Misplaced Pages

#404595

44-822: The team that eventually became the Baltimore Claws had earlier competed in the ABA as the New Orleans Buccaneers from 1967 through 1970, as the Memphis Pros from 1970 through 1972, as the Memphis Tams from 1972 through 1974 and as the Memphis Sounds during the 1974–75 season. The Memphis franchise had struggled through the years and in its last season there it had relied on the league itself to handle some of its bills. The Sounds began

88-404: A bypass on the east side of town. Maryland Route 140 is the other main highway traversing the town, which provides connections eastward towards Westminster and eventually Baltimore . To the west, MD 140 crosses into Pennsylvania and becomes Pennsylvania Route 16 . As of the census of 2010, there were 2,814 people, 997 households, and 670 families living in the town. The population density

132-526: A consortium of seven Maryland businessmen led by David Cohan bought the troubled Sounds for $ 1 million and relocated it to Baltimore . In August 1975, new ABA Commissioner Dave DeBusschere suddenly awarded the franchise to another group in Memphis due to apparent financial problems involving the Baltimore owners. The Memphis group backed out the very next day, and the franchise reverted to Baltimore after

176-783: A dispersal draft. Dave Robisch and Paul Ruffner ended up going to the Spirits of St. Louis . Stew Johnson was sent to the San Diego Sails (who also folded, just a few weeks later). Claude Terry was sent to the Denver Nuggets. Chuck Williams was sent to the Virginia Squires. Scott English was sent to the Indiana Pacers . Joe Hamilton was sent to the Utah Stars. George Carter also ended up with

220-466: Is known for being located near the base of Catoctin Mountain . The primary method of travel to and from Emmitsburg is by road. U.S. Route 15 is the main highway serving Emmitsburg, providing connections northward to Gettysburg , Pennsylvania and southward to Frederick . U.S. Route 15 Business follows the old alignment of US 15 through the center of Emmitsburg, with the main highway now following

264-612: Is on the campus of Mount St. Mary's, and the Basilica and National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton , who was the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized as a saint. The Seton Shrine is one of the top eight Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the United States . The National Emergency Training Center (NETC) campus is in Emmitsburg, located on the former campus of Saint Joseph College . The campus includes

308-867: The Detroit Pistons from 1960–1965. The Buccaneers finished the season in first place in the Western Division with 48 wins and 30 losses, putting them two games ahead of the Dallas Chaparrals and three games ahead of the Denver Rockets . The Buccaneers then defeated the Denver Rockets 3 games to 2 in the Western Division semifinals and then defeated the Dallas Chaparrals 4 games to 1 to win

352-652: The Emergency Management Institute , the National Fire Academy and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial . The population as of the 2020 United States Census was 2,776. Emmitsburg is home to three Cal Ripken Baseball 12U 46/60 baseball championships. The titles were won in consecutive years (2013, 2014, and 2015). For years, the youth baseball and softball league was the gold standard in

396-562: The French and Indian War . In 1757 Lutherans led by pastor George Bager built a church, which they shared with a German Reformed congregation until 1798. After the American Revolutionary War , Catholic missionary Rev. Jean Dubois established a mission church, then a seminary, at Emmitsburg. Later Elizabeth Ann Seton established a convent, with a school and hospital. Soon, the number of Methodists in Emmitsburg led to

440-686: The NFC South division. On December 10, 2008, in a game against the now Charlotte Hornets, then Charlotte Bobcats , the Buccaneers were for the first time "revived" by the New Orleans Pelicans, then New Orleans Hornets , the city's current NBA franchise, who played the game in 1967–68 styled Bucs throwback jerseys. The team's cheerleading squad was also dressed in Bucs throwback outfits, Bucs video highlights were played throughout

484-770: The Virginia Squires . The Squires won 131–121; attendance was reported at 1,150. Two days later the Claws lost to the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers 103–82 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey , in front of a capacity crowd of 1,213 at East High School. On October 16, 1975, the Claws played the Squires again, this time at Knott Arena , Mt. St. Mary's College , Emmitsburg, Maryland . Virginia won again, 100–88, in front of approximately 500 spectators. Due to mounting financial problems,

SECTION 10

#1732776806405

528-658: The Western Division championship . The Buccaneers then advanced to the first ever ABA Championship series, facing the Pittsburgh Pipers . The Buccaneers and Pipers split the first six games but the Pipers won the decisive seventh game 122–113 to win the 1968 ABA championship . Prior to the season the Buccaneers traded away Larry Brown and Doug Moe to the Oakland Oaks in exchange for Steve Jones and Ron Franz . New Orleans' Red Robbins and Steve Jones played in

572-534: The $ 500,000 never arrived. When Colonels owner John Y. Brown, Jr. found out the money hadn't arrived, he stormed into a Claws board meeting and announced Issel was being sold to the Denver Nuggets . To make the move look like a trade between Denver and Baltimore, the Nuggets sent forward Dave Robisch to the Claws. The Claws' owners protested, claiming that three more players should have come to Baltimore in

616-548: The 1974–75 season with a win followed by several losses; fan interest waned but the team rallied to finish in fourth place in the ABA's Eastern Division. In the playoffs they lost in the Eastern Division semifinals to the eventual league champion Kentucky Colonels , 4 games to 1. Of the Sounds' draft picks that season, two ( Lonnie Shelton and Terry Furlow ) remained in college and the third ( Rich Kelley ) signed with

660-564: The ABA All Star Game. The Buccaneers finished the season with a record of 46 wins and 32 losses which put them in second place in the Western Division, 14 games behind the Oakland Oaks who had posted a remarkable 60-18 (.769) record. The Buccaneers drew an average of 2,834 fans per home game. The Buccaneers met the Dallas Chaparrals in the Western Division semifinals and prevailed in a close series, 4 games to 3. Advancing to

704-663: The ABA All Star game and Babe McCarthy coaches the West team in the game. Larry Brown was the Most Valuable Player of the inaugural ABA All Star game and led the ABA in assists that season en route to being named Second Team All ABA. Doug Moe was named First Team All ABA and Jimmy Jones made the ABA All Rookie Team. The Buccaneers recruited Jackie Moreland , originally from Minden , who had played for

748-596: The ABA would merge with the NBA in the summer of 1976. New Orleans Buccaneers The New Orleans Buccaneers were 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. With

792-493: The Catoctin area. The current mayor of Emmitsburg is Frank Davis. The current commissioners are Amy Boehman-Pollitt, Jim Hoover, Valerie Turnquist, Tim O'Donnell, and Cliff Sweeney. Emmitsburg was named for its founder, William Emmit, in 1785. However, a settlement (named first "Silver Fancy" and later "Poplar Fields") preceded the town, particularly since British authorities restricted colonists' expansion during and after

836-522: The Claws on October 20, 1975, less than a week before the regular season began. The league issued a statement noting that it had been prepared to enter the 1975–76 season with "nine solid teams." League officials added that the Claws' backers had been unable to get their affairs in order despite being given extra time to do so. The Claws' office at the Baltimore Civic Center was padlocked by arena management due to unpaid bills. (Incredibly,

880-787: The Claws were just one of four Baltimore "major league" franchises that vanished in 1975, the others being the Baltimore Banners of World Team Tennis , who folded in February; the Baltimore Blades of the World Hockey Association ; and finally the North American Soccer League 's Baltimore Comets , who shifted to San Diego just a few days before the Claws officially folded.) The Claws threatened to seek an injunction delaying

924-428: The Claws' banks had yanked its line of credit . DeBusschere responded with an ultimatum: deposit $ 500,000 with the league as a "performance bond" within four days to cover expenses or be shut down. The Claws got together half of the money but could not raise the rest. Reportedly, the remaining money, plus an additional $ 70,000, was being held in escrow by the city, to be released only if Cohan resigned. The ABA disbanded

SECTION 20

#1732776806405

968-536: The Cohan-led group made a $ 250,000 down payment. The team was initially named the Baltimore Hustlers , but league and public pressure forced them to rename it the Claws. In September the Claws gained attention early by gaining the rights to superstar Dan Issel of the reigning ABA champion Kentucky Colonels. The Colonels were supposed to receive center Tom Owens and $ 500,000 in cash for Issel, but

1012-530: The NBA's New Orleans Jazz . At the close of the 1974–75 season league commissioner Tedd Munchak issued an ultimatum to the Sounds if they wanted to stay in Memphis: sell 4,000 season tickets, line up new investors and get a better lease at the Mid-South Coliseum . When none of the conditions were met, the league took control of the franchise and put it on the market. Prior to the 1975–76 season,

1056-479: The Stars despite not being picked in the dispersal draft; Utah would become the ABA's third casualty of the season, suspending operations in early December. The Claws' best known player, Mel Daniels, was disappointed at the Claws' fate and retired rather than play for another team. In Terry Pluto 's book on the ABA, " Loose Balls ", Daniels recalled that the Claws' players were allowed to take equipment and furniture from

1100-434: The West team. The Bucs finished at .500 with 42 wins and 42 losses. This placed the team in fifth (last) place in that season's highly competitive Western Division, keeping the Buccaneers out of the playoffs. (In the Eastern Division that season that record would have tied them for third place and put them in the playoffs.) For the season, New Orleans averaged 2,599 fans per home game. The team picked up Wendell Ladner in

1144-628: The Western Division finals, the Buccaneers fell to the Oakland Oaks 4 games to none. The Buccaneers moved their home games to Tulane Gym (now known as Devlin Fieldhouse ) and the Municipal Auditorium for the season. Jimmy Jones suffered a knee injury in December that limited his action for the season; he was still selected to play in the ABA All Star game along with teammates Steve Jones and Gerald Govan. Babe McCarthy again coached

1188-428: The age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. Of all households, 26.6% were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.22. The median age in

1232-546: The draft and rechristened itself the Louisiana Buccaneers, planning to play its home games throughout the state during the 1970–1971 season including in New Orleans, Shreveport , Lafayette , Monroe and Baton Rouge . Like most ABA teams, the Bucs were never on strong financial ground, and the move to the smaller Tulane Gym combined with the marked dropoff in their play caused revenue to dry up. It

1276-538: The first freshman to make the Atlantic Coast Conference all-conference first team. But Wise (a native of Baltimore) chose not to return to Clemson for his sophomore year, instead signing a five-year, $ 700,000 no-cut contract with the Claws. The Baltimore Claws played only three games in their history, all preseason exhibitions. The first was on October 9, 1975, in Salisbury, Maryland , against

1320-704: The formation of a circuit around town, rather than share a minister with Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union fortified Emmitsburg to stop the Confederate invasion of the Union territory in June 1863 during the American Civil War . Half the town was burned to the ground in a mysterious fire on the night of June 23. Folklore has it that "The Great Fire", as it was known, was started by a Union sympathizer to prevent advancing Confederates from taking supplies from

1364-400: The founding of the ABA on February 2, 1967, a charter franchise was awarded to a group of seven investors, including Morton Downey, Jr. The group obtained their franchise for $ 1,000 as opposed to the $ 30,000 fronted by most other original teams. Charles G. Smither , one of the seven owners, served as team president; another of the investors, Maurice M. Stern , was operations manager. The team

Baltimore Claws - Misplaced Pages Continue

1408-469: The game, and many of the team's past players and coaches were honored at halftime. The Pelicans would win the game 105–89. The Pelicans wore their Buccaneers throwback jerseys once again in a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 16, 2009, with Cleveland coming out on top 92–78. Notes: Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss % The Buccaneers' road uniform

1452-459: The second loss to the Squires ended up being the Claws' final game. Players and coaches were going unpaid and not even getting their per diem meal money. Only 300 season tickets had been sold. The players were still wearing old red Sounds uniforms with a green patch placed on it saying "Claws", along with unaltered red Sounds warmups. Their practice T-shirts had rips under the arms. On October 16, 1975, ABA Commissioner DeBusschere got word that one of

1496-434: The start of the season until Baltimore were reinstated, citing a provision in the rules requiring ten days notice before any team could be shuttered. However, after both the ABA and the city threatened to file their own legal actions, the Claws quietly folded; the league felt the ten-day rule was trumped by a larger obligation to ensure that its franchises were being run in a professional manner. The Claws players were put into

1540-484: The team office in lieu of payment. The league's assertion that they had "nine solid teams" quickly proved to be incorrect, as both the San Diego Sails and the Utah Stars ceased operations early in the season. The wobbly Virginia Squires franchise did manage to finish the 1975-76 campaign, but with an awful 15–68 record played in front of small crowds; they too folded, leaving the ABA with only six teams. Finally,

1584-562: The town was 39.5 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.3% male and 52.7% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families living in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 inhabitants per square mile (769.5/km ). There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile (289.7/km ). The racial makeup of

1628-542: The town was 97.16% White , 0.87% African American , 0.04% Native American , 0.31% Asian , 0.04% from other races , and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. There were 811 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. Of all households, 26.8% were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who

1672-623: The town. However fate spared the town a battle between the opposing forces, which instead took place 12 miles north of it in Pennsylvania near the town of Gettysburg . The town was briefly held by the retreating Confederates on July 4. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.52 square miles (3.94 km ), all land. Emmitsburg has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa ) with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. It

1716-458: The trade. They threatened to fold the team if the other players didn't arrive, but the league ruled against them. The Claws then sent another good player, Rick Mount , to the Utah Stars in another trade. The Claws entered the preseason under coach Joe Mullaney with a roster that included Mel Daniels and Stew Johnson . The Claws also suited up guard Skip Wise , who the previous year was

1760-440: Was 1,851.3 inhabitants per square mile (714.8/km ). There were 1,070 housing units at an average density of 703.9 per square mile (271.8/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 95.0% White , 2.0% African American , 0.2% Native American , 0.9% Asian , 0.7% from other races , and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 997 households, of which 38.8% had children under

1804-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.0 males. The median income for

Baltimore Claws - Misplaced Pages Continue

1848-688: Was featured in NBA Live 07 as a hidden jersey. Emmitsburg, Maryland Emmitsburg is a town in Frederick County , Maryland , United States, 0.3 miles (0.5 km) south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania . Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University . The town has two Catholic pilgrimage sites: the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes , which

1892-486: Was hoped that becoming a "regional" franchise would provide more capital. However, on August 21, 1970, the franchise was purchased by a new owner and ten days later it was moved to Memphis, Tennessee and renamed the Memphis Pros . The Buccaneers nickname was picked up by a new NFL expansion team in 1976. Since 2002, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints have competed against each other in

1936-613: Was named the New Orleans Buccaneers and former Mississippi State University head coach Babe McCarthy was signed as its first coach. Among the team's first players were Doug Moe , Larry Brown , Gerald Govan , Jimmy Jones and Red Robbins . The Buccaneers played their home games at the Loyola University Fieldhouse during their first season and averaged 2,337 fans per game there. Doug Moe, Red Robbins, Larry Brown and Jimmy Jones played in

#404595