Formative Period
2Feb67 Formation of the ABA is announced and a Kansas City franchise awarded for $35,000 to James B. Trindle .... 27Mar67 Vince Boryla is named General Manager .... 1Apr67 The franchise is relocated to Denver as the Denver Larks after the team is unable to find a suitable arena in Kansas City .... 2Apr67 Draft Walt Frazier (who signs with New York of the NBA), Bob Rule (who signs with Seattle of the NBA), and Byron Beck .... Willie Murrell and Larry Jones (of Wilkes-Barre) are signed from the Eastern League .... 2Jun67 General Manager Vince Boryla is dismissed after a disagreement with team ownership over inadequate financing .... Jun67 As a response to questions over team financing, ABA Commissioner George Mikan gives James Trindle until 10:00 a.m. on 14Jun67 to post a $100,000 performance bond .... Jun67 Jack Ashton (head of the Denver Chamber of Commerce's Sports Committee) puts Dennis Murphy of the ABA in contact with a prospective buyer for the franchise..... 14Jun67 Hours before the 10:00 a.m. deadline to post the $100,000 performance bond, two-thirds of the franchise is sold to J. William Ringsby (owner of Rocket Truck Lines) and his son Donald W. Ringsby.... J.William Ringsby and Donald W. Ringsby each pay $170,000 plus $50,000 of the required performance bond .... The team name is changed to the Denver Rockets due to J. William Ringsby's ownership of Rocket Truck Lines .... Don Ringsby is named President .... 1Jul67 Bob Bass is named coach .... 4Jul67 R.L. "Dick" Eicher is named Executive President and General Manager .... Only one NBA player jumps to the ABA as Wayne Hightower jumps from Detroit.... Sign Julie Hammond, Willis "Lefty" Thomas and Grant Simmons ....
1967-68 (45-33) Third Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,128
Play home games at the Denver Auditorium Arena....15Oct67 At home, the Rockets win their first game against Anaheim 110-105 .... 28Nov67 Jones scores 52 points against Oakland .... 9Jan68 Larry Jones plays in the ABA All-Star Game .... Trade Lefty Thomas to Anaheim for Jeff Congdon .... Lonnie Wright of the American Football League's Denver Broncos signs with the Rockets during the season, becoming the first player to play professional football and basketball in the same season ....Larry Jones is named First Team All-ABA .... Lose to New Orleans in first round of the playoffs 3 games to 2
1968-69 (44-34) Third Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,302
Draft Tom Boerwinkle (who signs with Chicago of the NBA) and Julius Keye .... 17Aug68 Larry Jones is elected president of the newly-formed ABA Player's Association .... Send Willie Murrell to Miami .... Sign Bill McGill and Walt Piatkowski .... 28Jan69 Byron Beck, Larry Jones and Wayne Hightower play in the ABA All-Star Game .... 5Dec68 Pittsburgh's Connie Hawkins scores 53 points against the Rockets .... 1Mar69 Jones scores 52 points against Houston .... Larry Jones is named First Team All-ABA ....Walt Piatkowski is named to the ABA All-Rookie Team .... 6Apr69 Bob Bass announces he will leave the Rockets to become the Head Coach at Texas Tech University in 1969-70 .... Dick Eicher announces his resignation as General Manager .... Lose in the first round of the playoffs to Oakland 4 games to 3
1969-70 (51-33) First Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 6,281
Don Ringsby assumes the title of General Manager .... 14May69 John McLendon is signed as coach, becoming the first African-American coach in the ABA .... Del Klone is named Operations Manager .... Sign Julius Keye .... 23Aug69 Sign collegiate underclassman Spencer Haywood to a three-year, $450,000 contract (including deferred payments) .... 9Dec69 After a 9-19 start, McLendon is dismissed as coach and is replaced by Joe Belmont .... 20Dec69 The Rockets begin a team-record 15-game winning streak .... 24Jan70 Spencer Haywood and Larry Jones play in the ABA All-Star Game, with Haywood winning the MVP award .... 1Mar70 Washington's Rick Barry scores 55 points against the Rockets .... 15Apr70 Haywood scores 59 points against Los Angeles .... 28Apr70 Haywood is named ABA MVP .... 28Apr70 Rick Barry of Washington scores 50 points against the Rockets in a playoff game.... Haywood is named ABA Rookie of the Year and to the ABA All-Rookie Team with league-leading totals of 30.0 PPG and 19.5 RPG .... Larry Jones and Haywood are named First Team All-ABA .... Belmont is named Co-ABA Coach of the Year (with Los Angeles' Bill Sharman) .... Defeat Washington 4 games to 3 in the playoffs before losing to Los Angeles 4 games to 1
1970-71 (30-54) Fifth Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,139
Jun70 Sign Ralph Simpson, an underclassman, to a five-year, $750,000 contract .... Trade Larry Jones to the Floridians for Larry Cannon and Don Sidle .... Spencer Haywood leaves the team after playing in the Rockets' exhibition season .... 12Nov70 After a 3-10 start, Belmont is dismissed as coach and Stan Albeck is hired as interim coach.... 30Dec70 Spencer Haywood jumps to the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics signing a 6-year, $1.5 million contract .... 23Jan71 Purchase Larry Brown from Virginia .... 23Jan71 Julius Keye plays in the ABA All-Star Game .... 1Feb71 Trade Wayne Chapman and Don Sidle to Indiana for Art Becker and John Barnhill .... 19Mar71 The Rockets file a breach-of-contract suit against Spencer Haywood .... 30Mar71 The Rockets' suit against Spencer Haywood is settled out of court .... 8Apr71 Alex Hannum resigns as coach of San Diego of the NBA to become President, General Manager and head coach of Rockets .... Larry Cannon is named Second Team All-ABA .... 1Apr71 Lose a one-game playoff against Texas for fourth place and the final playoff spot, 115-109
1971-72 (34-50) Fourth Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,303
Draft Marv Roberts, Mike Newlin (who signs with Houston of the NBA), Al Smith and Dave Robisch .... Stan Albeck is named Player Personnel Director .... 29Jan72 Ralph Simpson and Art Becker play in the ABA All-Star Game .... 20Feb72 Larry Brown sets a team record with 23 assists against Pittsburgh .... Ralph Simpson is named Second Team All-ABA .... Lose in the first round of the playoffs to Indiana 4 games to 3
1972-73 (47-37) Third Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,963
Draft Bud Stallworth (who signs with New York of the NBA), Paul Westphal (who signs with Boston of the NBA), and Doug Collins (who stays in college) .... Frank Hamblen is named Director of Player Personnel .... 13Dec72 The franchise is purchased by A.G. "Bud" Fischer, Frank M. Goldberg and Alex Hannum -- Bill Ringsby remains as a minority owner .... 13Jun72 Select Willie Long from the Floridians in the dispersal draft of the players from the Pittsburgh and Floridians franchises .... Sign Warren Jabali .... 26Oct72 In the second half of a game at Virginia, Hannum orders his players to foul any Squire attempting to shoot -- Virginia wins the game 155-111 and sets a number of team scoring records....6Nov72 The game played at Virgnia on 26Oct72 is deemed by the ABA league office to be a forfeit to Virginia (with an official score of 2-0, Virginia), and all scoring records set as a result of the game are nullified.... 14Dec72 Julius Keye sets a club mark with 12 blocked shots in game against Carolina .... 6Feb73 Ralph Simpson and Warren Jabali play in the All-Star Game, with Jabali named MVP .... Warren Jabali is named First Team All-ABA, Ralph Simpson is named Second Team All-ABA .... Julius Keye is named to the ABA All-Defensive Team .... Lose to Indiana in first round of the playoffs 4 games to 1
1973-74 (37-47) Fifth Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,132
Draft Mike Bantom (who signs with Phoenix of the NBA) in the special circumstance draft .... Draft Ed Ratleff (who signs with Houston of the NBA) .... Draft Marvin Barnes in the undergraduate draft .... 7Aug73 Sign Mike Green .... Jan74 Trade Marv Roberts to Carolina for Steve Jones .... 30Jan74 Ralph Simpson and Warren Jabali play in the ABA All-Star Game .... 20Feb74 Release Warren Jabali, who is leading the league in assists at the time .... Green is named to the ABA All-Rookie Team .... Julius Keye is named to the ABA All-Defensive Team.... 29Mar74 Lose a fourth place one-game playoff with San Diego, 131-111, and fail to gain entry into playoffs
1974-75 (65-19) First Place in Western Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 6,712
30Apr74 Dismiss Hannum as President, General Manager and head coach .... Draft Fly Williams (who signs with St. Louis), Mike Sojourner (who signs with Atlanta of the NBA), Ticky Burden (who signs with Virginia) and Eric Money (who signs with Detroit of the NBA) .... Select Nate Thurmond, Tom Van Arsdale, Don Adams, Rick Adelman and Lou Hudson in a draft of NBA players .... 3Jun74 Sign Carl Scheer as President and General Manager and Larry Brown as coach .... Jun74 Acquire Mack Calvin from Carolina .... Acquire the rights to Bobby Jones from Carolina .... 18Jun74 Sign Bobby Jones .... Doug Moe is named assistant coach and Director of Player Personnel .... 7Aug74 The Rockets change their name to the Denver Nuggets.... 5Sep74 Trade Darrell Elston and a first round draft pick to Virginia for Fatty Taylor .... 33% of the franchise is purchased by Nuggets Management, Inc., a group including Gary L. Antonoff, Carl Sheer, Myron M. "Micky" Miller, William Newland, Daniel Hoffman, O. Wesley Box and Steven Grousmann .... 28Jan75 Ralph Simpson, Mack Calvin and Mike Green play in the ABA All-Star Game, as Larry Brown coaches the West team .... Mack Calvin is named First Team All-ABA .... Bobby Jones is named to the ABA All-Rookie Team and the ABA All-Defensive Team .... Larry Brown is named ABA Coach of the Year .... Defeat Utah 4 games to 2 in playoffs before losing to Indiana 4 games to 3
1975-76 (60-24) (First Place)
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 12,982
The remaining 67% of the franchise is purchased by Nuggets Management, Inc., making a total purchase price approximately $1 million .... 16Jun75 Draft Marvin Webster with bonus pick (which was awarded to Denver by Mike Storen a year and a half earlier, after Marvin Barnes signed with the Carolina/St. Louis franchise).... 19Jun75 Sign Marvin Webster .... Frank Hamblen is named Director of Player Personnel .... 15Jul75 Trade Mack Calvin, Mike Green and Jan van Breda Kolff to Virginia for George Irvine and the rights to David Thompson .... 25Jul75 Sign David Thompson to a three-year $1.35 million contract .... 24Sep75 Denver and New York apply for membership in the NBA and subject themselves to possible fines of $2,000,000.... Move into the William H. McNichols, Jr. Sports Arena .... 8Oct75 Trade Dave Robisch and cash to Baltimore for Dan Issel .... 21Oct75 Trade Fatty Taylor to Virginia for Chuck Williams, after Virgnia obtains Williams in the special dispersal draft of Baltimore Claws players.... 10Nov75 NBA owners decline to take action on the applications by Denver and New York to join the NBA.... 27Jan76 The traditional ABA All-Star Game format is changed as the host Nuggets play against the ABA All-Stars, with Denver winning 144-138 -- David Thompson wins the MVP award .... David Thompson is named ABA Rookie of the Year and to the ABA All-Rookie Team .... Larry Brown is named ABA Coach of the Year .... Simpson is named First Team All-ABA .... David Thompson, Dan Issel and Bobby Jones are named Second Team All-ABA .... Bobby Jones is named to the ABA All-Defensive Team .... Finish with the league's best record .... Defeat Kentucky 4 games to 3 in playoffs before losing in ABA Championship Series to New York 4 games to 2
17Jun76 An ABA/NBA merger finally takes place, with Denver, Indiana, New York and San Antonio each paying $3.2 million to join the NBA....The four ABA clubs agree not to receive any television money for their first three seasons in the NBA, and not to participate in the 1976 college draft....The four ABA clubs agree to be referred to as "expansion franchises".... The four ABA clubs agree that for two years, they will have no vote regarding the distribution of NBA gate receipts or the realignment of NBA divisions....The four ABA clubs keep the players on their rosters with the remaining ABA players (from Kentucky and St. Louis) going into a special dispersal draft....
