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Dallas Chaparrals

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Dallas Chaparrals
Dallas Chaparrals logo
DivisionWestern Division
Founded1967
HistoryDallas Chaparrals (ABA)
1967–1970, 1971–1973
Texas Chaparrals (ABA)
1970–1971
San Antonio Spurs
1973–present[1][2][3]
ArenaMoody Coliseum
Dallas Memorial Auditorium
Tarrant County Coliseum
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum
LocationDallas, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Team colorsRed, white, blue
     

The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA).[4] The team moved to San Antonio, Texas, for the 1973–74 season and were renamed the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the 1976–77 NBA season as a result of being one of four chosen ABA teams to be absorbed by the elder league following the completion of the ABA–NBA merger.

Origin

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The team's founding owners, unable to agree on a name for the franchise during an early organizational meeting at the Sheraton Dallas Hotel, named it for the Chaparral Club in which they were meeting at.[5] The primary owner, Robert Folsom, was later the mayor of the City of Dallas. Minority owner, William Cothrum, was later Deputy Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Dallas. The team drew poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas.[6] They were lucky to attract crowds in the hundreds. During the 1970–71 season, the team became the Texas Chaparrals and an attempt was made to make the team a regional one, playing games in Fort Worth, at the Tarrant County Coliseum, as well as Lubbock, at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, but this proved a failure and the team returned full-time to Dallas in time for the 1971–72 season, splitting their games at Moody Coliseum and Dallas Convention Center Arena.

Decline and the move

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After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972–73 season, the team was put up for sale. After no credible offers surfaced, the team's original owners leased it to a group of 35 San Antonio businessmen, led by Angelo Drossos and Red McCombs. The deal included a three-year option to buy the team outright, after which it would revert to the Dallas group.[7] The Drossos-McCombs group moved the team to San Antonio for the 1973–74 season and renamed them the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio embraced its new team with open arms; the Spurs surpassed the Chaparrals' entire 1972–73 attendance in only 16 games.[citation needed] Realizing they had a runaway hit on their hands, Drossos and McCombs tore up the lease and completed the purchase after only one year, and the franchise has stayed in San Antonio to this day.

However, Dallas would get its own NBA franchise in the form of the expansion Mavericks, who began play in the 1980-81 season.[8]

Basketball Hall of Famers

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Dallas/Texas Chaparrals Hall of Famers
Players
No. Name Position Tenure Inducted
16 Cliff Hagan 1 SF 1967–1969 1978

Notes:

  • 1 Also served as head coach (1967–1970).

Season-by-season

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Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %

Season W L % Playoffs Results
Dallas Chaparrals
1967–68 46 32 .590 Won Division Semifinals
Lost Semifinals		 Dallas 3, Houston 0
New Orleans 4, Dallas 1
1968–69 41 37 .526 Lost Division Semifinals New Orleans 4, Dallas 3
1969–70 45 39 .536 Lost Division Semifinals Utah 4, Dallas 2
Texas Chaparrals
1970–71 30 54 .357 Lost Division Semifinals Utah 4, Texas 0
Dallas Chaparrals
1971–72 42 42 .500 Lost Division Semifinals Utah 4, Dallas 0
1972–73 28 56 .333 Did not qualify

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "San Antonio Spurs History". Spurs.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "NBA History: Teams". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. February 25, 2013. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  3. ^ "NBA.com/Stats–San Antonio Spurs seasons". National Basketball Association. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  4. ^ Brody, Tom (October 23, 1967). "The ABA: Playing The Game Called Survival". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  5. ^ Cazeneuve, Brian (June 29, 2005). "A League Of Their Own". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  6. ^ Cowlishaw, Tim (May 28, 2013). "No disrespect to the Mavericks, but Dallas blew it when city let Chaparrals (now Spurs) bolt for San Antonio". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  7. ^ Putnam, Pat (February 10, 1975). "Cagey Loan To San Antone; All the moribund Dallas Chaparrals needed was a lend-lease move down to San Antonio, a new name, smart deals and live fans". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  8. ^ Wilonsky, Robert (April 30, 2008). "To Hell with the Mavericks. How 'Bout them Chaparrals?". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2022-10-31.
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