Memphis sounds
| Memphis sounds | ||
|---|---|---|
| founding | 1974 | |
| resolution | 1975 | |
| history |
New Orleans Buccaneers 1967-70 Louisiana Buccaneers |
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| Stadion | Mid-South Coliseum | |
| Location | Memphis , Tennessee | |
| Club colors | Red and white | |
| league | ABA | |
| division | Eastern Division | |
| Head coach | Joe Mullaney | |
| owner | Mike Storen , Isaac Hayes , Avron Fogelman and Kemmonis Wilson | |
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Memphis Sounds was the name of a US basketball franchise from Memphis , Tennessee that played in the American Basketball Association from 1974 to 1975 . She started out as the New Orleans Buccaneers and after three seasons in New Orleans , Louisiana, moved to Memphis, where she played a few home games in the past in a moderate crowd. The renamed Memphis Pros played their home games at the Mid-South Coliseum , which is adjacent to the Mid-South Fairgrounds in what is now known as the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium .
Earlier franchise history
The Buccaneers 1968–1970
The New Orleans Buccaneers were a founding member of the ABA. They were coached by Babe McCarthy , who was known for two things: once for coaching Mississippi State University to the championship in the Southeastern Conference , and that in an era when basketball in that league was from the University of Kentucky was dominated. The other happened when the Mississippi white legislature banned the team from participating in the multiracial NCAA tournament. McCarthy took the crew across the state line in the middle of the night and let them participate anyway, earning him almost legendary status with some people (and eternal hostility among others).
The crew was co-owned by Morton Downey Jr. before he became a famous talk show host. In his autobiography, Downey describes an incident in which he was arrested for taking some of his African American players to a local restaurant, defending himself in court, and being acquitted.
Memphis Pros 1970-1972
After the 1969/70 season, the Buccaneers were relocated to Memphis and became the Memphis Pros.
Memphis Tams 1972-1974
After two seasons as Memphis Pros, the team was bought by Charlie O. Finley, who also owned the Oakland Athletics in MLB and the California Golden Seals in the NHL . The winning entry in a naming contest was Memphis Tams , ostensibly an acronym for Tennessee - Arkansas - Mississippi. The logo was a Tam O'Shanter hat in white, green and gold, which were also the new team colors that were shared with the Athletics and the Golden Seals.
Memphis Sounds 1974-1975
It soon became apparent that the Tams were not a high priority for Finley. The amenities like program booklets began to fade and morale suffered as players began to wonder if they would get the paychecks and if the bank would accept them if they were to cash them. After two such seasons, the ABA stepped in and took control of the team. ABA Commissioner Mike Storen resigned from the league to take over the business and lead a new team in Memphis.
It might be tempting to think the sounds are just a continuation of the Memphis Tams, but they weren't. The team had completely new players, a new name, completely new team colors, a new identity and new owners. Storen led several local greats as co- owners such as the musician Isaac Hayes and Kemmonis Wilson , the founder of the Holiday Inn hotel chain. Storen named the new team Memphis Sounds and developed a new logo in red and white, as were the team colors.
Storen cleaned up the old Tams roster, bringing in seasoned players like Mel Daniels, Freddie Lewis, Roger Brown, Chuck Williams, Collis Jones, George Carter , Rick Mount and Julius Keye. The only player left by the previous fans was Larry Finch, a crowd favorite because he used to play at Memphis State University .
The sounds, which were trained by Joe Mullaney, ended the season with 27 wins and 57 losses, which was enough for fourth place in the Eastern Division and thus for the playoffs. Their opponents in the first round were the Kentucky Colonels , who won the Eastern Division. They beat the Sounds 4-1 and ended up winning the championship too.
Résumé
The sounds were financially unsuccessful in Memphis, so the franchise after the 1974-75 season to a group of businessmen was Baltimore , Maryland sold, who called a team into life, short as Baltimore Hustlers and then as first Baltimore Claws became known .
The Baltimore Claws were to play in the ABA in the 1975/76 season. The team had severe financial problems and collapsed before the season began. In her short history, she only played three preparation games.
Not long after the Claws gave up, so did the San Diego Sails and Utah Stars , abruptly shrinking the league from ten to seven teams. The failure of these franchises was one of the reasons the NBA and ABA merged in the summer after the 1975/76 season.
When the ABA was dissolved and the rights to it expired, a minor league baseball team in Nashville, Tennessee, took over the Nashville Sounds, colors, scheme and logo from the Memphis Sounds. The name is still used, but the color scheme and logo changed after 1998.
In 2001 professional basketball returned to Memphis with the Memphis Grizzlies from the NBA.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Remember the ABA: Memphis Sounds
- ↑ Remember the ABA: New Orleans Buccaneers
- ↑ Remember the ABA: Baltimore Claws
- ↑ Remember the ABA: Count Dracula Has Struck (by Dan Pattison)