Washington Caps
| Washington Caps | ||
|---|---|---|
| founding | 1969 | |
| resolution | 1970 | |
| history |
Oakland Americans 1967 Oakland Oaks |
|
| Stadion | Washington Coliseum | |
| Location | Washington, DC | |
| Club colors | green and gold | |
| league | ABA | |
| division | Western Division | |
| Head coach | Al Bianchi | |
| owner | Earl M. Foreman, Thomas Shaheen, and Louis Diamond | |
|
|
||
The Washington Caps (or Washington Capitols ) were an American basketball franchise based in Washington, DC that played in the American Basketball Association from 1969 to 1970 . Before that, the team played under the name Oakland Oaks . From 1970 to 1976 she served as Virginia Squires in the league.
Origins
With the founding of the ABA in February 1967, a team was given to Oakland , California for $ 30,000 to the singer Pat Boone as the main owner. The team was originally called Oakland Americans, but the name was eventually changed to Oakland Oaks. NBA star Rick Barry played for the Oaks, as did Steve Jones and Levern Tart. However, Barry was hindered from playing in the NBA by a lawsuit brought by his former NBA team (regarding the replacement clause in his contract), so he spent the season as a radio announcer instead of as a player for the Oaks. The Oaks won the ABA's very first game in 1967, a 132-129 win over the Anaheim Amigos on October 3, 1967, and swept through the playoffs in 1969 until they won the championship that year against the Indiana Pacers . However, Bank of America threatened to cancel a $ 1.2 million loan, so a group of investors led from Washington, led by Earl Foreman, bought the team and brought them to Washington for the next season.
The 1969/70 season
With the move came a new identity as Washington Caps dressed in green and gold. Al Bianchi was the team's head coach. A federal appeals court ruled Rick Barry's contract for the caps. Barry and Warren Armstrong played in the ABA All Star game, but injuries limited their playing time during the season.
In March 1970 the union between the ABA and the NBA seemed imminent, which meant that the Washington Caps would have to relocate, but a subsequent legal battle hampered the union until June 1976.
The Caps stayed in the Western Division despite their move to the East Coast. For the team, this meant that they were constantly on the move to distant venues, so the travel and time differences affected their game. An average of 2992 fans came to the home games. Because of the long distances within the division, the Caps played some home games in places like Wichita , Kansas and even Mexico City , but had little success in those substitute home games. They had good results in their real home games at the Washington Coliseum .
The season ended with 44 wins and 40 losses, which meant third place in the Western Division, seven games behind the Denver Rockets and one game behind the Dallas Chaparrals . In the 1970 playoffs, the Caps met the Denver Rockets in the division semi-finals, where they finally lost and eliminated in the seventh game in Denver with 119: 143.
Virginia Squires
After the 1969/70 season ended, the Caps moved south and became the Virginia Squires. These played all seasons in the ABA until 1976. After the end of the 1975/76 season, the Squires could not meet the financial requirements of the league. They broke up before the ABA and NBA merged in June 1976.