Formative Period
6Mar67 An ABA Kentucky franchise awarded to Don Regan for $30,000 ....The franchise is purchased by Joseph E. Gregory (a tobacco businessman), Mamie Gregory and William C. Boone prior to the 1967-68 season .... John Givens is named as coach .... Draft Louie Dampier, Clem Haskins (who signs with Chicago of the NBA), Bob Verga (who signs with Dallas) and Randy Mahaffey .... Sign Mahaffey, Darel Carrier and Jim Ligon

1967-68 (30-52) Fourth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 3,225
Play in Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center and Louisville Convention Center.... Givens is the first ABA coach fired, and Gene Rhodes is named as his replacement, after a 5-12 start .... Nov67 Trade Stew Johnson to New Jersey for Jim Caldwell .... 9Jan68 Carrier, Mahaffey and Dampier play in the All-Star Game .... 22Mar68 Dampier scores 54 against Indiana .... Dampier is named Second Team All-ABA and is named to the ABA All-Rookie Team .... Tie for fourth place in Eastern Division with New Jersey, but the one-game playoff at New Jersey is forfeited to Kentucky when New Jersey's Commack Arena floor is unplayable .... Lose in first round of the playoffs to Minnesota 3 games to 2

1968-69 (42-36) Third Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 4,157
Draft Wes Unseld (and lose a bidding war with Baltimore of the NBA for the former Louisville star), Manny Leaks and Gene Moore .... Acquire Sam Smith from Minnesota .... 30Dec68 Mahaffey and Leaks are traded to New York for Oliver Darden and Andy Anderson .... 28Jan69 The West defeats the East 133-127 in the All-Star Game held in Louisville -- John Beasley of Dallas is named MVP, Rhodes coaches the East team, and Carrier, Dampier and Ligon play.... Female jockey Penny Ann Early appears in a game for the Colonels and inbounds the ball -- Kentucky then immediately calls a time out and removes her from the game .... Dampier is named All-ABA Second Team with a league-leading 3326 minutes played .... Moore is named to the ABA All-Rookie Team .... Carrier finishes with a league-leading .379 3PT FG% .... Lose in the frist round of the playoffs to Indiana 4 games to 3

1969-70 (45-39) Second Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 3,834
Draft Bob Dandridge (who signs with Milwaukee of the NBA) and Herm Gilliam (who signs with Cincinnati of the NBA) .... 15Apr69 The franchise is purchased by a group Headed by H. Wendell Cherry and including Bill DeWitt, J. David Grissom, Stuart P. Jay, David A. Jones, John Y. Brown Jr. and Mike Storen .... Mike Storen is hired from Indiana as President and General Manager .... Alex Groza is hired as Business Manager .... 24Jan70 Carrier, Dampier and Moore play in the All-Star Game .... 22Feb70 Carrier scores 53 against Miami .... 7Mar70 Dampier scores 55 against Dallas .... Dampier is named All-ABA Second Team .... Defeat New York 4 games to 3 in the playoffs before losing to Indiana 4 games to 1

1970-71 (44-40) Second Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 7,375
6Jul70 Trade Ligon, Moore and Bud Olsen to Dallas for Cincy Powell .... Sign Dan Issel to 10-year, $1.4 million contract (much of it deferred) after acquiring his rights from Dallas .... 14Oct70 Trade a draft choice to New York for Walt Simon .... Gene Rhodes is fired after a 10-5 start.... Rhodes is replaced first by Alex Groza (2-0), and then by former Boston Celtics and University of Kentucky great Frank Ramsey .... 22Jan71 Draft Artis Gilmore, John Roche, Fred Brown (who signs with Seattle of the NBA), Mike Gale, and Larry Steele (who signs with Portland of the NBA) .... 23Jan71 Issel and Powell play in the All-Star Game .... 5Feb71 Joe Caldwell of Carolina scores 56 points against the Colonels .... 29Mar71 Steve Jones of Memphis scores 51 against the Colonels .... 30Mar71 Issel scores 51 against Pittsburgh .... Issel is named Co-Rookie of the Year (with Virginia's Charlie Scott).... Issel named Second Team All-ABA and to the ABA All-Rookie Team.... Issel scores a league-leading 29.9 PPG...Defeat Floridians 4 games to 2 and Virginia 4 games to 2 in playoffs before losing in the ABA Championship Series to Utah 4 games to 3

1971-72 (68-16) First Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 8,811
8May71 Sell the rights to Roche to New York .... Gilmore signs a 10-year, $1.5 million contract (including deferred payments) .... Joe Mullaney is named as coach .... 29Jan72 Issel is named MVP of All-Star Game in Louisville, as the East defeats the West 142-115 -- Mullaney coaches East team and Dampier, Issel and Gilmore play .... 23Feb72 Utah's Willie Wise scores 50 against the Colonels .... Gilmore is named First Team All-ABA, ABA Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and to the ABA All-Rookie Team, with a league-leading 3666 minutes played, .598 FG% and 17.8 RPG .... Issel is named All-ABA First Team .... Kentucky finishes with ABA's best record ever, winning the Eastern Division .... 1Apr72 Rick Barry of New York scores 50 against Kentucky in the playoffs.... Lose in first round of playoffs to New York 4 games to 2

1972-73 (56-28) Second Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 7,113
Aug72 Powell is traded to Utah for a 1973 draft choice and cash .... Aug72 Purchase Rick Mount from Indiana for $250,000 .... 6Feb73 Dampier, Issel and Gilmore play in the All-Star Game .... Gilmore is named First Team All-ABA and to the ABA All-Defensive Team, with a league-leading .559 FG%, 17.6 RPG, and 3.08 BPG .... Issel is named Second Team All-ABA with a league-leading 3531 Minutes Played .... Gale is named to the ABA All-Defensive Team.... Defeat Virginia 4 games to 1 and Carolina 4 games to 3 in playoffs before losing in the ABA Championship Series to Indiana 4 games to 3

1973-74 (53-31) Second Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 8,201
Draft Ernie DiGregorio in special circumstance draft (who signs with Buffalo of the NBA) .... Draft M.L. Carr (who stays in school) and Ron Behagen (who signs with Kansas City-Omaha of the NBA) .... 31Jul73 The franchise is purchased by a group headed by John Y. Brown (owner of Kentucky Fried Chicken) and Ellie Brown (who is eventually named Chairman of the Board of the franchise's 10-woman board of directors) .... Adolph Rupp is hired as Vice President of the Board .... Storen resigns .... Rhodes is named General Manager .... Mullaney leaves to coach Utah .... Babe McCarthy is named head coach .... Jan74 Trade Jim O'Brien and a first round draft pick to San Diego for Red Robbins and Chuck Williams .... Jan74 Trade Mount to Utah for a draft choice and cash .... 24Jan74 Trade Gale and Wendell Ladner to New York for John Roche .... 30Jan74 Dampier, Issel and Gilmore play in the All-Star Game as McCarthy coaches the East team and Gilmore is named Most Valuable Player .... 3Feb74 Gilmore grabs 40 rebounds against New York .... Gilmore is named First Team All-ABA, and to the ABA All-Defensive Team, with a league-leading 3502 Minutes Played, 18.3 RPG and 3.42 BPG .... Issel and Dampier (who leads the league with a .387 3PT FG%) are named All-ABA Second Team .... McCarthy is named Co-Coach of the Year (with Utah's Mullaney) .... Defeat Carolina 4-0 in playoffs before losing to New York 4 games to 0.... McCarthy is fired following the season

1974-75 (58-26) First Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 8,727
17Apr74 Select Jim Price, Greg Smith, Rowland Garrett, Herm Gilliam and Larry Steele in the draft of NBA players .... May74 Purchase Ted McClain from Carolina .... Jun74 Sign Wil Jones .... Jun74 Bird Averitt acquired from San Antonio for a draft choice and cash .... Hubie Brown is named coach .... 27Aug74 Trade rights to Al Eberhard to Denver for Marv Roberts .... Dec74 Robbins is sold to Virginia .... 28Jan75 Dampier, Issel and Gilmore play in the All-Star Game .... 15Jan75 Roche is sold to Utah .... Gilmore is named All-ABA First Team and to the ABA All-Defensive Team, with a league-leading 3493 minutes played .... 4Apr75 Defeat New York 108-99 in one-game playoff for first place in Eastern Division.... Defeat Memphis 4 games to 1, St. Louis 4 games to 1 and Indiana 4 games to 1 in playoffs to win the ABA Championship

1975-76 (46-38) Fourth Place
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 6,935
ABA Commissioner Dave DeBusschere, at the urging of John Y. Brown, challenges the NBA to a $1 million winner-take-all championship series between Kentucky and NBA champion Golden State, which NBA Commissioner Walter Kennedy promptly declines .... Issel is sold to Baltimore for $500,000 .... Rhodes is named Vice President/Operations .... David Vance is named General Manager .... 14Nov75 Purchase Caldwell Jones from San Diego after the Sails fold .... 17Dec75 Jones is traded to St. Louis for Maurice Lucas .... 17Jan76 Roberts is traded to Virginia for Johnny Neumann and Jan van Breda Kolff .... 27Jan76 Gilmore plays in the All-Star Game .... 15Feb76 Sell McClain to New York for $150,000 .... Gilmore is named All-ABA First Team and to the ABA All-Defensive Team .... Defeat Indiana 2 games to 1 in playoffs before losing to Denver 4 games to 3

Dispersal Period
17Jun76 Brown reaches a financial agreement with the remaining teams in the ABA and folds his team for $3 million.... According to the terms of the ABA/NBA merger, Kentucky players are placed into a dispersal draft (along with the players from the Spirits of St. Louis).... Chicago selects Gilmore for $1.1 million, Portland selects Lucas for $300,000, Buffalo selects Averitt for $125,000, Indiana selects Wil Jones for $50,000, the New York Nets select Van Breda Kolff for $60,000, and San Antonio selects Dampier for $20,000.... Brown purchases the NBA's Buffalo Braves