Wisconsin Flyers
| Omaha Racers | |
|---|---|
| Leagues | CBA |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Folded | 1997 |
| History | Wisconsin Flyers 1982–87 Rochester Flyers 1987–89 Omaha Racers 1989–97 |
| Location | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Championships | 1 (1993) |
The Omaha Racers were an American minor league basketball team. The franchise played 15 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The team was based in Oshkosh (1982–87), Rochester (1987–89) and Omaha (1989–97).
Killian Spanbauer, the owner of a sporting good chain based in Oshkosh, had publicly stated as early as 1981 that he wanted to form a minor league basketball circuit with 6-8 teams across Wisconsin. Nothing more appeared in the media until the winter of 1981–1982 when Spanbauer announced he was seeking a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association for Oshkosh. The area had a rich history of basketball, dating back to the All-Stars of the National Basketball League (1937–1949). At the time, Spanbauer made it quite clear that the CBA needed more than one franchise in the Midwest in order to expand. In May 1982, it happened, as the league added the Wisconsin Flyers (based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin), the Detroit Spirits, and the Ohio Mixers (based in Lima, Ohio). All three teams would be placed in the same division – the Central.
The Flyers suffered a setback immediately, when head coach Dave Wohl took an assistant's position with the New Jersey Nets before the season began. Dave Harshman was tabbed to take over the team. As an expansion team, Wisconsin never jelled, though it sent Joe Kopicki to the NBA. Steve Burks led the team in points, assists, steals and minutes played.
Most of the Western Division, the Billings Volcanos and the Reno Bighorns folded. The two remaining teams were the Albuquerque Silvers (who had moved from Las Vegas during the season) and Wyoming, were placed in a new Western Division with Wisconsin, Detroit, Ohio and the Louisville Catbirds (an expansion team). In the East, Rochester folded, while Maine moved to Brockton, Massachusetts and were renamed the Bay State Bombardiers. The Bombardiers joined the Albany Patroons and Lancaster Red Roses, holdovers from the Eastern Division, and three expansion teams – the Toronto Tornados, Sarasota Stingers and the Puerto Rico Coquis.
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