The Roaming Photographer

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Franchise History

1967 – 1969: Franchise background and founding

The original Denver Nuggets were founded before the 1948 – 1949 National Basketball League (NBL) season. Following that season, the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America (BAA), the newly unified circuit named the National Basketball Association (NBA) to reflect the merger. The Denver Nuggets played the 1949 – 50 season as one of the charter NBA teams before folding. This franchise’s records and statistics remain separate from the modern-day Denver Nuggets.

The current franchise traces its roots to 1967, when one of the American Basketball Association’s (ABA)’s charter franchises was awarded to a group in Kansas City, Missouri, headed by Southern California businessman James Trindle. However, Trindle was unable to find a suitable arena in the Kansas City area. League commissioner George Mikan suggested moving the team to Denver. After agreeing to name Denver resident and former NBA player Vince Boryla as general manager, Trindle moved his team to Denver as the Denver Larks, named after Colorado’s state bird(19). The Trindle group was severely undercapitalized, leading Mikan to order the Larks to post a $100,000 performance bond or lose the franchise. Hours before the deadline, Trindle sold a 2/3 controlling interest to Denver trucking magnate Bill Ringsby for $350,000. Ringsby then renamed the team the Rockets, after his company’s long-haul trucks(20).

1969 – 1976: ABA Years

Playing at the Denver Auditorium Arena, the Rockets had early successes on the court, developing a strong fan base (21). However, the team had a history of early playoff exits and only once played in the ABA championship series.

Early, Denver had a solid lineup led by Byron Beck and Larry Jones, then later by Beck and Ralph Simpson. Lonnie Wright of the American Football League’s Denver Broncos signed with the Rockets during that first season and became the first player to play professional football and basketball in the same season. Wright played four seasons with Denver(21). Controversial rookie Spencer Haywood joined the team for the 1969 – 1970 season. Haywood was one of the first players to turn pro before graduating from college, and the NBA initially refused to let him play in the league. Haywood averaged nearly 30 points and 19.5 rebounds per game in his only ABA season, being named ABA MVP, ABA Rookie of the Year, as well as the All-Star Game MVP. The team finished 51 – 33, winning their division, before exiting the playoffs in the 2nd round.

Just before the start of the 1970 – 1971 season, Haywood signed with the Seattle SuperSonics, jumping to the NBA. The team tumbled to a 30 – 54 record and attendance suffered(21).

Becoming the Denver Nuggets

Ringsby sold the team to San Diego businessman Frank Goldberg and Bud Fischer in 1972(19). In 1974, in anticipation of moving into the NBA, the new McNichols Arena, the franchise held a contest to choose a new team nickname, as “Rockets” was already in use by the Houston Rockets. The winning choice was “Nuggets”, in honor of the original Denver Nuggets team from 1948 to 1950, the last year as a charter member of the NBA. Their new logo was a miner “discovering” an ABA ball. Goldberg and Fischer in turn sold the team to a local investment group in 1976.

With the drafting and signing of future Hall of Fame player David Thompson out of North Carolina State and Marvin Webster, and the acquisitions of Dan Issel and Bobby Jones (all signed for the 1975 – 76 season), with Larry Brown coaching, they had their best seasons in team history in their first two as the Nuggets. Playing in the Denver Auditorium Arena for the last season the 1974 – 75 team went 65 – 19, including a 40 – 2 record at home. However, they lost in the Western Conference Finals in 7 games, to the Indiana Pacers(22). In 1975 – 76, playing at their new arena, the Nuggets, with the acquisitions of Thompson, Jones, and Dan Issel who had come via trade after he won an ABA title with the 1974 – 75 Kentucky Colonels, the team went 60 – 24, edged the reigning champion Kentucky Colonels four games to three to make the 1976 ABA finals for the first time. Eventually, they lost to the New York Nets and Julius Erving in 6 games(22). They did not get a second chance to win an ABA league championship, the ABA – NBA merger took place after the 1975 – 1976 season. The Nuggets, Nets, Indiana Pacers, and San Antonio Spurs were merged into the NBA. The Spirits of St. Louis and Kentucky Colonels were disbanded(23).