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Kentucky Colonels | |
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Conference | None |
Division | Eastern Division |
Founded | 1967 |
Folded | 1976 |
History | Kentucky Colonels 1967–1976 |
Arena | Louisville Convention Center (1967–1970) Freedom Hall (1970–1976) |
Location | Louisville, Kentucky |
Team colors | Chartreuse and white (1967–1970) Blue, red, and white (1970–1976) |
Head coach | (1967) John Givens (1967–1970) Gene Rhodes (1970) Alex Groza (1970–1971) Frank Ramsey (1971–1973) Joe Mullaney (1973–1974) Babe McCarthy (1974–1976) Hubie Brown |
Ownership | Don Regan (1967) Joseph E. Gregory, Mamie Gregory, and William C. Boone (1967–1969) H. Wendell Cherry, Bill DeWitt, Stuart Jay, David Jones, John Y. Brown, Jr., and Mike Storen (1969–1973) John Y. Brown, Jr. and Ellie Brown (1973–1976) |
Championships | 1 (1975) |
Division titles | 2 (1972, 1975) |
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky Colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did not join the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the 1976 ABA–NBA merger. The downtown Louisville Convention Center (now known as The Gardens) was the Colonels' venue for their first three seasons before moving to Freedom Hall for the remaining seasons, beginning with the 1970–71 schedule.
The Kentucky Colonels were only one of two ABA teams, along with the Indiana Pacers, to play for the entire duration of the league without relocating, changing its team name, or folding. The Colonels were also the only major league franchise in Kentucky since the Louisville Breckenridges left the National Football League in 1923.