Baltimore Claws
Encyclopedia
The Baltimore Claws was an American
basketball
team which was supposed to appear in the 1975-76 season in the American Basketball Association
. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games in its brief history.
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 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 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.
businessmen bought the troubled Memphis franchise (which the ABA league officers had taken over midway through the previous season) for $1 million and relocated it to Baltimore
. In August, 1975, ABA Commissioner Dave DeBusschere
suddenly awarded the franchise to another group in Memphis due to apparent financial problems involving the Baltimore owners. However, the Memphis group backed out the very next day and the team ended up back with the Baltimore owners.
The team initially called itself the Baltimore Hustlers, but league and public pressure forced them to change it to the Claws.
of the reigning ABA champion
Kentucky Colonels
. The Colonels were supposed to receive center Tom Owens
and $500,000 in cash for Issel, but 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 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 prior year was the first freshman to make the Atlantic Coast Conference
all-conference first team, but then did not return to Clemson
for his sophomore year.
on October 9, 1975 against 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
.
On October 17, 1975 the Claws played the Squires again, this time at Knott Arena, Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Squires won 100-88 in front of approximately 500 spectators.
On October 26, 1975, ABA Commissioner DeBusschere got word that one of 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 team president David Cohan resigned.
The ABA disbanded 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 and had given the Baltimore group extra time to get its affairs in order but that the Claws had failed to do so. The Claws' office at the Baltimore Civic Center was locked up by arena management due to unpaid bills.
The Claws threatened to seek an injunction delaying the start of the season until the Claws were reinstated, citing a provision in the rules requiring 10 days notice before any team could be shuttered. However, after the league and the city threatened to file their own legal actions, the Claws gave up the ghost and folded. It can be argued that the ABA felt the 10-day rule was trumped by a larger obligation to ensure that its franchises were being run in a professional manner.
and Paul Ruffner
ended up going to the Spirits of St. Louis
. Stew Johnson
was sent to the San Diego Sails
. 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 the Stars despite not being picked in the dispersal draft. 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 the team office in lieu of payment.
and then the Utah Stars
folded early in the 1975-76 regular season, abruptly shrinking the league from ten teams to seven. The failure of those franchises was a factor behind the ABA-NBA merger
in the summer after the 1975-76 season ended.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team which was supposed to appear in the 1975-76 season in the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games in its brief history.
Background
The team that eventually became the Baltimore Claws had earlier competed in the ABA as the New Orleans BuccaneersNew Orleans Buccaneers
New Orleans Buccaneers was 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.-Origins:With the...
from 1967 through 1970, as the Memphis Pros
Memphis Pros
Memphis Pros were an American Basketball Association team during the 1970-1971 and 1971-1972 seasons.-Origins:The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the ABA and played for three seasons, 1967-1970, winning the Western Division championship in 1969...
from 1970 through 1972, as the Memphis Tams
Memphis Tams
The Memphis Tams were an American Basketball Association team during the 1972-1973 and 1973-1974 seasons. The team had previously been the New Orleans Buccaneers for three seasons before moving to Memphis, Tennessee where it became the Memphis Pros from 1970 through 1972. The team later became...
from 1972 through 1974 and as the Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds
Memphis Sounds was the final name of a franchise in the American Basketball Association. The team had begun as the New Orleans Buccaneers, and after three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it had occasionally played some home games in the past to reasonable crowds...
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 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
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
, 4 games to 1. Of the Sounds' draft picks that season, two (Lonnie Shelton
Lonnie Shelton
Lonnie Jewel Shelton is a retired American National Basketball Association player who played from 1976-1985. He played college basketball for Oregon State University. Shelton was drafted by the Memphis Sounds of the American Basketball Association in 1975 but elected to stay in college...
and Terry Furlow
Terry Furlow
Terry Furlow was an American basketball player. Furlow was a 6-foot-4-inch shooting guard from Flint, Michigan. He played collegiately at Michigan State. In 1975-76, as a senior, he led the Big Ten in scoring, and finished his career at MSU with 1717 points – which places him seventh on the...
) remained in college and the third (Rich Kelley
Rich Kelley
Richard Ryland Kelley is a retired American basketball player.A center/power forward, a graduate of Woodside High School, Kelley played college basketball for Stanford....
) signed with the NBA's New Orleans Jazz
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. 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
Mid-South Coliseum
The Mid-South Coliseum, also known as "The Entertainment Capital of the Mid-South", was a multi-purpose arena, that seated 10,085 people, in Memphis, Tennessee...
. When none of the conditions were met, the league took control of the franchise and put it on the market.
Relocation to Maryland
Prior to the 1975-76 season a group of MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
businessmen bought the troubled Memphis franchise (which the ABA league officers had taken over midway through the previous season) for $1 million and relocated it to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
. In August, 1975, ABA Commissioner Dave DeBusschere
Dave DeBusschere
David Albert DeBusschere was an American NBA and major league baseball player and coach in the NBA. In 1996, DeBusschere was named as one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history....
suddenly awarded the franchise to another group in Memphis due to apparent financial problems involving the Baltimore owners. However, the Memphis group backed out the very next day and the team ended up back with the Baltimore owners.
The team initially called itself the Baltimore Hustlers, but league and public pressure forced them to change it to the Claws.
Personnel
In September the Claws gained attention early by gaining the rights to superstar Dan IsselDan Issel
Daniel Paul Issel is a retired American Hall of Fame professional basketball player and coach.-Collegiate playing career:...
of the reigning ABA champion
1975 ABA Playoffs
The 1975 ABA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the American Basketball Association's 1974-1975 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Division champion Kentucky Colonels defeating the Western Division champion Indiana Pacers, four games to one in the ABA Finals.The Kentucky...
Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
. The Colonels were supposed to receive center Tom Owens
Tom Owens
Thomas William Owens is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6'10" center from the University of South Carolina, Owens played five seasons in the American Basketball Association and seven seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Carolina Cougars, Memphis...
and $500,000 in cash for Issel, but the $500,000 never arrived. When Colonels owner John Y. Brown, Jr.
John Y. Brown, Jr.
This article is about one of four John Young Browns, from Kentucky, that have served political office. For others see: John Young Brown ...
found out the money hadn't arrived, he stormed into a Claws board meeting and announced Issel was being sold to the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. To make the move look like a trade between Denver and Baltimore, the Nuggets sent forward Dave Robisch
Dave Robisch
David George Robisch is a retired American professional basketball player in the ABA and NBA. Robisch played at the University of Kansas, where he was initiated into the Sigma Nu Fraternity...
to the Claws. The Claws' owners protested, claiming that three more players should have come to Baltimore in 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
Rick Mount
Richard Carl Mount is a former American basketball player in the American Basketball Association . He was the first high school athlete to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.-Early life:...
, to the Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
in another trade.
The Claws entered the preseason under coach Joe Mullaney with a roster that included Mel Daniels
Mel Daniels
Melvin Joe Daniels is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6' 9" center, he played for the University of New Mexico Lobo men's basketball team from 1964-67...
and Stew Johnson
Stew Johnson
Stewart "Stew" Johnson is a former professional basketball player. A 6'8" forward/center from Murray State University, Johnson was selected by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1966 NBA Draft...
. The Claws also suited up guard Skip Wise
Skip Wise
Allen Harper Wise, Jr. , known as Skip Wise, was an American basketball player.Wise was a sensation as a high school player at Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Maryland...
, who the prior year was the first freshman to make the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
all-conference first team, but then did not return to Clemson
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
for his sophomore year.
Games
The Claws played their first game, a preseason exhibition, in Salisbury, MarylandSalisbury, Maryland
-Demographics:Salisbury is the principal city of the Salisbury-Ocean Pines CSA, a Combined Statistical Area that includes the Salisbury metropolitan area and the Ocean Pines micropolitan area , which had a combined population of 176,657 at the 2010 census.As of the census of 2000, there were...
on October 9, 1975 against the Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
. The Squires won 131-121; attendance was reported at 1,150.
Two days later the Claws lost to the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
103-82 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Cherry Hill is a township in Camden County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a population of 71,045, representing an increase of 1,080 from the 69,965 residents enumerated during the 2000 Census...
.
On October 17, 1975 the Claws played the Squires again, this time at Knott Arena, Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Squires won 100-88 in front of approximately 500 spectators.
Continuing problems
Due to mounting financial problems, 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 26, 1975, ABA Commissioner DeBusschere got word that one of the Claws' banks had yanked its line of credit
Line of credit
A line of credit is any credit source extended to a government, business or individual by a bank or other financial institution. A line of credit may take several forms, such as overdraft protection, demand loan, special purpose, export packing credit, term loan, discounting, purchase of...
. 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 team president David Cohan resigned.
The ABA disbanded 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 and had given the Baltimore group extra time to get its affairs in order but that the Claws had failed to do so. The Claws' office at the Baltimore Civic Center was locked up by arena management due to unpaid bills.
The Claws threatened to seek an injunction delaying the start of the season until the Claws were reinstated, citing a provision in the rules requiring 10 days notice before any team could be shuttered. However, after the league and the city threatened to file their own legal actions, the Claws gave up the ghost and folded. It can be argued that the ABA felt the 10-day rule was trumped by a larger obligation to ensure that its franchises were being run in a professional manner.
Dissolution
The Claws players were put into a dispersal draft. Dave RobischDave Robisch
David George Robisch is a retired American professional basketball player in the ABA and NBA. Robisch played at the University of Kansas, where he was initiated into the Sigma Nu Fraternity...
and Paul Ruffner
Paul Ruffner
Paul Ruffner was an American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association....
ended up going to the Spirits of St. Louis
Spirits of St. Louis
The Spirits of St. Louis were one of two teams still in existence at the end of the American Basketball Association that did not survive the ABA-NBA merger. They were a member of the ABA in its last two seasons, 1974–75 and 1975–76, while playing their home games at the St...
. Stew Johnson
Stew Johnson
Stewart "Stew" Johnson is a former professional basketball player. A 6'8" forward/center from Murray State University, Johnson was selected by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1966 NBA Draft...
was sent to the San Diego Sails
San Diego Sails
The San Diego Sails were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California; the team played an incomplete season only, beginning the 1975-1976 ABA season but folding before its completion.-San Diego Conquistadors:...
. Claude Terry was sent to the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. Chuck Williams
Chuck Williams (basketball)
Edward "Chuck" Williams is a retired American basketball player who competed in both the National Basketball Association and the rival American Basketball Association...
was sent to the Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
. Scott English was sent to the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
. Joe Hamilton
Joe Hamilton (basketball)
Joe Hamilton was an American basketball player.Hamilton played high school basketball at Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. He later played college basketball at the University of North Texas....
was sent to the Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
. George Carter also ended up with the Stars despite not being picked in the dispersal draft. The Claws' best known player, Mel Daniels
Mel Daniels
Melvin Joe Daniels is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6' 9" center, he played for the University of New Mexico Lobo men's basketball team from 1964-67...
, was disappointed at the Claws' fate and retired rather than play for another team. In Terry Pluto
Terry Pluto
Terry Pluto is an award-winning sportswriter who primarily writes columns for The Plain Dealer, and formerly for the Akron Beacon Journal about Cleveland sports and religion. He has been named Ohio Sportswriter of the Year eight times...
's book on the ABA, "Loose Balls", Daniels recalled that the Claws' players were allowed to take equipment and furniture from the team office in lieu of payment.
Aftermath
Not long after the Claws folded, the San Diego SailsSan Diego Sails
The San Diego Sails were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California; the team played an incomplete season only, beginning the 1975-1976 ABA season but folding before its completion.-San Diego Conquistadors:...
and then the Utah Stars
Utah Stars
The Utah Stars was an American Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.Under head coach Bill Sharman the Stars were the first major professional basketball team to use a pre-game shootaround.-History:...
folded early in the 1975-76 regular season, abruptly shrinking the league from ten teams to seven. The failure of those franchises was a factor behind the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
in the summer after the 1975-76 season ended.