a row in a win after two overtimes against the Minnesota Pipers on January 16, 1969, continued with 36 in a row at the New York Nets the next day and ended on January 18 with the first free throw against Kentucky Colonels . This free throw series and the free throw series in one game are still an unbroken record in professional basketball. The Mavericks finished the season sixth in the Western Division and didn't make it to the playoffs.
Final
After the 1968/69 season ended, the team moved to North Carolina to continue playing as the Carolina Cougars . After a few years in North Carolina, the team moved to St. Louis , Missouri and took part in gaming operations as Spirits of St. Louis . After the 1975/76 season, the team was relocated to Salt Lake City , Utah to continue playing as the Utah Rockies , but the ABA and NBA merger did not include the Spirits / Rockies and Kentucky Colonels, so the team was disbanded and the players distributed in a draft.