The 1967–68

Minnesota Muskies The Minnesota Muskies were a member of the American Basketball Association, born with the league's creation on February 2, 1967. L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson were the owners after paying a franchise fee of $30,000. The team then played one seaso ...

season was the first and only season of the Muskies in the newly created

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. The team was created on February 2, 1967 for the price of $30,000 to L.P. Shields and Fred Jefferson. The team was named after a nickname for the

Muskellunge The muskellunge ''(Esox masquinongy)'', often shortened to muskie, musky or lunge is a species of large freshwater predatory fish native to North America. It is the largest member of the pike family, Esocidae. Origin of name The name "muskellun ...

, which is a fish found in Minnesota. The team did well on the court, finishing 2nd to the Pipers in the Eastern Division. In the playoffs, they made it to the Division Finals, but the Muskies lost in 5 games to the Pipers. However, this proved to be the only season for the Muskies due to losing money (reportedly $400,000) with middling attendance with minimal season tickets purchased (In the five playoff games played in Minnesota, they averaged 3,511 in attendance, with the highest being 8,357 for Game 3 of the Division Finals and the lowest being 661 for Game 1 of the Semifinals). A plan to play 9 games of next season in places around Minnesota and a television contract were curtailed, and the Muskies moved to

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on May 24, 1968. However, basketball in Minnesota would not be curtailed for long, as the

Pittsburgh Pipers Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylv ...

moved to play in the same location

Roster

* 23 Richard Clark – Point guard * 34

Mel Daniels Melvin Joe Daniels (July 20, 1944 – October 30, 2015) was an American professional basketball player. He played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) for the Minnesota Muskies, Indiana Pacers, and Memphis Sounds, and in the National Bask ...

– Center * 20

Donnie Freeman Donald E. Freeman (born July 18, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent eight seasons (1967–1975) in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and one season ( 1975–1976) in the National Basketball Associa ...

– Shooting guard * 35 Les Hunter – Power forward * 24 Ervin Inniger – Shooting guard * 51 Gary Keller – Power forward * 33 Terry Kunze – Shooting guard * 32

Errol Palmer Errol Palmer (born 1945) is a retired professional basketball small forward who played one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a member of the Minnesota Muskies (1967–68). He attended DePaul University DePaul Universit ...

– Small forward * 22 Ron Perry – Point guard * 52

Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...

– Small forward * 50

Skip Thoren Duane W. "Skip" Thoren (born April 5, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player. At a height of 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) tall, he played at the center position. High school A native of Rockford, Illinois, Thoren attended Rockfor ...

– Center

Final standings

Eastern Division

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals ''Muskies win series 3–2'' Division Finals ''Muskies lose series, 4–1''

Awards and honors

1968 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 9, 1968) *

* Les Hunter

Jim Pollard James Clifford Pollard (July 9, 1922 – January 22, 1993) was an American professional basketball player and coach. As a player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Pollard was considered one of the best forwards in the 1950s and was k ...

was selected to coach the Eastern squad.

References

Muskies on Basketball Reference

External links

* ttp://www.remembertheaba.com/Minnesota-Muskies.html RememberTheABA.com Minnesota Muskies page {{DEFAULTSORT:1967-68 Minnesota Muskies season Miami Floridians seasons

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Kentucky Colonels, 1967-68 Kentucky Colonels, 1967-68