Print ArticleSo you thought you knew Jacksonville? Here's a few long lost facts about downtown that will have you wondering what else is out there that you don't know.
7. Jax's lost professional basketball team
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Florida's American Basketball Association's (ABA) team started off as the Minnesota Muskies in 1967. Despite having the league's second best record, owner Larry Shields concluded that the team was not viable in the Twin Cities, due to attendance figures of 2,800 per game. The following season, the team moved to Miami Beach and was named the Miami Floridians. That year, the Floridians lost 4-1 in the division finals to the Indiana Pacers.
Following the 1969-1970 season, new owner Ned Doyle dropped Miami fromt the name and made the franchise a regional team, splitting home games in Miami, Tampa-St. Petersburg, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville. In Jacksonville, the Floridians played their home games in the Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum. That season, the team made the playoffs, but lost their series to the Kentucky Colonels 4-2.
Despite the move from Minnesota to Florida, the franchise never became viable, leading to it being disbanded in June 1972. Four ABA teams were absorbed into the NBA: The New York Nets, Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs. Prominent players in the ABA included Artist Gilmore, Rick Barry, Hubie Brown, Moses Malone, George "Ice Man" Gervin, and Julius "Dr, J" Erving.
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Article by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com
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