Baltimore Claws Year-by-Year Notes (original) (raw)

New Orleans Buccaneers (1967-68 to 1969-70)/ Memphis Pros (1970-71 to 1971-72)/ Memphis Tams (1972-73 to 1973-74)/ Memphis Sounds (1974-75)/ Baltimore Hustlers (prior to 1975-76)/ Baltimore Claws (prior to 1975-76)

Year-to-Year Notes (courtesy Robert Bradley)

Formative Period
2Feb67 Formation of the ABA is announced, with a New Orleans franchise awarded for 1,000toagroupheadedbyCharlesG.SmitherandincludingSeanMortonDowneyJr.,L.TorreyComila,RonnieKole,JamesA.Ware,LionelJ.Cunningham,CharlesG.Smither,andMauriceM.Stern....TeamnamedtheNewOrleansBuccaneers....SmitherbecomesteamPresidentandSternnamedOperationsManager....HenryZacCarternamedVicePresident....BabeMcCarthyisnamedcoach....DraftJimmyJonesandGeorgeCarter(whosignswithDetroitoftheNBA)....SignDougMoefromtheItalianLeague(one−yearcontractfor1,000 to a group headed by Charles G. Smither and including Sean Morton Downey Jr., L. Torrey Comila, Ronnie Kole, James A. Ware, Lionel J. Cunningham, Charles G. Smither, and Maurice M. Stern .... Team named the New Orleans Buccaneers .... Smither becomes team President and Stern named Operations Manager .... Henry Zac Carter named Vice President .... Babe McCarthy is named coach .... Draft Jimmy Jones and George Carter (who signs with Detroit of the NBA) .... Sign Doug Moe from the Italian League (one-year contract for 1,000toagroupheadedbyCharlesG.SmitherandincludingSeanMortonDowneyJr.,L.TorreyComila,RonnieKole,JamesA.Ware,LionelJ.Cunningham,CharlesG.Smither,andMauriceM.Stern....TeamnamedtheNewOrleansBuccaneers....SmitherbecomesteamPresidentandSternnamedOperationsManager....HenryZacCarternamedVicePresident....BabeMcCarthyisnamedcoach....DraftJimmyJonesandGeorgeCarter(whosignswithDetroitoftheNBA)....SignDougMoefromtheItalianLeague(one−yearcontractfor25,000), Larry Brown from the AAU's Akron Goodyears (one-year contract for $25,000), Red Robbins, Gerald Govan, and Jackie Moreland

1967-68 (48-30) First Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,337
Play home games at Loyola University Fieldhouse .... 9Jan68 Moe, Robbins, Brown and Jones play in the All-Star Game and McCarthy coaches West team -- Brown is named MVP .... Brown leads the ABA in assists .... Moe named First Team All-ABA .... Brown named Second Team All-ABA .... Jones named to ABA All-Rookie Team .... Defeat Denver 3 games to 2 and Dallas 4 games to 1 in the playoffs before losing to Pittsburgh 4 games to 3 in the ABA Championship Series

1968-69 (46-32) Second Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,834
Draft Mike Butler and Lee Davis .... 18Jun68 Brown and Moe traded to Oakland for Steve Jones, Barry Liebowitz and Ron Franz .... 28Jan69 Robbins and Steve Jones play in the All-Star Game .... Jimmy Jones and Robbins named Second Team All-ABA .... Defeat Dallas 4 games to 3 in the playoffs before losing to Oakland 4 games to 0

1969-70 (42-42) Fifth Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,599
Draft Skeeter Swift .... Team moves its home games to Tulane Gym .... Dec69 Jimmy Jones injures his knee, limiting him to 70 games .... 24Jan70 Jimmy Jones, Govan, Steve Jones and Davis play in the All-Star Game and McCarthy coaches the West team -- Robbins is also selected to play, but is injured and misses the game .... Franz limited to 55 games due to military service .... 23Mar70 Draft Garfield Heard (who signs with Seattle of the NBA), Sam Lacey (who signs with Cincinnati of the NBA), Wendell Ladner and George Johnson (who stays in college) .... Finish last in the Western Division .... Robbins named Second Team All-ABA .... fail to qualify for the playoffs

1970-71 (41-43) Third Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 3,199
Team renamed Louisiana Buccaneers .... Management makes plans to play home games in New Orleans, Shreveport, Lafayette, Monroe, and Baton Rouge.... 21Aug 70 Franchise purchased by P.L. Blake .... 31Aug71 Team moved to Memphis where it becomes the Memphis Pros .... Team renamed the Pros because it had already purchased its Bucs uniforms for $1,000 and did not want to dramatically alter them .... Sam Wilhite named Vice President .... Charles Cavagnaro named General Manager .... Play home games in Municipal Auditorium and Mid South Coliseum .... Sign former Los Angeles Laker Bobby Warren .... Jun70 Trade Ron Franz and the rights to Dave Nash to Miami for Wilbert Jones, Al Cueto and Erv Staggs .... Sep70 Robbins traded to Utah for Craig Raymond .... Trade Swift to Pittsburgh for Charlie Williams .... 22Jan71 Draft Randy Denton (who signs with Carolina) and Tom Owens .... 23Jan71 Jimmy Jones, Steve Jones and Ladner play in the All-Star Game .... 29Mar71 Steve Jones scores 51 points against Kentucky .... Ladner named to ABA All-Rookie Team .... Lose in first round of the playoffs to Indiana 4 games to 0

1971-72 (26-58) Fifth Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,441
Herbert Kosten becomes President .... Sign Mississippi All-American Johnny Neumann as an underclassman to a five-year, 2millioncontract(withmuchofitdeferred)....SignLarryCannon....Jun71SteveJonessignedbyDallasasafreeagent....JimmyJonesplaysforUtah....Dec71CannonsenttoIndianaforDonSidle....Jan72TradeLadner,OwensandWarrentoCarolinaforDenton,WarrenDavisandGeorgeLehmann....23Jan71LadnerandJonesplayintheAll−StarGame....2Mar72DraftJimPrice(whosignswithLosAngelesoftheNBA)....18Mar72Carolina′sLarryMillerscoresanABA−record67pointsagainstMemphis....11Dec71After4,600Tennesseestockholdersinvest2 million contract (with much of it deferred) .... Sign Larry Cannon .... Jun71 Steve Jones signed by Dallas as a free agent .... Jimmy Jones plays for Utah .... Dec71 Cannon sent to Indiana for Don Sidle .... Jan72 Trade Ladner, Owens and Warren to Carolina for Denton, Warren Davis and George Lehmann .... 23Jan71 Ladner and Jones play in the All-Star Game .... 2Mar72 Draft Jim Price (who signs with Los Angeles of the NBA) .... 18Mar72 Carolina's Larry Miller scores an ABA-record 67 points against Memphis .... 11Dec71 After 4,600 Tennessee stockholders invest 2millioncontract(withmuchofitdeferred)....SignLarryCannon....Jun71SteveJonessignedbyDallasasafreeagent....JimmyJonesplaysforUtah....Dec71CannonsenttoIndianaforDonSidle....Jan72TradeLadner,OwensandWarrentoCarolinaforDenton,WarrenDavisandGeorgeLehmann....23Jan71LadnerandJonesplayintheAll−StarGame....2Mar72DraftJimPrice(whosignswithLosAngelesoftheNBA)....18Mar72Carolina′sLarryMillerscoresanABA−record67pointsagainstMemphis....11Dec71After4,600Tennesseestockholdersinvest5 per share to save the franchise, operation of the club tis aken over by the league office .... Finish in last place ....Fail to qualify for the playoffs .... Neumann named to ABA All-Rookie Team

1972-73 (20-64) Fifth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 3,476
27Apr72 McCarthy resigns as head coach .... 13Jun72 George Thompson acquired in dispersal draft of Pittsburgh Condors players .... 13Jun72 The franchise is sold to Charles O. Finley (owner of the Oakland A's and an insurance executive), who assumes the team's debts .... Adolph Rupp named as Team President .... Name changed to Memphis Tams (with the team representing the Tennessee-Arkansas-Mississippi area) .... 7Jul72 Bob Bass hired as head coach .... Oct72 Govan traded to Utah for Merv Jackson .... 6Feb73 Thompson plays in the All-Star Game .... Finish in last place .... Fail to qualify for the playoffs

1973-74 (21-63) Fifth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,331
Draft Larry Kenon in special circumstance draft .... Draft Larry Finch .... Draft David Thompson (who stays in college) in undergraduate draft .... 9May73 ABA President Bill Daniels announces the league will not investigate charges by Finley against ABA executive Bob Carlson -- Finley claimed that Carlson had a conflict of interest because Carlson asked for a "finder's fee" for helping Finley find prospective buyers for his Memphis franchise .... Finley holds conversations with a group from Providence, Rhode Island about selling team, but fails to reach agreement .... 11Sep73 Bill van Breda Kolff is named General Manager and coach (replacing Bass) .... Sign Charlie Edge .... 20Sep73 Trade the rights to Kenon to New York for Jim Ard and John Baum .... Jan74 Trade Neumann to Utah for Glen Combs, Ronnie Robinson, Mike Jackson and cash .... 30Jan74 George Thompson plays in the All-Star Game .... Finley bails out as team owner with the league again taking over the franchise, buying Finley out for $1.1 million .... Finish in last place for third consecutive season .... Fail to qualify for the playoffs

1974-75 (27-57) Fourth Place in Eastern Division Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 3,879
17Apr74 Draft Slick Watts (who signs with Seattle of the NBA) in supplementary draft .... Draft Scott Wedman (who signs with Kansas City-Omaha of the NBA) and Foots Walker (who signs with Cleveland of the NBA) .... Select Rick Roberson, George Johnson, Lenny Wilkens, Paul Silas and Dave DeBusschere in draft of NBA players .... Mike Storen resigns as ABA commissioner to run franchise .... Van Breda Kolff is dismissed as head coach and General Manager .... Bob Bass named General Manager .... Jun74 Wil Jones signed by Kentucky as a free agent .... 17Jul74 Isaac Hayes (owner of Stax Records), Avron Fogleman, and Kemmonis Wilson (of Holiday Inn) take over the team .... The team is renamed the Memphis Sounds .... Aug74 Denton traded to Utah for rights to Joe Mullaney, Rick Mount and Julius Keye .... Aug74 Mike Jackson and Combs traded to Virginia for George Carter and Mike Barr .... Aug74 Acquire Collis Jones and Chuck Williams from Kentucky .... 14Aug74 Mullaney named coach .... Attempt to build the club around former Indiana stars Roger Brown, Mel Daniels and Feddie Lewis fails .... 29Oct74 Trade Lewis to St. Louis for Tom Owens .... Mount limited to 26 games due to a shoulder injury .... 19Nov74 Purchase Stew Johnson from San Diego .... 8Jan75 St. Louis' Marvin Barnes totals 31 rebounds against Memphis .... 28Jan75 Johnson plays in the All-Star Game .... 5Feb75 San Antonio's George Gervin scores 51 points against Memphis .... 16Mar75 St. Louis' Marvin Barnes scores 54 points against Memphis .... Lose in the first round of the playoffs to Kentucky 4 games to 1

Dispersal Period
Draft Lonnie Shelton (who stays in college), Rich Kelley (who signs with New Orleans of the NBA) and Terry Furlow (who stays in college) .... The Sounds owners are given a deadline of 1Jun75 to meet league requirements in order to retain the franchise (the owners must sell 4,000 season tickets, find new investors and negotiate a more favorable lease for Mid-South Coliseum) .... Team is again taken over by the league .... 27Aug75 The franchise is sold for 1milliontoagroupheadedbyDavidCohan....TheteamisrelocatedtoBaltimore....TeamrenamedtheBaltimoreHustlers....Afterpublicoutcry,theteam′snameischangedtotheBaltimoreClaws....SkipWisesignedtofive−year,1 million to a group headed by David Cohan .... The team is relocated to Baltimore .... Team renamed the Baltimore Hustlers .... After public outcry, the team's name is changed to the Baltimore Claws .... Skip Wise signed to five-year, 1milliontoagroupheadedbyDavidCohan....TheteamisrelocatedtoBaltimore....TeamrenamedtheBaltimoreHustlers....Afterpublicoutcry,theteam′snameischangedtotheBaltimoreClaws....SkipWisesignedtofive−year,1 million contract (much of which is deferred) .... 19Sep75 Send Owens and 500,000toKentuckyforDanIssel....8Oct75FinancialdifficultiesforcetheClawstotradeIsseltoDenverforDaveRobischand500,000 to Kentucky for Dan Issel .... 8Oct75 Financial difficulties force the Claws to trade Issel to Denver for Dave Robisch and 500,000toKentuckyforDanIssel....8Oct75FinancialdifficultiesforcetheClawstotradeIsseltoDenverforDaveRobischand500,000, which they use to pay Kentucky .... Team sells only 300 season tickets .... 20Oct75 The Claws are folded by ABA Commissioner Dave DeBusschere five days prior to regular season after owners forfeit their line of credit .... The Baltimore players are placed in a special dispersal draft, with Robisch and Stew Johnson going to San Diego, and Chuck Williams to Virginia .... After the ABA/NBA merger, Finley sues the remaining four ABA teams, claiming that the ABA reneged on its obligation to pay Finley $1.1 million for his franchise in 1974