Virginia Squires
| Virginia Squires | ||
|---|---|---|
| founding | 1970 | |
| resolution | 1976 | |
| history |
Oakland Oaks 1967–1969 Washington Caps 1969–1970 Virginia Squires 1970–1976 |
|
| Stadion | Norfolk Scope, Hampton Coliseum, Richmond Coliseum, Roanoke Civic Center, Old Dominion University Fieldhouse, Richmond Arena | |
| Location | Norfolk, Hampton, Richmond, Roanoke | |
| Club colors | 1970–74 red, white and blue 1974/75 orange, brown and white 1975/76 blue and orange |
|
| league | ABA | |
| division | Western Division | |
| Head coach | 1970-1975 Al Bianchi 1975/76 Al Bianchi, Bill Musselman , Mack Calvin, Willie Wise, Jack Ankerson, and Zelmo Beaty |
|
| owner | Earl Foreman | |
|
|
||
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise based in Norfolk , Virginia that played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1970 to 1976 .
In Oakland
The Squires were founded in 1967 as one of the founding members of the ABA under the name Oakland Americans (later Oakland Oaks ). The team colors were green and gold. A previous team of the same name played in the American Basketball League in 1962 .
The Oaks belonged in part to pop singer Pat Boone . They were arguably better known for a bigger contract battle with the San Francisco Warriors of the NBA over the rights to Rick Barry than for the performances on the field. Barry, a former Rookie of the Year who led the Warriors to the 1966-67 NBA Finals, was so angry about not being paid the awards bonuses that he suspended the 1967-68 season. He joined the Oaks the following year and led the team to their only championship in 1968/69.
Even so, the team turned out to be a bad investment for Boone and his co-owners. Despite winning the championship, the Oaks were a financial disappointment due to their proximity to the Warriors. There were only 2500 fans on average for the games.
In Washington
- Main article : Washington Caps
Since Bank of America wanted to cancel a loan, Boone sold the team to the lawyer Earl Foreman from Washington, DC , where they played as Washington Caps in 1969/70 . The team colors were kept, but the logo included the city colors red, white and blue. They played at the Washington Coliseum. For reasons unknown, they stayed in the Western Division, forcing them to make the longest away trips in the league. The attendance was no better than Oakland because the hall was in a shabby area. Amazingly, they ended the season with more wins than losses, but lost to the Denver Rockets in the first round .
In Virginia
Association talks with the NBA were well under way, but a contentious issue was the existence of the caps in Washington. The owner of the Baltimore Bullets , Abe Pollin, wanted his team to move to Washington, but then didn't want the Caps to be a second team in the same city. The other ABA owners persuaded Foreman to relocate the caps for the second time. Foreman decided to turn the Caps into a regional franchise, the Virginia Squires. The team had Norfolk, Virginia as their hometown and also played home games in Hampton , Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia . Roanoke was removed from the list of "hometowns" after a season. The colors of the Squires were red, white, and blue.
Rick Barry, who originally played for the Oaks, appeared on the front cover of Sports Illustrated on August 24, 1970 in a Squires shirt; in the accompanying article he made some negative comments about the state of Virginia. (He insulted the Southerners by saying he didn't want to see his kids grow up and say, "Hi, y'all, Dad.") On September 1, 1970, the Squires sold Barry to the New York Nets for a draft pick and $ 200,000. The negative comments weren't the main reason; rather, Foreman was in financial trouble and sold Barry to cover his expenses.
The Squires played most of their home games at Old Dominion University Fieldhouse in their first season, with additional games at Richmond Arena, Hampton Coliseum and the Roanoke Civic Center. Despite the initial controversy surrounding former player Barry, the Squires ended their first season in Virginia with victory in the Eastern Division. They defeated the New York Nets in the first round of the playoffs, but were then kicked out by the Kentucky Colonels . In 1971 the Squires had their best draft pick ever with Julius Erving from the University of Massachusetts . During the 1971/72 season Erving proved to be a sensation with his points performance and his acrobatic actions on the field; the Squires defeated The Floridians in the first round of the playoffs, but lost to the New York Nets in the second round.
The 1972/73 season marked the beginning of the decline of the Virginia Squires. Though blessed with the combination of "Dr. J" Julius Erving and a young George Gervin , the duo didn't play together until late in the season. The Squires lost to the Nets in the first round of the playoffs. In the summer of 1973, Dr. J sold to the New York Nets for cash.
During the 1974 ABA All-Star Weekend, rumors arose that Gervin would be sold to the San Antonio Spurs . Then on January 30th these became a fact. Commissioner Mike Storen tried to stop the sale on the grounds that the sale of the team's last real star was not in the league's interests. Nevertheless the sale took place.
This angered many fans and the number of viewers declined. The Squires' last two seasons in the ABA were unsuccessful. The defeats increased and the popular coach Al Bianchi was fired. The regular season ended with a result of 15:69 and 15:68, the worst value in the history of the ABA. The team dissolved more and more outside of the field. In 1974, Barry Parkhill sued the team after his paycheck broke. The Squires almost disbanded in February 1976, but managed to prevent that by selling advertising banners and a $ 250,000 loan from a local bank. In the end, this only added four months to the crew's life. After one could not raise a payment of $ 75,000 to the league, the Squires were dissolved on May 10, 1976. The team's final legacy was that of early success, potential and financial mismanagement, a kind of microcosm of the ABA itself.