Memphis Pros
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Memphis Pros were an American Basketball Association team during the 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 seasons.
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[edit] Origins
The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the ABA and played for three seasons, 1967-1970, winning the Western Division championship in 1969. After the 1969-1970 season the team was rechristened as the Louisiana Buccaneers, with home games scheduled in several cities in that state. However, this idea was scrapped, placing the Bucs' future in doubt.
On August 21, 1970, the team was sold to Memphis businessman P.W. Blake. Ten days later, he moved the team to Memphis and changed its name to the Memphis Pros, reportedly because the already purchased 'Bucs' uniforms could easily be converted to 'Pros' uniforms at little expense.
[edit] 1970-1971 season
The Pros immediately ran into problems due to the timing of the move. The Mid-South Coliseum was nearly booked solid through the winter, and the Pros were only able to secure one Friday home game. They were forced to play the balance of their home schedule in several other arenas in Tennessee and Mississippi. Not surprisingly, ticket sales slowed to a trickle; by the start of the season they'd only sold 180 season tickets.
Bobby Warren of the Los Angeles Lakers joined the team, and Ron Franz and Dave Nash were traded to The Floridians for Wilbert Jones, Al Cueto and Erv Staggs; later, Red Robbins was traded to the Utah Stars for Craig Raymond and Skeeter Swift was traded to the Pittsburgh Pipers for Charlie Williams. Jimmy Jones, Steve Jones and Wendell Ladner played in the ABA All Star Game; Ladner, a pick in the last ABA draft, also made the ABA All-Rookie team. An average of 3,199 fans attended Pros home games during the season. The Pros finished with 41 wins and 43 losses, which put them in third place in the Eastern Division. The Pros advanced to the playoffs but lost in the Eastern Division semifinals to the Indiana Pacers, 4 games to none.
The Pros almost didn't survive that season. In December 1970, Blake simply walked away from the team, claiming to have lost $200,000. The league desperately tried to find a new owner, but there were no takers. Finally in February, a community group, Memphis Area Sports Inc., bought the team for $700,000. It was comprised of 4,600 Tennessee residents who bought the team's stock at $5, $10 and $50 a share and elected a 24-person board to run the team. Memphis stockbroker A.W. Hart was installed as team president.
[edit] 1971-1972 season
The team signed Johnny Neumann, an underclassman All American from the University of Mississippi, and added Larry Cannon, but lost Steve Jones to the Dallas Chaparrals through free agency; Jimmy Jones also departed, ending up with the Utah Stars.
On October 6, 1971 the Pros hosted the NBA's Boston Celtics for a preseason exhibition game. The Celtics won, 115-94. This was the only time a Memphis team played an NBA team until the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, thirty years later.
The Pros traded Larry Cannon to the Indiana Pacers in mid-season for Don Sidle, and executed another midseason trade which sent Wendell Ladner, Tom Owens and Bobby Warren to the Carolina Cougars for Randy Denton, Warren Davis and George Lehmann. The latter trade was initiated by Hart without consulting McCarthy.
The Pros had two players, Wendell Ladner and Steve Jones, play in the ABA All Star Game.
Despite (or perhaps because of) all the personnel moves, the team finished with only 26 wins against 58 losses, which put them in fifth (last) place in the Western Division, 34 games behind the Utah Stars, and kept them out of the playoffs.
Although they averaged 4,441 fans per home game, the team's financial problems cropped up again, and forcing the league to take control of the team for a second time.
On April 27, 1972 Babe McCarthy resigned as the Pros' coach. On June 13, 1972, the team was purchased by Charles O. Finley, who also owned the Oakland A's. Finley also took over the team's debts. Legendary former University of Kentucky head coach Adolph Rupp became team president.
Prior to the 1972-1973 season Finley changed the team's name to the Memphis Tams.
[edit] See also
- New Orleans Buccaneers
- Louisiana Buccaneers
- Memphis Tams
- Memphis Sounds
- Baltimore Hustlers
- Baltimore Claws
- Memphis Grizzlies
