LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Customers Always Write:
The column that I posted Saturday about the contrasting directions of Louisville and Indianapolis as professional sports cities over the last 50 years since the Kentucky Colonels won the 1975 ABA tile resonated with the WDRB readership.
When I receive that kind of response, I enjoy sharing the thoughts of people who have a different take on the topic.
That’s what I’ll do today with words from five of the most passionate and knowledgeable observers, including John Y Brown III, the son of former Colonels’ owners John and Ellie Brown, as well as former Colonels general manager David Vance.
Enjoy.
Rick:
“What a striking difference, indeed, given where the two cities (Louisville and Indianapolis) were 50 years ago this week.
“I’ve heard and lived many of the same explanations and excuses you referenced as well as many others we’ve both heard along the way.
“The two business leaders you mention make good business sense but cities need dreamers too - especially great cities
“”I loved the Kentucky Colonels about as much as any young fan could. My tears at hearing of their sale to Cincinnati were part of the reason that my father (John Y. Brown) bought them back and handed the reigns to my mother (Ellie).
“The three years that followed were glorious, storied basketball days for our city that I’ll always cherish along with countless thousand other Colonel fans.
“The merger decision (in 1976) was anguishing, and my parents hadn’t made a final decision when they arrived in Cincinnati three years later to negotiate merger.
“The problem was the Colonels continued to lose substantial money annually, even during the final three years that included an ABA championship.
“All the other city’s top business leaders (in Louisville) either had abandoned the Colonels or refused to commit to adequate corporate support to sustain the team.
“That’s an awful lot for a single family to bear but my family bore it anyway for multiple years and even delivered a championship.
Merger was, in today’s dollars, an additional nearly $18M with the assurance of continuing to lose money annually.
“I loved everything in your column except the part where you claim my father’s decision to sell was selfishly good for him and bad for our city.
If only things were so simple.
“No family gave more of themselves to our city’s dream of a pro basketball team or delivered more. But they couldn’t continue to do it alone indefinitely and had to make the sad and wrenching decision that our city just wasn’t willing to make the needed business investment to support the Colonels. Our business and civic leaders had other priorities and everyone underestimated the impact of the loss.
“I don’t mean to nitpick but this is a special week with lots to celebrate and I just felt the line blaming the family who singly sacrificed and delivered when no others did seemed unfair and ill-conceived and I wanted to share the fuller story.
“An interesting side note: my Father’s hope was to take the money from the dispersal draft, buy the Buffalo Braves, and perhaps eventually bring them to Louisville (which would have kept the NBA dream alive in a way that was financially tenable).
“My father desperately, albeit imperfectly, tried about every angle to have pro basketball success in our beloved Louisville …
“As for whether Louisville can, will, or should ever have an NBA team, I’ve come to believe it depends on whether you are a realist or a romantic.
“The realists will never believe it makes sense — but I’m a romantic and am content to hope and believe Louisville could still defy the odds. I don’t know who is right. I just know we need both and I know which group I’m pulling for.”
Warmest regards,
John Y Brown III, Louisville
Hi Rick:
“I (David Vance) was general manager of the Kentucky Colonels 50 years ago.
“I enjoyed your article about our 50th Anniversary and you made some very valid points. But I need to set the record straight on a couple of items.
“I was in his office when John Y. Brown called Franklin Mieuli. owner of the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, to issue a challenge for a $1M winner-take-all three-game series (that's 3M in today's dollars). The rest of that story can be found in the attached, remembrance I sent to all of our former players and associates this week in a fit of nostalgia. At the urging of some, I also posted it on FaceBook.
“The other key point I want to make is that John didn't just announce to the other owners that he didn't want to be in the NBA and would settle for $3 million ($17.6 million, not much by today's pro sports standards.)
“That's totally false. He wanted it badly. The Chicago Bulls fought hard to keep us out because they had the first pick in the dispersal draft and they coveted (Colonels’ center) Artis Gilmore. Their coach, Dick Motta,, attended at least two of our games that year and sat in the stands incognito. He paid for his tickets. For fun, I walked over after one of the games and introduced myself.
"Also — and this is my opinion based on conversations with ABA associates — there were a couple of ABA owners who didn't want John and the Colonels included. I always admired John when he picked up the pieces and ended up owning the fabled Boston Celtics.”
Sincerely,
David Vance, Oklahoma City
Mr. Bozich,
"I am 65 years old, and born, raised and current resident of Louisville. Your recent article struck a nerve because I’ve got many fond memories of the Louisville sports scene with the Kentucky Colonels at the center of those memories. As you noted, the Kentucky Colonels brought home an ABA championship in 1975, when I was 15 years old, at the height of my sports fandom foundations (along with the Big Red Machine).
“I have seen Louisville whiff on many, many opportunities to become a Nashville or an Indianapolis. You cited the Louisville against the state argument. I believe this was once the hurdle to overcome to bring a NBA franchise to Louisville but those days long passed in the early 2000s. I believe the short-sightedness of the mayor’s office and the too powerful sports hierarchy at University of Louisville are to blame.
“In fact, when Louisville was hottest for an NBA franchise was when Rick Pitino and Tom Jurich ruled this city. It was they, along with the KFC YUM! Center sweetheart deal with UofL that killed this city’s chance at an NBA franchise and ultimately, billions in revenue and unimaginable city growth.
“Don’t tell me Louisville could not support an NBA franchise. Oklahoma City (on the verge of the NBA championships and roughly 50,000 people larger than Louisville) supports the NBA and with the number of basketball crazy fans in this region plus the 23 players from UK in the NBA, the season ticket list would be long. Young people and businesses would flock to Louisville if it had a major league sports franchise. Similarly, Jacksonville, FL. has grown rapidly since the landing of the Jaguars
“When I was growing up, Louisville was a much bigger city than Nashville and Indianapolis. It was only when the Colts (NFL) moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis and Nashville secured the Titans (NFL) and Predators (NHL) that these cities left Louisville in the dust.
”We travel through Nashville to Birmingham to visit our daughters every month and I am amazed by all the construction cranes in downtown Nashville. When was the last time you saw a construction crane in downtown Louisville? It’s been at least a decade.
“The lack of vision of the mayor’s office, starting with Jerry Abramson, and the bowing down to Pitino and Jurich, has cost this city dearly. As a native Louisvillian, it is sad because this city is treading water, economically and I do not see it improving in the future.”
Sincerely,
Bruce Eckerle, Louisville.
Mr. Bozich:
“I enjoyed reading your recent article on the comparison between Louisville and Indy in hosting and housing major sports events and teams over the past 50 years.
“As usual you make some insightful and telling points that I mostly agree with, but I disagree with the conclusion of your article that our fair city is destined to remain a second-tier city that can never hope to be the home of an NBA, NFL, or other top tier pro team, besides the current Racing Lou FC and LouCity FC, which is soon to join the premier league of the USL.
“I assume one of the business leaders you met with at the lunch was the late, great fellow Hoosier, Junior Bridgeman? (It was not.)
“(Bridgeman) was quoted as saying he was done trying to win an NBA franchise for Louisville after Adam Silver didn’t give him any encouragement on this effort. And as a former NBA great, and recently achieved billionaire, with a minority stake in the Bucks, Junior along with Dan Issel should have better insight into this than (local attorney) J. Bruce Miller.
“But despite Louisville’s lack of leadership in this regard, especially compared to Indy and Nashville, over the past 4 decades, I think Frankfort’s willingness to work with us, instead of against us, and Gov. (Andy) Beshear’s recent proclamation that the animus that existed in Frankfort towards Louisville is over, are optimistic signs that a change for the better is taking place.
“As music producer Danny Wimmer said at the press conference announcing a 10-year commitment to the city, “what Louisville offers can’t be replicated anywhere else,” and many other business leaders and tourism officials,
Louisville is authentic.
“Indy and “NashVegas” offer the usual generic tourist traps and unoriginal sites, but our city, with its unique blend of Southern culture and eastern dynamism can’t be replicated.
“Despite KFC moving to generic Dallas and Papa John’s to Hotlanta, we still have many corporations and citizens that take pride in our city, and are working to ensure it succeeds, including Humana, UPS, Ford, Jimmy Kirchdorfer, etc.., and with the concerted effort by these individuals along with metro government to honor our state motto of “United we Stand, Divided we Fall”, and make it a priority to put Louisville and Kentucky’s success paramount in their thinking.
“I know as a native Hoosier, you might be biased towards Indy, but Junior Bridgeman, adopted his new home fully, making Louisville and Kentucky’s success an integral part of his life, even though he was wrong about us never landing an NBA or other major league team.”
Thank you.
Matt DeCamillis, Louisville
Dr. Bo:
“Excellent column today about how Indy has jumped ahead of Louisville in sports since Louisville's ABA title 50 years ago.
“When I was a kid growing up in Lexington in the 1960s and early 70s, Louisville was widely regarded as being on roughly an equal footing with both Indy and Nashville in sports and other areas. In the past 50 years, there is no question that those other two cities have zoomed ahead of Louisville.
“I'm not sure of all the reasons, but as you mention, the fact that those other two cities are state capitals and Louisville is not surely has something to do with it. But there is absolutely no question that Louisville has failed to keep up with its closest "peer cities" to the north and south in the past 50 years. Excellent column! “
Steve Fitts, Jeffersonville, IN
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