Carolina Cougars was a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association that existed from late 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Carolina in late 1969 after three forgettable seasons in Houston. The Cougars' colors were green, blue, and white. The American Basketball Association (ABA) refers to two distinct professional basketball leagues. ... 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ... Skyline of Downtown Houston from Eleanor Tinsley Park Located in southeast Texas, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and one of the two largest economic areas in Texas. ...

History

The history of the Carolina Cougars franchise began when the former Houston ABA franchise was relocated to North Carolina in 1969. During the 1970s, North Carolina did not have a large primary metropolitan area to base a professional sports franchise, so the team's ownership decided to have the teams play its home games in Charlotte, Greensboro, and Raleigh as a regional team. Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution... For other places or people named Charlotte, see Charlotte (disambiguation). ... Greensboro is a city located in Guilford County in North Carolina, a state of the United States of America. ... Downtown Raleigh as seen from US 401 on the southwest side. ...

Early on, the Carolina Cougars were not especially successful on the court, posting a 42-42 record in the 1969-1970 season, a 34-50 record in 1970-1971, and a 35-49 record in 1971-1972. Only the '69-'70 Cougars managed to make the ABA playoffs but lost in the Eastern Division Semifinals (first round) to a much stronger Indiana Pacers team. In spite of this, the Cougars had a good fan following, particularly in Greensboro. 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The Indiana Pacers are a National Basketball Association team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ...

In 1972-1973, the Carolina Cougars hired retired ABA players Larry Brown and former Cougar Doug Moe as coaches. The '72-'73 Cougars were fairly talented and featured players Steve "Snapper" Jones, Gene Littles, and Ed Manning (father of Danny Manning). Carolina went on to post a 57-27 record, which was the best in the Eastern Division and the entire ABA as well. The Cougars beat the New York Nets in their first-round playoff series 4-1, but lost a close series to the Kentucky Colonels 4-3 in the Eastern Division finals. 1973 was a common year starting on Monday. ... Larry Brown, coaching from the sidelines See also Larry Brown (author); Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown (cornerback); 1970s NFL player Larry Brown (running back). ... Danny Manning (born May 17, 1966 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi) is one of the greatest players in University of Kansas and college basketball history. ... The New Jersey Nets are a National Basketball Association team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the leagues 9 years. ...

The 1973-1974 season proved to be the last for the Carolina Cougars in North Carolina. Due to injuries and internal squabbles, the '73-'74 Cougars posted a 47-37 record but was swept in the Eastern Division semifinals 4-0 by the Kentucky Colonels. Later in 1974, the Carolina Cougars were moved to Missouri and became the Spirits of St. Louis until the ABA folded in 1976. The Cougars were moderately successful overall and had more supportive fans than many other ABA franchises; nonetheless, even those elements were not enough to keep the Cougars from relocating. Professional basketball would return to North Carolina in 1988 when the Charlotte Hornets entered the NBA, but the Hornets would eventually move to New Orleans in 2002. The NBA returned to Charlotte two years later when Charlotte Bobcats began their inaugural NBA season in 2004-2005. 1974 is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... Missouri, named after the Missouri Siouan Indian tribe meaning canoe, is a Midwestern state of the United States with Jefferson City as its capital. ... The Spirits of St. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Orleans Hornets are a National Basketball Association team based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The current head coach is Byron Scott. ... NBA logo The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... City nickname: The Crescent City, The Big Easy, The City that Care Forgot Location of New Orleans Country   State     Parish United States   Louisiana     Orleans Parish Mayor C. Ray Nagin Area  - Land  - Water 350. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Charlotte Bobcats are an American basketball team which began play in the National Basketball Association in 2004_05. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External link

• Remember the ABA: Carolina Cougars (http://www.remembertheaba.com/Carolina-Cougars.html)