Spirits of St Louis T-Shirt
Product Info 100% Cotton (52% Cotton 48% Polyester for heather colors) Extra Soft Lightweight Classic Fit Ships in 3-5 business days Team: Spirits of St LouisYears Active: 1974–1976Stadium: St. Louis Arena (St. Louis, MO) The Spirits of St Louis played two seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) starting in 1974. They started as the Houston Mavericks in 1967 before becoming the Carolina Cougars in 1969. Hall of famer Rod Thorn served as head coach for one season and a young Bob Costas was the play-by-play announcer. After a successful first season, the team struggled in its second year and rarely drew crowds of even 1,000 people. The team was excluded from the 1976 merger with the established league. The owners, though, refused to take the NBA's $3 million buyout. To move the merger along, the teams that merged into the NBA agreed to pay 1/7 of their television revenue to the Spirits' former owners in a deal that lasted 35 years until a buyout in 2014. Notable Players: