Community hub
Recent from talks
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
History of the Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers were founded on February 2, 1967, as an American Basketball Association franchise, and moved to the National Basketball Association in 1976. The Pacers were considered a dynasty in the ABA, winning three titles and six conference titles. The Pacers play in the Eastern Conference and Central Division, and they play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers have enjoyed some success in the NBA, most notably during the career of Reggie Miller. The Pacers have made the NBA Playoffs 29 out of 49 years, with two trips to the NBA Finals (their most recent appearance occurring in 2025), but have never won an NBA championship.
In early 1967, Richard Tinkham, John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, Chuck Barnes, and Bob Collins pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association. According to Tinkham, the nickname "Pacers" was a combination of the state's rich history with the harness racing pacers and the pace car used for the running of the Indianapolis 500. Investor Chuck Barnes was a horse racing enthusiast in addition to being business manager of Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt and Rodger Ward. Barnes' wife, Lois, suggested the name over dinner.
Tinkham said the "Pacers" decision was an easy one, but the real debate was whether the team should be called the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Pacers. Since one of the original ideas for the team was to schedule games throughout the state with its base in Indianapolis, the official team name became the Indiana Pacers on June 16, 1967.
For their first seven years, they played in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, now called the Corteva Coliseum. In 1974, they moved to the plush new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis, where they stayed for 25 years.
Early in the Pacers' second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob "Slick" Leonard became the team's head coach, replacing Larry Staverman. Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut. His teams were buoyed by the great play of superstars such as Jimmy Rayl, Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount and Roger Brown. On a more tragic note, team president John DeVoe died on December 14, 1968 from a heart attack at the age of 34.
The Indiana Pacers were one of only two teams (along with the Kentucky Colonels) to play for the entire duration of the ABA without relocating, changing its team name or folding. They were also the most successful team in the league's nine-year history, appearing in five ABA Finals and winning three ABA Championships over a four-year period, feats that were never bettered by any other ABA franchise.
The Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. For the 1976–77 season the Pacers were joined in the merged league by the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs of the ABA. Financially, the Pacers were by far the weakest of the four ABA refugees. Indeed, they were on far weaker financial footing than the team acknowledged to be the last ABA team left out of the expansion, the Kentucky Colonels. The Pacers only made the cut because the Chicago Bulls owned the NBA rights to the Colonels' last remaining star, Artis Gilmore, and wouldn't have allowed the merger to go through if the Colonels had been included.
The Pacers' financial troubles dated back to their waning days in the ABA; they already begun selling off some of their star players in the last ABA season. They were further weakened by the price required to join the NBA. The league charged a $3.2 million entry fee to each former ABA team. Because the NBA would only agree to accept four ABA teams in the ABA–NBA merger, the Pacers and the three other surviving ABA teams also had to compensate the two remaining ABA franchises which were not a part of the merger. The new NBA teams also were barred from sharing in national TV revenues for four years.
Hub AI
History of the Indiana Pacers AI simulator
(@History of the Indiana Pacers_simulator)
History of the Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers were founded on February 2, 1967, as an American Basketball Association franchise, and moved to the National Basketball Association in 1976. The Pacers were considered a dynasty in the ABA, winning three titles and six conference titles. The Pacers play in the Eastern Conference and Central Division, and they play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Pacers have enjoyed some success in the NBA, most notably during the career of Reggie Miller. The Pacers have made the NBA Playoffs 29 out of 49 years, with two trips to the NBA Finals (their most recent appearance occurring in 2025), but have never won an NBA championship.
In early 1967, Richard Tinkham, John DeVoe, Chuck DeVoe, Chuck Barnes, and Bob Collins pooled their resources to purchase a franchise in the proposed American Basketball Association. According to Tinkham, the nickname "Pacers" was a combination of the state's rich history with the harness racing pacers and the pace car used for the running of the Indianapolis 500. Investor Chuck Barnes was a horse racing enthusiast in addition to being business manager of Mario Andretti, A. J. Foyt and Rodger Ward. Barnes' wife, Lois, suggested the name over dinner.
Tinkham said the "Pacers" decision was an easy one, but the real debate was whether the team should be called the Indiana Pacers or the Indianapolis Pacers. Since one of the original ideas for the team was to schedule games throughout the state with its base in Indianapolis, the official team name became the Indiana Pacers on June 16, 1967.
For their first seven years, they played in the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum, now called the Corteva Coliseum. In 1974, they moved to the plush new Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis, where they stayed for 25 years.
Early in the Pacers' second season, former Indiana Hoosiers standout Bob "Slick" Leonard became the team's head coach, replacing Larry Staverman. Leonard quickly turned the Pacers into a juggernaut. His teams were buoyed by the great play of superstars such as Jimmy Rayl, Mel Daniels, George McGinnis, Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky, Rick Mount and Roger Brown. On a more tragic note, team president John DeVoe died on December 14, 1968 from a heart attack at the age of 34.
The Indiana Pacers were one of only two teams (along with the Kentucky Colonels) to play for the entire duration of the ABA without relocating, changing its team name or folding. They were also the most successful team in the league's nine-year history, appearing in five ABA Finals and winning three ABA Championships over a four-year period, feats that were never bettered by any other ABA franchise.
The Pacers were one of four ABA teams that joined the NBA in the ABA–NBA merger in 1976. For the 1976–77 season the Pacers were joined in the merged league by the New York Nets, Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs of the ABA. Financially, the Pacers were by far the weakest of the four ABA refugees. Indeed, they were on far weaker financial footing than the team acknowledged to be the last ABA team left out of the expansion, the Kentucky Colonels. The Pacers only made the cut because the Chicago Bulls owned the NBA rights to the Colonels' last remaining star, Artis Gilmore, and wouldn't have allowed the merger to go through if the Colonels had been included.
The Pacers' financial troubles dated back to their waning days in the ABA; they already begun selling off some of their star players in the last ABA season. They were further weakened by the price required to join the NBA. The league charged a $3.2 million entry fee to each former ABA team. Because the NBA would only agree to accept four ABA teams in the ABA–NBA merger, the Pacers and the three other surviving ABA teams also had to compensate the two remaining ABA franchises which were not a part of the merger. The new NBA teams also were barred from sharing in national TV revenues for four years.