Remembering the old Kentucky Colonels, Louisville's last pro basketball team
Jake Lourim
At the press conference Thursday to announce an investment group that has put forth an effort toward getting an NBA team in Louisville, there were memories of the old Kentucky Colonels, the last professional basketball team the city has had.
The Colonels played all nine seasons in the American Basketball Association, which existed from 1967-76, then did not make the jump to the NBA and failed during the merger. The franchise started slow but ended up winning the most regular-season games of any team in the ABA.
The Colonels played their first three seasons at the Louisville Convention Center before moving to Freedom Hall in 1970. The franchise made headlines for sporting a small dog named Ziggy as its “owner,” and for signing jockey Penny Ann Early as the first woman ever to play professional basketball.
Dan Issel, who has helped lead the group and who spoke at the press conference, recalled the Colonels’ 1974-75 season being special because it was the only championship he won in 25 years of organized basketball.
The Colonels’ fortunes changed when they signed Issel out of the University of Kentucky in 1970. He averaged 29.9 points in 83 games as a rookie, and the team reached the 1971 ABA Finals before going 68-16 the next season and suffering an upset loss in the playoffs.
Hiring Hubie Brown as coach in 1974 brought the Colonels a championship after they won three postseason series by scores of 4 games to 1. Issel now points out that team had four future Hall of Famers — Brown, himself, Artis Gilmore and former Kentucky star Louie Dampier.
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“That was a very special team, and that is one of the reasons that I’m involved in this, is I’d like to replicate that all over again,” Issel said.
Asked if a prospective new NBA team in Louisville would take the Colonels’ name, Issel grinned and said, “Obviously that would be my preference.”
Jake Lourim: 502-582-4168; jlourim@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @jakelourim. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/jakel.
