Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Dallas Texans? Houston Mavericks?


The Houston Texans began play five years ago, and assumed the nickname of one of the original AFL teams, the Dallas Texans. The original Texans moved to Kansas City, and became the Chiefs.

Did you know the Mavericks used to play in Houston? Not the current Dallas Mavericks, who came into the NBA in 1980 as an expansion franchise, but a different team.

The Houston Mavericks were one of the original teams in the old ABA, and played two years at the Sam Houston Coliseum. More can be found on the old Houston Mavericks here and here. The Houston Mavericks struggled to gain support, then moved to North Carolina, and became the Carolina Cougars. This franchise later moved to St. Louis, became the Spirits of St. Louis, and disbanded when the ABA merged into the NBA in 1976. On a side note, the owners of the Spirits got a sweet deal, on which they cash in to this day.

What about the Rockets? The San Diego Rockets of the NBA moved to Houston in 1971.

So, Dallas has had a team called the Texans, and Houston has had a team called the Mavericks. Now, Dallas has a team called the Mavericks, and Houston has a team called the Texans. Go figure.

I don’t look for Dallas to have a team called Astros, or for Houston to have a team called Cowboys, any time soon.

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