Ted Stepien
Encyclopedia
Ted Stepien was the former owner of the National Basketball Association
's Cleveland Cavaliers
. After becoming wealthy as the founder of Nationwide Advertising Service, Stepien purchased the Cavaliers in the spring of 1980. A December 6, 1982, article in the New York Times described the Cavaliers during Stepien's ownership as "the worst club and most poorly run franchise in professional basketball."
as the team's head coach. Musselman, who coached the University of Minnesota
to the 1972 Big Ten championship, the school's first in 53 years, compiled a 25–46 record with the Cavs before Stepien fired him.
Stepien thought he could quickly assemble a competitive team, however, he proved to be a poor judge of basketball talent. He spent the then lavish sum of $2 million on salaries for Scott Wedman
, James Edwards
and Bobby Wilkerson. While satisfactory role players (Wedman had been an All-Star but was injured and on the downside of his career), none were the stars Stepien envisioned them to be.
In the last days of the 1980–81 season, Stepien made headlines by firing popular team play by play announcer Joe Tait
, replacing him with Paul Porter
. Stepien claimed that "announcers were a dime a dozen", but it is widely believed that Tait was fired due to his on-air criticism of Stepien's ownership. This was also believed to be the reason that Stepien moved the Cavaliers games from WWWE (3WE)
1100AM (featuring Stepien critic Pete Franklin
) to WBBG
1260AM.
By this time, Stepien's popularity in Cleveland was at an all-time low. The team was referred to locally at this time as the "Cleveland Cadavers". For the final home game of the 1981 season, the largest Cavaliers crowd in two years showed up to honor Tait and heap abuse on the Cavs now-despised owner. The angry crowd used the occasion to not only show support for the broadcaster Stepien was running out of town, but also voice their discontent over the fact that Stepien was staying behind to run the team.
Over the course of the 1981–82 season alone, Stepien fired three head coaches and hired four: Don Delaney
, who had taken over for Musselman with 11 games remaining in the 1980–81 season; assistant coach Bob Kloppenburg
, who filled in for a game after Stepien relieved Delaney of his duties; Chuck Daly
, who left the Philadelphia 76ers
where he had been an assistant to take over as head coach of the Cavs, who went 9–32 with him at the helm; and Bill Musselman, who returned to the bench after serving as the team's director of player personnel since being fired the previous season.
According to a March 27, 1982, story in The Sporting News
, Stepien said he brought back Musselman after having time to reflect on the job he did the previous season. "Bill won 25 games with a team of Mike Bratz
, Roger Phegley
, Mike Mitchell
, Bill Laimbeer
and really, no bench."
Stepien, who was an All-City basketball and football player at Schenley High School
in Pittsburgh
, infamously made multiple questionable transactions with his teams, such as trading away several future high draft picks for mediocre players. One of the picks whom Stepien traded away turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft
, James Worthy
, for the Los Angeles Lakers
.
In fact, all of these questionable moves led the NBA to institute what is commonly known as the "Stepien Rule," which states that a team cannot trade its first-round pick in consecutive years.
In a December 6, 1982, New York Times article by Ira Berkow
, Musselman explained that Stepien "wanted a playoff team right away, and that's what he kept talking about." In the same article, Stepien is quoted as saying: "We made mistakes, and I take the responsibility."
During his ownership, attendance at Cavaliers games began to sharply fall due to the team's poor play and questionable moves. Stepien thought about renaming the team the "Ohio Cavaliers" and playing portions of its home schedule in nearby non-NBA cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Toronto
to increase the fan base. He had also threatened to move the team to Toronto
and rename them the Toronto Towers, but ultimately Stepien decided to sell the team to Cleveland businessmen George and Gordon Gund
prior to the 1983–84 season for $20 million. During his tenure as Cavaliers owner, the Cavaliers went 66–180, had five different coaches, and had losses of $15 million.
and Global Basketball Association
, which operated during the early 1990s. In 1987, he was fined $50,000 by the CBA after allegedly failing to cooperate with the league office's investigation of salary-cap violations.
Early in 2003, Stepien founded the United Pro Basketball League (UPBL), which featured just four teams, including three in Kentucky
(Lexington
, Louisville
, and Frankfort
) and one in Mansfield, Ohio
. Stepien also opened a series of private dining rooms called "Competitors Clubs" in Cleveland. He owned a professional softball team known as the Cleveland Competitors.
Stepien died in 2007.
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
. After becoming wealthy as the founder of Nationwide Advertising Service, Stepien purchased the Cavaliers in the spring of 1980. A December 6, 1982, article in the New York Times described the Cavaliers during Stepien's ownership as "the worst club and most poorly run franchise in professional basketball."
NBA owner
Stepien raised eyebrows when he introduced a scantily clad (by the NBA's then standards) dance team known as "The Teddy Bears". On the court, Stepien installed Bill MusselmanBill Musselman
William Clifford Musselman was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. He was a fiercely intense coach who once was quoted as saying "defeat is worse than death, because you have to live with defeat."-Early life:Musselman was the second of five children....
as the team's head coach. Musselman, who coached the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
to the 1972 Big Ten championship, the school's first in 53 years, compiled a 25–46 record with the Cavs before Stepien fired him.
Stepien thought he could quickly assemble a competitive team, however, he proved to be a poor judge of basketball talent. He spent the then lavish sum of $2 million on salaries for Scott Wedman
Scott Wedman
Scott Dean Wedman is a former NBA basketball player. He was drafted by Kansas City-Omaha Kings in the first round in the 1974 NBA Draft.-Kansas City Kings:...
, James Edwards
James Edwards (basketball)
James Franklin Edwards is a retired American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Buddha" for his appearance and stoic demeanor, the 7' 0" Edwards played 19 years in the NBA, playing both the center and power forward positions...
and Bobby Wilkerson. While satisfactory role players (Wedman had been an All-Star but was injured and on the downside of his career), none were the stars Stepien envisioned them to be.
In the last days of the 1980–81 season, Stepien made headlines by firing popular team play by play announcer Joe Tait
Joe Tait
Joseph "Joe" Tait is an American sports broadcaster, who called the radio play by play for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. With the exception of two seasons in the early 1980s and illness in 2010-11, he has been the Cavaliers' radio announcer since the team's inception in 1970...
, replacing him with Paul Porter
Paul Porter
Paul Porter is an American public address announcer best known for his work for the Orlando Magic of the NBA.Porter has served as the arena voice for the Magic since the teams inception in the late 1980s....
. Stepien claimed that "announcers were a dime a dozen", but it is widely believed that Tait was fired due to his on-air criticism of Stepien's ownership. This was also believed to be the reason that Stepien moved the Cavaliers games from WWWE (3WE)
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
1100AM (featuring Stepien critic Pete Franklin
Pete Franklin
Pete Franklin , nicknamed "The King" and "Pigskin Pete", was an American sports talk radio host who worked in Cleveland, New York and San Francisco...
) to WBBG
WWMK
WWMK — branded Radio Disney AM 1260 — is the Cleveland, Ohio affiliate of Radio Disney. Owned by ABC Radio, the station's studios are located at 175 Ken Mar Industrial Parkway in Broadview Heights, and its five-tower transmitter is located about 2.2 miles away on Snowville Road in front of I-77...
1260AM.
By this time, Stepien's popularity in Cleveland was at an all-time low. The team was referred to locally at this time as the "Cleveland Cadavers". For the final home game of the 1981 season, the largest Cavaliers crowd in two years showed up to honor Tait and heap abuse on the Cavs now-despised owner. The angry crowd used the occasion to not only show support for the broadcaster Stepien was running out of town, but also voice their discontent over the fact that Stepien was staying behind to run the team.
Over the course of the 1981–82 season alone, Stepien fired three head coaches and hired four: Don Delaney
Don Delaney
Don Delaney was an American professional basketball coach, who served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s. Delaney also served as the team's general manager. Former Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien signed Delaney to a one-year contract to be the team's head coach in March 1981...
, who had taken over for Musselman with 11 games remaining in the 1980–81 season; assistant coach Bob Kloppenburg
Bob Kloppenburg
Bob Kloppenburg is an American professional basketball coach, who served as an interim head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s. Kloppenburg later served as an assistant coach for the Seattle SuperSonics, Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors. While with the Seattle SuperSonics ,...
, who filled in for a game after Stepien relieved Delaney of his duties; Chuck Daly
Chuck Daly
Charles Jerome "Chuck" Daly was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to consecutive National Basketball Association Championships in 1989 and 1990, and the Dream Team to the men's basketball gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics. He had a 14-year NBA coaching...
, who left the 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...
where he had been an assistant to take over as head coach of the Cavs, who went 9–32 with him at the helm; and Bill Musselman, who returned to the bench after serving as the team's director of player personnel since being fired the previous season.
According to a March 27, 1982, story in The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, Stepien said he brought back Musselman after having time to reflect on the job he did the previous season. "Bill won 25 games with a team of Mike Bratz
Mike Bratz
Michael Louis Bratz is a former American NBA player.After being selected by the Phoenix Suns in the 1977 NBA Draft, Bratz played in nine seasons with the Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings...
, Roger Phegley
Roger Phegley
Roger Dale Phegley is a retired American professional basketball player. A 6'6" 205 lb shooting guard, he played college basketball at Bradley University and had a career in the NBA from 1978 to 1984...
, Mike Mitchell
Mike Mitchell (NBA)
Michael Anthony Mitchell was an American professional basketball player in the NBA from 1978 to 1990.Mitchell, who was born in Atlanta, played collegiately at Auburn University. He started his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but played most of his career for the San Antonio Spurs....
, Bill Laimbeer
Bill Laimbeer
William "Bill" Laimbeer, Jr. is a retired National Basketball Association player for the Detroit Pistons. Playing at center, the 6'11" Laimbeer was a four-time All-Star and integral part of the Pistons teams that won two championships...
and really, no bench."
Stepien, who was an All-City basketball and football player at Schenley High School
Schenley High School
Schenley High School is both a public school building and a school program that closed with the graduating class of 2011. Schenley High School is located in the North Oakland neighborhood at the edge of the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. In 2008 the school's staff and...
in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, infamously made multiple questionable transactions with his teams, such as trading away several future high draft picks for mediocre players. One of the picks whom Stepien traded away turned out to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 NBA Draft
1982 NBA Draft
The 1982 NBA Draft took place on June 29, 1982 at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.-Key:-Draft:-Other picks:-External links:**...
, James Worthy
James Worthy
James Ager Worthy is a retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player. Named as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, "Big Game James" was a seven-time NBA All-Star and three-time NBA champion...
, for the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
.
In fact, all of these questionable moves led the NBA to institute what is commonly known as the "Stepien Rule," which states that a team cannot trade its first-round pick in consecutive years.
In a December 6, 1982, New York Times article by Ira Berkow
Ira Berkow
Ira Berkow is an American Pulitzer Prize winning sports reporter, columnist and writer.-Life:Berkow earned his BA in English Literature at Miami University, and his MA from the Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University...
, Musselman explained that Stepien "wanted a playoff team right away, and that's what he kept talking about." In the same article, Stepien is quoted as saying: "We made mistakes, and I take the responsibility."
During his ownership, attendance at Cavaliers games began to sharply fall due to the team's poor play and questionable moves. Stepien thought about renaming the team the "Ohio Cavaliers" and playing portions of its home schedule in nearby non-NBA cities such as Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
to increase the fan base. He had also threatened to move the team to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and rename them the Toronto Towers, but ultimately Stepien decided to sell the team to Cleveland businessmen George and Gordon Gund
Gordon Gund
Gordon Gund is an United States businessman and professional sports owner. He is the CEO of Gund Investment Corporation. He is the former co-owner of the San Jose Sharks and former principal owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and is currently a minority owner of the Cavaliers...
prior to the 1983–84 season for $20 million. During his tenure as Cavaliers owner, the Cavaliers went 66–180, had five different coaches, and had losses of $15 million.
After the NBA
After selling the Cavs, Stepien went on to own teams in the Continental Basketball AssociationContinental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
and Global Basketball Association
Global Basketball Association
The Global Basketball Association was a minor league with various franchises in the United States. Teams were located throughout the South and Midwest...
, which operated during the early 1990s. In 1987, he was fined $50,000 by the CBA after allegedly failing to cooperate with the league office's investigation of salary-cap violations.
Early in 2003, Stepien founded the United Pro Basketball League (UPBL), which featured just four teams, including three in Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
(Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, and Frankfort
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
) and one in Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield, Ohio
Mansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
. Stepien also opened a series of private dining rooms called "Competitors Clubs" in Cleveland. He owned a professional softball team known as the Cleveland Competitors.
Stepien died in 2007.