The Memphis Sounds were an American professional sports franchise that played in Memphis, Tennessee from 1970 until 1975 as a member of the American Basketball Association . The team was founded as the New Orleans Buccaneers in 1967.
57-673: Known during their time in Memphis as the Memphis Pros , Memphis Tams and, finally, Sounds, they played their home games at the Mid-South Coliseum . The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the ABA. The Buccaneers were coached by Babe McCarthy , who was famous for two reasons. One was that he had coached Mississippi State University to a Southeastern Conference championship in an era when that league's basketball
114-721: A two-night stand at the arena on March 14 and 15, 1997 as part of her Falling Into You Around the World Tour , which was also filmed for the concert video Live in Memphis . The Mid-South Coliseum was also well known in professional wrestling as the home base for the United States Wrestling Association and its predecessors; Jerry Lawler headlined hundreds of shows at the facility. It held weekly wrestling shows that regularly drew over 10,000 people from 1970 to 1991. Among many notable events, Lawler faced Terry Funk in an " empty arena fight " at
171-652: A year. The Coliseum also needed renovations to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act . In 2016, an assessment found that a renovation and restoration of the Coliseum (including ADA compliance) would cost around $ 23.8 million. In 2018, a group known as the Coliseum Coalition was formed to pursue the preservation of the facility as part of redevelopment of the Memphis Fairgrounds into
228-606: A youth sports complex. In 2018, a plan was proposed to use funding from the designation of the Fairgrounds as a tourism development zone (TDZ) to "achieve the reactivation, adaptive reuse, or redevelopment of the Mid-South Coliseum". The Coliseum was not included in the plan approved the state, but it was suggested that the development could help spur private investment. Coalition member Marvin Stockwell stated that
285-620: The 2004–05 season , and have called it home since then. During the 2015 season , the Grizzlies wore Hardwood Classics throwback uniforms honoring the heritage of the Sounds for select games. The Hardwood Classics uniforms debuted on November 16, 2015, during the Grizzlies' home game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder . The Grizzlies planned to wear the throwback uniforms for six more games (three home, three away) during
342-741: The ABA All-Star Game that season, and Cunningham was named the league's Most Valuable Player. Carolina went on to post a 57–27 record, which was the best in the ABA. 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. There were many upset and disappointed fans in Greensboro when
399-684: The American Basketball Association that existed from 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 seasons in Houston at the Sam Houston Coliseum . The Carolina Cougars franchise began when future Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Jim Gardner bought
456-550: The Carolina Cougars for Randy Denton , Warren Davis , and George Lehmann . The latter trade was initiated by Hart without consulting McCarthy. The Pros had one player, Wil Jones, play in the 1972 ABA All-Star Game . Despite (or perhaps because of) all the personnel moves, the team finished with only 26 wins against 58 losses, which put them in fifth (last) place in the Western Division, 34 games behind
513-431: 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
570-592: The Houston Mavericks and moved them to North Carolina in 1969. At the time, none of North Carolina's large metropolitan areas – Charlotte , the Piedmont Triad and the Triangle – was large enough to support a professional team on its own. With this in mind, Gardner decided to brand the Cougars as a "regional" team. Gardner sold the team after one season to Ted Munchak, who poured significant resources into
627-650: The Memphis South Stars ) from 1964 through 1969. To accommodate hockey, piping was installed beneath the Coliseum's floor surface. The ice was often left intact between games, allowing Memphis residents to partake in public skating. In 1992, the Memphis RiverKings of the newly re-formed Central Hockey League brought a successful return of professional hockey to the Mid-South Coliseum, drawing good crowds from 1992 to 2000. Trying political circumstances prevented much-needed updates from being made to
SECTION 10
#1732776738577684-655: The NHL 's California Golden Seals . Legendary former University of Kentucky head coach Adolph Rupp became team president. The winning entry in a "Rename the Team" contest was the Memphis Tams. The nickname was an acronym for T ennessee – A rkansas – M ississippi, and the logo was a tam o'shanter -style hat in white, green and gold, which were also the new team colors, shared with the Athletics and Golden Seals. McCarthy
741-758: The Tampa Bay Rowdies at the Bayfront Center . The Coliseum was home to the American Basketball Association 's Memphis Pros . After the New Orleans Buccaneers moved upriver to Memphis in 1971, the Memphis Pros struggled in their first season. The team was then purchased by baseball Oakland A's owner Charlie Finley , who renamed them the Tams and briefly hired Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp as team President. After Finley sold
798-750: The Utah Stars . On October 6, 1971, the Pros hosted the NBA 's Boston Celtics for a preseason exhibition game. The Celtics won, 115–94. This was the only time a Memphis team played an NBA team until the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001, thirty years later. The Pros traded Larry Cannon to the Indiana Pacers in mid-season for Don Sidle , and executed another midseason trade which sent Wendell Ladner, Tom Owens, and Bobby Warren to
855-716: 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
912-445: The 1974–75 season with a record of 27–57, which was good for fourth place in the Eastern Division and a spot in the 1975 ABA Playoffs . Unfortunately for the Sounds, their first round opponent was the Kentucky Colonels , who had won the Eastern Division and defeated the Sounds 4 games to 1 (the one win being the only playoff-game victory in the franchise's tenure) en route to winning the 1975 ABA Championship. The team's elimination by
969-524: The 2015–16 season. Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss % Mid-South Coliseum Mid-South Coliseum is an indoor arena in Memphis, Tennessee . The facility was opened in 1964, and became known "The Entertainment Capitol of the Mid-South" due its significance in hosting events such as concerts, sports games and professional wrestling shows. The Coliseum closed in 2006. In
1026-516: The ABA stepped in and took control of the team. ABA Commissioner Mike Storen resigned his position with the league to take over the operation and run the team in Memphis. Storen lined up several notable local figures as co-owners of the new team including musician Isaac Hayes and Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson . Storen named the new team the Memphis Sounds and developed a new red and white color scheme and logo. Storen cleared out
1083-402: 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
1140-582: The Coliseum in 1981. On April 5, 1982, Lawler piledrove comedian Andy Kaufman twice, ending a match between the two in disqualification. Kaufman was taken away in an ambulance. The incident would become the impetus for a feud that culminated in Kaufman and Lawler appearing together on Late Night with David Letterman a few months later in an altercation since revealed to be staged in which Lawler slapped Kaufman on-air and Kaufman responded by shouting profanities and throwing coffee at Lawler before storming out of
1197-538: The Coliseum, resulting in the RiverKings moving to the new DeSoto Civic Center, now Landers Center , in Southaven, Mississippi in 2000. The Memphis Rogues played the 1979–80 season of NASL indoor soccer at the Coliseum. The Rogues won the Western Division and went all the way to the finals, winning Game 1 of the series, 5–4 at home in front of 9,081 fans before losing Game 2 and the mini-game tie breaker to
SECTION 20
#17327767385771254-680: The Colonels went on to win the 1975 ABA Championship . It was home to the Memphis Tigers basketball team before the Pyramid opened in 1991. The Coliseum also hosted five Metro Conference men's basketball tournaments. The venue closed at the end of 2006, when Memphis and Shelby County Governments refused the request from the Mid-South Coliseum Board to pay its operating losses, which were projected to be $ 1 million
1311-463: The Colonels would be the last meaningful game that the franchise would play. Although the 1974–75 season saw the highest attendance figures during the team's stay in Memphis, both Wilson and Hayes were having financial troubles that required them to sell their shares. After the 1974–75 season the ABA franchise was sold to a group of businessmen in Baltimore, Maryland who used it to create a team that
1368-529: 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
1425-493: The Eastern Division. The Pros advanced to the playoffs but lost in the Eastern Division semifinals to the Indiana Pacers , four games to none. The Pros almost did not survive that season. In December 1970, Blake simply walked away from the team, claiming to have lost $ 200,000. The league desperately tried to find a new owner, but there were no takers. Finally in February, a community group, Memphis Area Sports Inc. , bought
1482-483: The Utah Stars, and kept them out of the playoffs. Although they averaged 4,441 fans per home game, the team's financial problems cropped up again, and forcing the league to take control of the team for a second time. On April 27, 1972, Babe McCarthy resigned as the Pros' coach. On June 13, 1972, the team and its debts were purchased by Charles O. Finley , who also owned Major League Baseball 's Oakland A's and
1539-462: The added travel expenses incurred by the regional concept ultimately proved insurmountable. 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
1596-523: The balance of their home schedule in several other arenas in Tennessee and Mississippi. Not surprisingly, ticket sales slowed to a trickle; by the start of the season they'd only sold 180 season tickets. Bob Warren of the Los Angeles Stars joined the team, and Ron Franz and Dave Nash were traded to The Floridians for Wilbert Jones , Al Cueto , and Erv Staggs ; later, Red Robbins
1653-410: The building was still "in great shape". In 2022, professional soccer team Memphis 901 FC announced plans to build a soccer-specific stadium at the site of the Mid-South Coliseum, which would be demolished. The new stadium is planned to open in 2025 and include 6,500 to 8,000 seats on a 6-acre (2.4 ha) site. Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in
1710-564: The final stages, and it had become apparent that a "regional" franchise would not be viable in the NBA. Although the Charlotte/Greensboro/Raleigh axis (the Piedmont Crescent or I-85 Corridor ) was beginning an unprecedented period of growth, none of these cities was big enough at the time to support an NBA team on its own. Additionally, several persons quoted in the book Loose Balls by Terry Pluto say
1767-465: The following year at the close of his second tour, on June 10, 1975, and performed for the last time on July 5, 1976. Michael Jackson along with The Jacksons kicked off their Triumph Tour by performing at the arena on July 8, 1981. English heavy metal band Judas Priest filmed a December 12, 1982, concert at the Coliseum, later released on video as Judas Priest Live and on DVD as Live Vengeance '82 . Canadian singer Celine Dion performed
Memphis Sounds - Misplaced Pages Continue
1824-433: The former Tams roster and brought in veteran players such as Mel Daniels , Freddie Lewis , Roger Brown , Chuck Williams , Collis Jones , George Carter , Rick Mount and Julius Keye . The only player who had played for the Tams who appeared in uniform for the Sounds was Larry Finch , a local favorite because he had played college basketball at Memphis State University . The Sounds, coached by Joe Mullaney , finished
1881-531: The late 2010s, efforts emerged to help preserve and refurbish the arena as part of a larger redevelopment of the surrounding area. Construction of the facility began on April 15, 1963. From its opening in October 1964, the Coliseum was the first racially desegregated facility in Memphis. Unlike most facilities in Memphis, which largely hesitated to integrate following the 1963 Watson v, United States U.S. Supreme Court case regarding local segregation, and which
1938-420: The performances (which was initially believed to be a gunshot). Rod Stewart and The Faces played the Coliseum on April 21, 1972, along with the rock band Free . Elvis Presley also performed at the arena. His first show was on March 16, 1974, which was his first Memphis concert since 1961. His March 20 performance was recorded for a concert album, Elvis Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis . He returned
1995-554: The primary scheme after the 1998 season, but is still used on the field for Throwback Thursday promotions, and merchandise featuring the mark remains in regular availability. In 2001 professional basketball returned to Memphis with the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Memphis Grizzlies , who relocated from Vancouver, British Columbia . The Grizzlies played their home games at The Pyramid from 2001 until 2004 , before moving to FedExForum for
2052-499: 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 . 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
2109-829: 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
2166-537: The studio. The act is largely credited with giving rise to modern-day professional wrestling. On April 27, 1987, Austin Idol defeated Lawler in a steel cage match, causing the audience to riot. World Championship Wrestling also held several events at the Coliseum over the course of 1996 through 2000. The Mid-South Coliseum served as the home of the original Central Hockey League team, the Memphis Wings (later
2223-606: The team for $ 700,000. It was composed of 4,600 Tennessee residents who bought the team's stock at $ 5, $ 10, and $ 50 a share and elected a 24-person board to run the team. Memphis bond broker Albert S. Hart was installed as team president. The team signed Johnny Neumann , an underclassman All American from the University of Mississippi , and added Larry Cannon , but lost Steve Jones to the Dallas Chaparrals through free agency; Jimmy Jones also departed, ending up with
2280-602: 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
2337-571: 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
Memphis Sounds - Misplaced Pages Continue
2394-419: 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
2451-540: The team, the renamed Sounds also struggled in 1974–75. The franchise left Memphis for Baltimore in 1975, becoming the Baltimore Claws and folded before playing a regular season game. As an ABA arena the Coliseum hosted the Indiana Pacers during the 1971 Western Division Semifinals and the Kentucky Colonels during the 1975 Eastern Division Finals ; the Pacers went on to win the 1971 ABA Championship and
2508-761: The team. 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
2565-495: The wake of protests and boycotts of the band over John Lennon 's controversial " more popular than Jesus " remarks, Memphis city council called for the cancellation of the concerts for safety reasons. The event still went on, although they were met by protests by the Ku Klux Klan , an anonymous assassination threat against "one or all" of the band's members, and an audience member exploding a firecracker on-stage during one of
2622-575: Was a factor behind the ABA–NBA merger in the summer after the 1975–76 season ended. When the ABA became defunct and the copyrights on its properties were allowed to lapse, a new minor league baseball team in Nashville — the Nashville Sounds — adopted the Memphis Sounds' color scheme and logo. As of 2023, the name is still in use. The use of the color scheme and styled logo was replaced as
2679-481: 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. The Tams picked up draft picks Larry Kenon and Larry Finch . The Tams also used a draft pick to select underclassman David Thompson but Thompson stayed in college. Finley had asked
2736-631: Was also argued two days after construction began on the Mid South Coliseum, Mid South Coliseum management would not include any signs advising segregation. On November 17, 1965, The Rolling Stones played at Mid-South on their Out Of Our Heads tour. Patti LaBelle and The Bluebells opened for the British rockers on this night of their 2nd U.S. tour of 1965. The arena was one of the few stops on The Beatles ' final American tour in 1966. The group played two concerts there on August 19, 1966; in
2793-414: 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 . In 1972–73, the Cougars hired retired ABA players Larry Brown and former Cougar Doug Moe as coaches. The 1972–73 Cougars were fairly talented and featured players Billy Cunningham , Joe Caldwell , and Mack Calvin . All three appeared in
2850-407: Was dominated by the University of Kentucky . The other was when the then all-white Mississippi state legislature forbade the team to participate in the racially integrated NCAA Tournament. McCarthy took the team out-of-state in the dead of night and had them participate anyway, which gave him a near-legend status in the eyes of some (and the undying hatred of others). On August 21, 1970, the team
2907-439: Was first briefly known as the Baltimore Hustlers and then the Baltimore Claws . However, the team had serious financial problems and collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games in its brief history. Not long after the Claws folded, the San Diego Sails and then the Utah Stars folded early in the 1975–76 regular season, abruptly shrinking the league from 10 teams to 7. The failure of those franchises
SECTION 50
#17327767385772964-460: 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. 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. In spite of this, the Cougars had a good fan following, particularly in Greensboro. The 1971–72 team
3021-479: Was sold to Mississippi businessman P. W. Blake. Ten days later, he moved the team to Memphis and changed its name to the Memphis Pros, reportedly because the already purchased 'Bucs' uniforms could easily be converted to 'Pros' uniforms at little expense. The Pros immediately ran into problems due to the timing of the move. The Mid-South Coliseum was nearly booked through the winter, and the Pros were only able to secure one Friday home game. They were forced to play
3078-419: 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 24 wins compared to 60 losses. It was the worst record in the ABA and put them in fifth (last) place in the Eastern Division, 33 games behind
3135-447: Was traded to the Utah Stars for Craig Raymond and Skeeter Swift was traded to the Pittsburgh Pipers for Charlie Williams . Jimmy Jones , Steve Jones , and Wendell Ladner played in the 1971 ABA All-Star Game ; Ladner, a pick in the last ABA draft, also made the ABA All-Rookie team. An average of 3,199 fans attended Pros home games during the season. The Pros finished with 41 wins and 43 losses, which put them in third place in
3192-415: 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 was not 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
3249-427: Was visibly frustrated with the situation, telling Basketball News that the Tams would be a solid franchise if they had solid backing. It soon became apparent that the Tams were not high on the list of Finley's priorities. Amenities like programs began to disappear, and morale suffered as players began to wonder if they would receive paychecks and if those would clear the bank when they did. After two seasons of this,
#576423