Carolina Cougars

The Carolina Cougars franchise began when future Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Jim Gardner bought the Houston Mavericks and moved them to North Carolina in 1969.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108133252/gardner-makes-it-official-aba-team-comi/|first=Bob|last=Lipper|work=The Charlotte Observer|title=Gardner makes it official: ABA team coming to Carolina|date=April 2, 1969|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=8A|via=Newspapers.com}} At the time, none of North Carolina's large metropolitan areas – Charlotte, the Piedmont Triad and the Triangle – was thought large enough to support a professional team on its own. With this in mind, Gardner decided to brand the Cougars as a "regional" team.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108133862/cougars-have-three-homes/|agency=Associated Press|work=The Gastonia Gazette|title=Cougars have three homes|date=September 14, 1969|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=1D|via=Newspapers.com}} Gardner sold the team after one season to Ted Munchak, who poured significant resources into the team.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/73220436/ted-munchak-replaces-gardener-as-managin/|first=Bob|last=Padecky|work=The Charlotte News|title=Munchak has Cougar reins as Jim Gardner steps down|date=October 19, 1970|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=4B|via=Newspapers.com}}

The Cougars were based in Greensboro and played most of their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum, the state's largest arena at the time. Games were also regularly played in Charlotte at the (original) Charlotte Coliseum and in Raleigh at Dorton Arena and Reynolds Coliseum. In early 1972, three regular season games were played in Winston-Salem at the Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum, and one game was played at Fort Bragg.

Early on, the Cougars were not especially successful on the court, posting a 42–42 record in the 1969–70 season, a 34–50 record in 1970–71, and a 35–49 record in 1971–72.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108135029/cougars-close-regular-season-with-500-m/|agency=Associated Press|work=The Durham Sun|title=Cougars close regular season with .500 mark|date=April 16, 1970|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=3-B|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108135153/cougars-close-card-with-loss/|agency=Associated Press|work=The Durham Sun|title=Cougars close card with loss|date=April 1, 1971|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=D1|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108135255/experience-was-horrible/|first=Bob|last=Moore|work=The Charlotte Obseerver|title=Experience was horrible|date=April 2, 1972|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=2D|via=Newspapers.com}} The 1969–70 Cougars managed to make the ABA playoffs but lost in the Eastern Division semifinals (first round) to a much stronger Indiana Pacers team.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108135609/lewis-superb-play-difference-as-pacers/|first=Dick|last=Denny|work=The Indianapolis News|title=Lewis' superb play difference as Pacers rout Carolina, 4–0|date=April 25, 1970|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=12|via=Newspapers.com}} In spite of this, the Cougars had a good fan following, particularly in Greensboro.

The 1971–72 team was coached by former NBA All-Star Tom Meschery, who had just retired from 10 years of NBA play with the San Francisco Warriors and the Seattle SuperSonics.

File:Billy Cunningham 1972.jpeg

In 1972–73, the Cougars hired retired ABA players Larry Brown and former Cougar Doug Moe as coaches.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108135931/cougars-hire-new-coach/|agency=UPI|work=Casper Star-Tribune|title=Cougars hire new coach|date=April 22, 1972|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108136000/carolina-cougars-hire-doug-moe/|agency=Associated Press|work=Berwick Enterprise|title=Carolina Cougars hire Doug Moe|date=July 22, 1972|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=6|via=Newspapers.com}} The 1972–73 Cougars were fairly talented and featured players Billy Cunningham, Joe Caldwell, and Mack Calvin.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108136159/current-aba-rosters/|work=The Courier-Journal|title=Current ABA rosters|date=August 13, 1972|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=C3|via=Newspapers.com}} All three appeared in the ABA All-Star Game that season, and Cunningham was named the league's Most Valuable Player.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108136331/mvp-award-goes-to-cunningham/|agency=Associated Press|work=The Charlotte Observer|title=MVP award goes to Cunningham|date=April 10, 1973|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=9|via=Newspapers.com}}

Carolina went on to post a 57–27 record, which was the best in the ABA.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108136506/carolinas-larry-brown-named-best/|agency=Associated Press|work=Rocky Mount Telegram|title=Carolina's Larry Brown named best|date=April 3, 1973|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=2B|via=Newspapers.com}} The Cougars beat the New York Nets in their first-round playoff series 4 games to 1, but lost a close series to the Kentucky Colonels 4 games to 3 in the Eastern Division finals.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108136744/colonels-grab-east-crown-gain-berth-in/|agency=Associated Press|work=The Paducah Sun|title=Colonels grab East crown; Gain berth in ABA Finals|date=April 25, 1973|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=12B|via=Newspapers.com}} There were many upset and disappointed fans in Greensboro when the Cougars decided to hold game 7 of the series in Charlotte. Of the 42 scheduled regular season home games, 25 were usually scheduled for Greensboro while only 12 were played in Charlotte. With Cougar management having the choice of city to play game 7, it mystified its Greensboro area fans with the choice to play such a pivotal game on a less familiar court. Game 7 was hotly contested but Kentucky prevailed, much to Cougar fans dismay.

The 1973–74 Cougars started the season strong, winning 17 of their first 22 games. Despite injuries and internal squabbles, the Cougars posted a 47–37 record but were swept in the Eastern Division semifinals 4 games to 0 by the Kentucky Colonels.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/108137014/cougar-decision-postponed-until-may/|agency=UPI|work=The News and Observer|title=Cougar decision postponed until May|date=April 17, 1974|accessdate=August 22, 2022|page=12B|via=Newspapers.com}}

1973–74 turned out to be the Cougars' last season in North Carolina. Although they were moderately successful overall and had one of the most loyal fan bases in the ABA, talks toward an ABA–NBA merger were in the final stages, and it had become apparent that a "regional" franchise would not be viable in the NBA. The Charlotte/Greensboro/Raleigh axis (the Piedmont Crescent or I-85 Corridor) was beginning an unprecedented period of growth that continues today, and the Greensboro Coliseum was built to NBA specifications of the time. However, none of the Cougars' home cities were big enough at the time to support an NBA team on their own. Additionally, several persons quoted in the book Loose Balls by Terry Pluto say the added travel expenses incurred by the regional concept ultimately proved insurmountable (Carl Scheer was quoted as saying that expenses were high due to having offices for three different cities while Munchak thought Charlotte, the largest city, should have been the main headquarters).{{cite book |last=Pluto |first=Terry |author-link= |date= 1990|title=Loose Balls |url= |location= |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1-4165-4061-8}}

Munchak sold the Cougars to a consortium of New York businessmen headed by brothers Ozzie and Daniel Silna, who moved to St. Louis as the Spirits of St. Louis. However, the new owners assembled an almost entirely new team after moving to St. Louis; only a few players from the 1973–74 Cougars suited up for the 1974–75 Spirits.

The Spirits were one of two teams that lasted until the very end of the league but not join the NBA; the other was the Kentucky Colonels (the Virginia Squires folded after the final ABA regular season ended but before the ABA–NBA merger due to their inability to meet a league-mandated financial assessment after the season ended.). At the time of the ABA–NBA merger, the Spirits' owners planned to move the team to Salt Lake City, Utah to play as the Utah Rockies; instead, its players were dealt in the 1976 ABA dispersal draft.

Professional basketball would return to North Carolina in 1988 when the Charlotte Hornets entered the NBA.

Carl Scheer, who won Executive of the Year as a member of the Cougars, would later become the first executive of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Cougars point guard Gene Littles would become an assistant coach, an executive, and the second head coach of the Hornets. Larry Brown, who coached the Cougars for two seasons and won Coach of the Year during his tenure, would eventually become the eighth head coach of Charlotte's NBA franchise.

Two teams in other professional sports leagues include Carolina in their branding: the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, and the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League. The former team is based in Charlotte, and the latter team in Raleigh.

Beginning in 2012, the Cougars' uniforms were worn by the Bobcats/Hornets under the NBA Hardwood Classics moniker.{{cite press release|title=Bobcats to Honor Charlotte's First Pro Basketball Team, the Carolina Cougars|url=http://www.nba.com/hornets/release_hardwoodclassics_120127.html|publisher=Charlotte Bobcats|date=January 27, 2012|access-date=May 15, 2016}}

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Most Valuable Player

• Billy Cunningham – 1973

Coach of the Year

• Larry Brown – 1973

Executive of the Year

• Carl Scheer – 1973

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All-ABA First Team

• Bob Verga – 1970
• Billy Cunningham – 1973
• Mack Calvin – 1974

All-ABA Second Team

• Joe Caldwell – 1971
• Mack Calvin – 1973

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All-Defensive Team

• Joe Caldwell – 1973
• Ted McClain – 1974

All-Rookie Team

• Dennis Wuycik – 1973

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{{columns-start|num=3}}

All-Star Selections{{cite web|title=Carolina Cougars All-Star Game Selections|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/SSL/all_star.html|work=Basketball-reference.com|access-date=January 12, 2022}}

• Doug Moe – 1970
• Bob Verga – 1970
• Joe Caldwell – 1971, 1973
• Wendell Ladner – 1972
• Jim McDaniels – 1972
• Mack Calvin – 1973, 1974
• Billy Cunningham – 1973
• Ted McClain – 1974

{{column}}

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{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131127080229/http://remembertheaba.com/Carolina-Cougars.html Remember the ABA: Carolina Cougars]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070208194644/http://www.remembertheaba.com/CarolinaMaterial/CougarsRosters2.html Remember the ABA: Carolina Cougars year-to-year rosters]
• [https://wach.com/news/local/wach-carolina-cougars-bringing-semi-professional-basektball-back-to-the-midlands]

{{ABAteams}}

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Category:American Basketball Association teams

Category:Defunct basketball teams in the United States

Category:Defunct companies based in North Carolina

Category:Basketball teams in North Carolina

Category:Spirits of St. Louis

Category:Basketball teams established in 1969

Category:Basketball teams disestablished in 1974