Dallas Chaparrals
Encyclopedia
The Dallas Chaparrals were a charter member of the American Basketball Association
, later becoming the San Antonio Spurs
and joining the NBA.
The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. 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, Texas
, at the Tarrant County Coliseum, as well as Lubbock, Texas
, 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
.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972-73 season, the team was put up for sale. The team was acquired by a group of 36 San Antonio businessmen, led by Angelo Drossos
and Red McCombs
who actually leased the team from the original Dallas ownership group, relocated the team to San Antonio, Texas
and renamed them the San Antonio Gunslingers before renaming them the San Antonio Spurs
. The team's primary colors were changed from the red, white, and blue of the Chaparrals to the now familiar silver and black motif of the Spurs.
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:...
, later becoming the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
and joining the NBA.
The team suffered from poor attendance and general disinterest in Dallas. 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, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, at the Tarrant County Coliseum, as well as Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, at the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum
City Bank Coliseum is a 6,893-seat multi-purpose arena in Lubbock, Texas. It is the home to the Texas Tech Red Raiders club ice hockey team and former home of the now-defunct Lubbock Renegades af2 arena football team...
, 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
Moody Coliseum
Moody Coliseum is an 8,998-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas. The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball team. It was also home to the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association before they moved...
and Dallas Convention Center Arena
Dallas Convention Center Arena
The Dallas Convention Center Arena is a 7,428-seat multi-purpose arena in Dallas, Texas, USA. It was opened in 1957. It hosted the Dallas Chaparrals, of the ABA, from 1967 to 1973, when the team relocated to San Antonio and became the San Antonio Spurs. It also hosts other local sporting events and...
.
After missing the playoffs for the first time in their existence in the 1972-73 season, the team was put up for sale. The team was acquired by a group of 36 San Antonio businessmen, led by Angelo Drossos
Angelo Drossos
Angelo Drossos was the owner of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team from 1973 to 1988, from its time in the American Basketball Association through the ABA-NBA merger and into its years in the National Basketball Association...
and Red McCombs
Red McCombs
Billy Joe "Red" McCombs is the founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group, a co-founder of Clear Channel Communications, a former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Vikings, and the namesake of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin...
who actually leased the team from the original Dallas ownership group, relocated the team to San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
and renamed them the San Antonio Gunslingers before renaming them the San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
. The team's primary colors were changed from the red, white, and blue of the Chaparrals to the now familiar silver and black motif of the Spurs.