Memphis Pros
| Memphis Pros Memphis Tams Memphis Sounds |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Conference | None |
| Division | Eastern |
| Founded | 1967 |
| History |
New Orleans Buccaneers 1967–1970 Memphis Pros 1970–1972 Memphis Tams 1972–1974 Memphis Sounds 1974–1975 Baltimore Claws 1975–1976 (did not play) |
| Arena | Mid-South Coliseum |
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Team colors | Navy blue, scarlet (1970–1972) Green, gold (1972–1974) Red, white (1974–1975) |
| Head coach |
Babe McCarthy (1970–1972) Bob Bass (1972–1973) Butch van Breda Kolff (1973–1974) Joe Mullaney (1974–1975) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference titles | no conference play in ABA |
| Division titles | 0 |
The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association. The team was founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967.
Known during their time in Memphis as the Memphis Pros, Memphis Tams and, finally, Sounds, they played their home games at the Mid-South Coliseum.
The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the ABA. The Buccaneers were coached by Babe McCarthy, who was famous for two reasons. One was that he had coached Mississippi State University to a Southeastern Conference championship in an era when that league's basketball was dominated by the University of Kentucky. The other was when the then all-white Mississippi state legislature forbade the team to participate in the racially integrated NCAA Tournament. McCarthy took the team out-of-state in the dead of night and had them participate anyway, which gave him a near-legend status in the eyes of some (and the undying hatred of others).
On August 21, 1970, the team was sold to Mississippi 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.
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.
Bob 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 1971 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, four games to none.
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