Houston Mavericks
Houston Mavericks | |
---|---|
Houston, Texas | |
Team colors | Black and Gold |
Head coach | Slater Martin (1967–68) Art Becker (interim, 1968–69) Jim Weaver (1969) |
Ownership | T. C. Morrow |
Championships | 0 |
Conference titles | no conference play in ABA |
Division titles | 0 |
The Houston Mavericks were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in the upstart league's first two seasons, from 1967 to 1969. Their home arena was the Sam Houston Coliseum. In 1947–48, there was an unrelated Mavericks franchise based in Houston as part of the Professional Basketball League of America.
Origins
The Mavericks were one of the first ABA franchises, announced on February 2, 1967 when the ABA was formed. They were owned by businessman T. C. Morrow. One of the minority partners was Bud Adams, who owned the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. Houston native and former NBA great Slater Martin was hired as general manager and head coach.
1967–68 season
The Mavericks got off to an inauspicious start during the first ABA draft. Martin arrived in Oakland to represent the team, only to find out that Morrow and his group hadn't sent the required $30,000 bond. By the time Martin was able to get the money through other channels, he'd missed the first four rounds and was forced to recruit players from the Eastern Basketball Association (later known as the Continental Basketball Association).
Not surprisingly given the rough start, the Mavericks had a somewhat mediocre season, finishing 29–49, good for fourth place in the Western Division. However, this was actually enough to make the playoffs. They went down rather meekly to the Dallas Chaparrals in the Western Division semifinals, losing three games to none.
Willie Somerset and DeWitt Menyard of the Mavericks played in the ABA All-Star Game.
Houstonians viewed the Mavericks largely with indifference. Average attendance was listed as 1,543, easily the worst in the league. It took some effort to get even to that low figure; the team was lucky to attract 500 fans on most nights.
1968–69 season
Morrow made a considerable effort in the offseason to improve the team, aggressively pursuing
ABA commissioner
The team's already dreadful attendance dropped even further. Average attendance was officially reported as 1,147, the worst in the league. However, it was almost certainly lower than that; many observers reported seeing "crowds" in double digits. According to most reliable sources, the Mavericks padded the gate for most of the early-season games to make the attendance figures look more respectable than they actually were. As the season wore on, however, the Mavericks were less willing to embellish their attendance. During the last three months of the season, they attracted well under 400 fans per game.
Not surprisingly, the Mavericks were wretched on the court, finishing with a record of 23–55, second-worst in the league. However, the season was not without individual highlights. Willie Somerset again played in the ABA All Star Game. The Houston Mavericks played their final game on April 2, 1969 before only 89 fans (announced attendance), defeating the
Aftermath
During the 1968–69 season, the league sold the team to a group led by
Houston would have a more successful attempt at big-time basketball when the NBA's
The team's name, Mavericks, would later be used by NBA's Dallas expansion team when they joined NBA during the 1980–81 NBA season. (Coincidentally, Dallas was the hometown of the ABA's Dallas Chaparrals, who later became the San Antonio Spurs.)
Basketball Hall of Famers
Houston Mavericks Hall of Famers | |||
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Coaches | |||
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
Slater Martin 1 | Head coach | 1967–1968 | 1982 |
Notes:
- 1 Inducted as a player. Never played for the franchise.
Season-by-season
Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %
Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston Mavericks | |||||
1967–68 | 29 | 49 | .372 | Lost Division Semifinals | Dallas 3, Houston 0 |
1968–69 | 23 | 55 | .295 | Did not qualify |