Memphis Tams
Encyclopedia
The Memphis Tams were an American Basketball Association
team during the 1972-1973 and 1973-1974 seasons. The team had previously been the New Orleans Buccaneers
for three seasons (1967-1970) before moving to Memphis, Tennessee
where it became the Memphis Pros
from 1970 through 1972. The team later became the Memphis Sounds
in 1974-1975. They then moved to Baltimore
intending to play as the Claws
, but folded before playing another game.
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, the team was sold to a new owner in August, 1970 and moved to Memphis, Tennessee
to play as the Memphis Pros, reportedly because the already purchased 'Bucs' uniforms could easily be converted to 'Pros' uniforms at little expense.
In their first season, the league took control of the team after its owner walked out in December. However, it was able to stay afloat by selling stock to its fans. This served as only a temporary stopgap, and by the middle of the team's second season, the ABA was forced to take over the team again.
By the end of the 1971-72 season, it was almost certain that the Pros would have to move elsewhere. However, on June 13, 1972, Charles O. Finley
, owner of Major League Baseball
's Oakland A's and the NHL's California Golden Seals
, bought the team and promised to keep it in Memphis. Finley hired legendary former University of Kentucky
head coach Adolph Rupp
as team president. Finley also took over the team's debts.
Prior to the 1972-1973 season Finley held a name-the-team contest, which yielded the nickname "Tams." The name was taken from the three states that are near Memphis - Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The team changed its colors to the "kelly green, California gold and polar bear
white" color scheme of Finley's other teams. It also adopted a green, white and gold tam o'shanter hat as its logo.
was succeeded by Bob Bass
. The Tams landed George Thompson
in a dispersal draft of Pittsburgh Condors
players. Gerald Govan
was traded to the Utah Stars
for Merv Jackson. George Thompson played in the ABA All Star game but the Tams finished the season with only 20 wins compared to 64 losses. It was the worst record in the ABA and put them in fifth (last) place in the Eastern Division, 33 games behind the Carolina Cougars
. The Tams did not make the playoffs, in part due to heavy roster turnover (they made 28 roster moves in the first two months of the season alone). Despite their poor play they averaged 3,476 fans per home game.
Finley had the team wear all possible combinations of green, white and gold tops and trunks. However, he had little to no involvement with franchise operations. Despite his earlier promises, he was already in negotiations with officials in St. Paul, Minnesota to move the team there. When word got out of this, Finley went from savior to pariah almost overnight. He didn't help his own cause by instituting several cost-cutting moves. For instance, he cut one veteran player before Christmas
, and another on New Year's Day
.
and Larry Finch
. The Tams also used a draft pick to select underclassman David Thompson
but Thompson stayed in college. Finley had asked the ABA to look into his claims that ABA president Bill Daniels had a conflict of interest due to asking Finley to pay him a finder's fee for helping Finley find potential buyers for his team. The ABA declined to investigate Finley's charges.
Finley tried to sell the team to a group of investors from Providence, Rhode Island
but no sale was forthcoming. For much of the summer, the Tams' status was up in the air. Bass had resigned to take a position with the league, and the team offices had been closed since mid-June. It wasn't until late August that Finley sent word that the Tams would play. In the process, he'd held up almost all of the league's radio and TV contracts. Even then, the team had no coach and virtually no front office when training camp opened in September. Finally, two days before the team's first preseason game, Butch van Breda Kolff was hired as general manager and head coach.
The Tams signed Charlie Edge, traded Larry Kenon to the New York Nets for Jim Ard
and John Baum
and traded Johnny Neumann
to the Utah Stars
for Glen Combs
, Ronnie Robinson
, Mike Jackson
and cash. George Thompson
played in the ABA All Star game but the team had another poor season, finishing with 21 wins and 63 losses--the worst record in all of pro basketball.
With their poor play the team's home attendance dropped by about one third from the prior season as the Tams averaged 2,331 fans per home game. This was largely because Finley seemed to lose whatever interest he had in the Tams. He went weeks without communicating with van Breda Kolff about team business or roster moves. He also stopped putting out programs, replacing them with free typed mimeographed lineup sheets. Van Breda Kolff was visibly frustrated with the situation, telling Basketball News that the Tams would be a solid franchise if they had solid backing.
found a local ownership group led by Isaac Hayes
, Avron Fogelman
and Kemmons Wilson
to buy the team. He then resigned as commissioner to take over day-to-day control in Memphis. Storen had previously been a successful executive with the Indiana Pacers
and the Kentucky Colonels
. Bill Van Breda Kolff was dismissed as the Tams' head coach and general manager. Former head coach Bob Bass became the new general manager. Joe Mullaney became the team's head coach. The team signed free agent Wil Jones
from the Kentucky Colonels. On July 17, 1974 took over the team and it was renamed the Memphis Sounds
.
The Sounds continued in Memphis for one more year, finishing in fourth place in the Eastern Division but losing in the Eastern Division semifinals to the eventual ABA champion Kentucky Colonels
4 games to 1. The Sounds averaged 3,879 fans per home game, a two thirds increase on the prior season. Despite the substantial improvement in the team's fortunes it was sold on August 27, 1975 to a group who moved the team to Baltimore, Maryland where it became the Baltimore Hustlers and then the Baltimore Claws
. The Claws briefly obtained superstar Dan Issel
from the Kentucky Colonels and played three exhibition games but lost Issel, all three games and eventually the franchise itself due to financial problems. The team was folded on October 20, 1975 and its players were put into a dispersal draft.
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
team during the 1972-1973 and 1973-1974 seasons. The team had previously been the New Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers was a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an abortive move to Baltimore in 1975.-Origins:With the...
for three seasons (1967-1970) before moving to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
where it became the Memphis Pros
Memphis Pros
Memphis Pros were an American Basketball Association team during the 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 seasons.-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...
from 1970 through 1972. The team later became the Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds was the final name of a franchise in the American Basketball Association. The team had begun as the New Orleans Buccaneers, and after three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it had occasionally played some home games in the past to reasonable crowds...
in 1974-1975. They then moved to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
intending to play as the Claws
Baltimore Claws
The Baltimore Claws was an American basketball team which was supposed to appear in the 1975-76 season in the American Basketball Association. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games in its brief history.-Background:...
, but folded before playing another game.
Origins
The New Orleans BuccaneersNew Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers was a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an abortive move to Baltimore in 1975.-Origins:With the...
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, the team was sold to a new owner in August, 1970 and moved to Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
to play as the Memphis Pros, reportedly because the already purchased 'Bucs' uniforms could easily be converted to 'Pros' uniforms at little expense.
In their first season, the league took control of the team after its owner walked out in December. However, it was able to stay afloat by selling stock to its fans. This served as only a temporary stopgap, and by the middle of the team's second season, the ABA was forced to take over the team again.
By the end of the 1971-72 season, it was almost certain that the Pros would have to move elsewhere. However, on June 13, 1972, Charles O. Finley
Charles O. Finley
Charles Oscar Finley , nicknamed Charlie O or Charley O, was an American businessman who is best remembered for his tenure as the owner of the Oakland Athletics Major League Baseball team. Finley purchased the franchise while it was located in Kansas City, moving it to Oakland in 1968...
, owner of Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Oakland A's and the NHL's California Golden Seals
California Golden Seals
The California Golden Seals were a team in the National Hockey League from 1967–76. Initially named California Seals, the team was renamed Oakland Seals part-way through the 1967–68 season, and then to California Golden Seals in 1970. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of...
, bought the team and promised to keep it in Memphis. Finley hired legendary former University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
head coach Adolph Rupp
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
as team president. Finley also took over the team's debts.
Prior to the 1972-1973 season Finley held a name-the-team contest, which yielded the nickname "Tams." The name was taken from the three states that are near Memphis - Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The team changed its colors to the "kelly green, California gold and polar bear
Polar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
white" color scheme of Finley's other teams. It also adopted a green, white and gold tam o'shanter hat as its logo.
1972-1973 season
Former coach Babe McCarthyBabe McCarthy
James Harrison "Babe" McCarthy , sometimes called "Ol' Magnolia Mouth" or just "Magnolia Mouth", was an American professional and collegiate basketball coach. McCarthy was originally from Baldwyn, Mississippi...
was succeeded by Bob Bass
Bob Bass
Bob Bass is a former basketball coach and executive who worked in the NCAA, American Basketball Association, and the National Basketball Association....
. The Tams landed George Thompson
George Thompson (basketball)
George "Tip" Thompson is a former professional basketball player. A 6'2" guard, he attended Erasmus Hall High School from which he graduated in 1965...
in a dispersal draft of Pittsburgh Condors
Pittsburgh Condors
The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association. Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA...
players. Gerald Govan
Gerald Govan
Gerald Govan is a retired American professional basketball player.Govan played high school basketball at Henry Snyder High School in Jersey City.A 6'10" forward/center from St...
was traded to the Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
for Merv Jackson. George Thompson played in the ABA All Star game but the Tams finished the season with only 20 wins compared to 64 losses. It was the worst record in the ABA and put them in fifth (last) place in the Eastern Division, 33 games behind the Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars
Carolina Cougars was a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association that existed from late 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after two unsuccessful...
. The Tams did not make the playoffs, in part due to heavy roster turnover (they made 28 roster moves in the first two months of the season alone). Despite their poor play they averaged 3,476 fans per home game.
Finley had the team wear all possible combinations of green, white and gold tops and trunks. However, he had little to no involvement with franchise operations. Despite his earlier promises, he was already in negotiations with officials in St. Paul, Minnesota to move the team there. When word got out of this, Finley went from savior to pariah almost overnight. He didn't help his own cause by instituting several cost-cutting moves. For instance, he cut one veteran player before Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, and another on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
.
1973-1974 season
The Tams picked up draft picks Larry KenonLarry Kenon
Larry Joe Kenon is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'9" forward who had a productive career in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association , Kenon played for the New York Nets, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors and...
and Larry Finch
Larry Finch
Larry Finch was a player and coach for the University of Memphis men's basketball team. He is perhaps most famous for leading the Memphis State Tigers to the NCAA men's basketball championship game in 1973 in a heroic loss to the UCLA Bruins, led by Bill Walton.- Playing career :Finch was born in...
. The Tams also used a draft pick to select underclassman David Thompson
David Thompson (basketball)
David O'Neil Thompson is a former American professional basketball star with the Denver Nuggets of both the National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association , as well as the Seattle SuperSonics...
but Thompson stayed in college. Finley had asked the ABA to look into his claims that ABA president Bill Daniels had a conflict of interest due to asking Finley to pay him a finder's fee for helping Finley find potential buyers for his team. The ABA declined to investigate Finley's charges.
Finley tried to sell the team to a group of investors from Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
but no sale was forthcoming. For much of the summer, the Tams' status was up in the air. Bass had resigned to take a position with the league, and the team offices had been closed since mid-June. It wasn't until late August that Finley sent word that the Tams would play. In the process, he'd held up almost all of the league's radio and TV contracts. Even then, the team had no coach and virtually no front office when training camp opened in September. Finally, two days before the team's first preseason game, Butch van Breda Kolff was hired as general manager and head coach.
The Tams signed Charlie Edge, traded Larry Kenon to the New York Nets for Jim Ard
Jim Ard
Jimmie Lee Ard is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'8" forward/center from the University of Cincinnati, Ard began his professional career in 1970 with the New York Nets of the American Basketball Association...
and John Baum
John Baum
Johnny Baum may refer to:*People** Johnny Baum - American basketball player*Fictional characters:**John Connor...
and traded Johnny Neumann
Johnny Neumann
Carl John Neumann is an American former professional basketball player and coach. At 6'6" and 200 pounds, he played the guard and forward positions.-High school and college:...
to the Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
for Glen Combs
Glen Combs
Glen Courtney Combs is a retired American basketball player.A 6'2" guard from Virginia Tech, Combs was nicknamed "The Kentucky Rifle" for his long-range shooting...
, Ronnie Robinson
Ronnie Robinson
Ronnie Robinson may refer to:*Ronald Robinson, historian* Ronnie Robinson * Ronnie Robinson * Ronnie Robinson...
, Mike Jackson
Mike Jackson
General Sir Michael David "Mike" Jackson, is a retired British Army officer and one of its most high-profile generals since the Second World War. Originally commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1963, he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, with whom he served two of his three tours of...
and cash. George Thompson
George Thompson (basketball)
George "Tip" Thompson is a former professional basketball player. A 6'2" guard, he attended Erasmus Hall High School from which he graduated in 1965...
played in the ABA All Star game but the team had another poor season, finishing with 21 wins and 63 losses--the worst record in all of pro basketball.
With their poor play the team's home attendance dropped by about one third from the prior season as the Tams averaged 2,331 fans per home game. This was largely because Finley seemed to lose whatever interest he had in the Tams. He went weeks without communicating with van Breda Kolff about team business or roster moves. He also stopped putting out programs, replacing them with free typed mimeographed lineup sheets. Van Breda Kolff was visibly frustrated with the situation, telling Basketball News that the Tams would be a solid franchise if they had solid backing.
Aftermath
After the season, Finley turned the team back over to the league, which paid him $1.1 million to buy him out. Later that summer, ABA commissioner Mike StorenMike Storen
Mike Storen is an American sports executive, perhaps best known for his tenure as commissioner of the American Basketball Association.Storen started in professional sports management in 1963, after serving in the United States Marine Corps, as promotions director for the Baltimore Bullets of the...
found a local ownership group led by Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, Avron Fogelman
Avron Fogelman
Avron B. Fogelman is an American businessman and real estate developer. He was a former part owner of the Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals as well as several Memphis-based sports teams.-Early life:...
and Kemmons Wilson
Kemmons Wilson
Charles Kemmons Wilson was the founder of the Holiday Inn chain of hotels.-Personal life:He was born in Osceola, Arkansas, the only child of Kemmons and Ruby "Doll" Wilson. His father was an insurance salesman who died when Kemmons was nine months old...
to buy the team. He then resigned as commissioner to take over day-to-day control in Memphis. Storen had previously been a successful executive with the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
and the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
. Bill Van Breda Kolff was dismissed as the Tams' head coach and general manager. Former head coach Bob Bass became the new general manager. Joe Mullaney became the team's head coach. The team signed free agent Wil Jones
Wil Jones
Wilbert "Wil" Jones is an American former professional basketball player.A 6'8" forward from Albany State University, Jones was drafted in the fifth round of the 1969 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers and by the Miami Floridians in the 1969 ABA Draft.Jones played seven seasons in the American...
from the Kentucky Colonels. On July 17, 1974 took over the team and it was renamed the Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds was the final name of a franchise in the American Basketball Association. The team had begun as the New Orleans Buccaneers, and after three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it had occasionally played some home games in the past to reasonable crowds...
.
The Sounds continued in Memphis for one more year, finishing in fourth place in the Eastern Division but losing in the Eastern Division semifinals to the eventual ABA champion Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
4 games to 1. The Sounds averaged 3,879 fans per home game, a two thirds increase on the prior season. Despite the substantial improvement in the team's fortunes it was sold on August 27, 1975 to a group who moved the team to Baltimore, Maryland where it became the Baltimore Hustlers and then the Baltimore Claws
Baltimore Claws
The Baltimore Claws was an American basketball team which was supposed to appear in the 1975-76 season in the American Basketball Association. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games in its brief history.-Background:...
. The Claws briefly obtained superstar Dan Issel
Dan Issel
Daniel Paul Issel is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player and coach.-Collegiate playing career:...
from the Kentucky Colonels and played three exhibition games but lost Issel, all three games and eventually the franchise itself due to financial problems. The team was folded on October 20, 1975 and its players were put into a dispersal draft.
See also
- New Orleans BuccaneersNew Orleans BuccaneersNew Orleans Buccaneers was a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before an abortive move to Baltimore in 1975.-Origins:With the...
- Memphis ProsMemphis ProsMemphis Pros were an American Basketball Association team during the 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 seasons.-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...
- Memphis SoundsMemphis SoundsMemphis Sounds was the final name of a franchise in the American Basketball Association. The team had begun as the New Orleans Buccaneers, and after three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it had occasionally played some home games in the past to reasonable crowds...
- Baltimore Hustlers
- Baltimore ClawsBaltimore ClawsThe Baltimore Claws was an American basketball team which was supposed to appear in the 1975-76 season in the American Basketball Association. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games in its brief history.-Background:...
- Memphis GrizzliesMemphis GrizzliesThe Memphis Grizzlies are a professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee, USA. The team is part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Along with the Toronto Raptors, the Grizzlies were established in 1995 as part of the NBA's...