Spirits of St. Louis
| Spirits of St. Louis | |
|---|---|
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|
| Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Division | East Division |
| Founded | 1974 |
| History |
Houston Mavericks 1967–1969 Carolina Cougars 1969–1974 Spirits of St. Louis 1974–1976 Utah Rockies (proposed) |
| Arena | St. Louis Arena |
| Location | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Team colors | Burnt Orange, Silver & Black |
| Team manager | Harry Weltman |
| Head coach |
Bob MacKinnon (1974–1975) Rod Thorn (1975) Joe Mullaney (1976) |
| Ownership | Ozzie and Daniel Silna |
| Championships | None |
The Spirits of St. Louis were one of two teams still in existence at the end of the American Basketball Association that did not survive the ABA–NBA merger. They were a member of the ABA in its last two seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, while playing their home games at the St. Louis Arena.
The Spirits (who took their name from the Atlantic Ocean-crossing plane flown by Charles Lindbergh) were the third incarnation of a franchise that was once known as the Houston Mavericks and later the Carolina Cougars. However, only one player from the 1973–74 Cougars followed the team to St. Louis, so the Spirits were essentially an expansion team.
The Spirits were a colorful team featuring a number of players, both on and off the court, who were fairly successful in their basketball careers. Among them were Moses Malone, acquired during their second and final season, who went on to a long and successful career in the NBA, culminating in enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Maurice Lucas spent most of his time in the ABA as a Spirit, then later became an all-star in the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers. Other well-known players that played for the team included former Boston Celtics sixth man Don Chaney, future Celtics head coach M.L. Carr, and Ron Boone, who held the record for consecutive games played in pro basketball for many years. One of the most colorful players on the team was forward Marvin Barnes, famous for stories about his off-court behavior and lack of understanding of time zones.
A couple of off-court personalities from the team became well known as well. One of the coaches in 1975 was former NBA player Rod Thorn, who became the NBA's vice president of basketball operations (or, in essence, the No. 2 man behind commissioner David Stern) for a number of years. On radio, the team featured Bob Costas as an announcer. Costas would go on to a highly successful career working for NBC television and radio.
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