| 1967–68 Kentucky Colonels season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach |
John Givens (5–12) Gene Rhodes (31–30) |
| Arena | Louisville Convention Center |
| Results | |
| Record | 36–42 (.462) |
| Place | Division: 4th ( Eastern) |
| Playoff finish | Lost in the Eastern Division Semifinals |
The 1967–68 Kentucky Colonels season was the first season of the Colonels in the newly created American Basketball Association. The team was created on March 6, 1967, with Don Regan being awarded the team for $30,000. Later in the year, Joseph Gregory, Mamie Gregory and William C. Boone became owners.
The Colonels finished tied for fourth place in the ABA's Eastern Division with the New Jersey Americans, and a one-game playoff was to be played on March 23, the day after the Colonels had won the final game of the season over the Indiana Pacers 119–106. However, the conditions of the arena where the game was to be taken place were deemed to be in poor condition. The Colonels refused to play, and ABA Commissioner George Mikan ruled a forfeit in favor of the Colonels. In the Eastern Division Semifinals, they lost to the Minnesota Muskies 3 games to 2.
Roster
- 50 Howard Bayne – Power forward
- 52 Orbie Bowling – Center
- 34 Bill Bradley – Shooting guard
- 24 Jim Caldwell – Center
- 35 Darel Carrier – Shooting guard
- 40 Larry Conley – Shooting guard
- 10 Louie Dampier – Point guard
- 32 David Gaines – Shooting guard
- 24 Stew Johnson – Power forward
- 22 Goose Ligon – Power forward
- 25 Randolph Mahaffey – Small forward
- 44 Cotton Nash – Small forward
- 45 Bobby Rascoe – Small forward
- 14/41 Kendall Rhine – Center
- 42 Joe Roberts – Small forward
- 32 Rubin Russell – Shooting guard
- 14 George Sutor – Center
- 54 Tommy Woods – Power forward
Final standings
Eastern Division
| Team | W | L | PCT. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Pipers C | 54 | 24 | .692 | – |
| Minnesota Muskies | 50 | 28 | .641 | 4 |
| Indiana Pacers | 38 | 40 | .487 | 16 |
| Kentucky Colonels | 36 | 42 | .462 | 18 |
| New Jersey Americans | 36 | 42 | .462 | 18 |
Record vs. opponents
| 1967-68 ABA Records | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ANA | DAL | DEN | HOU | IND | KEN | MIN | NJA | NOB | OAK | PIT |
| Anaheim | — | 2–8 | 3–7 | 6–3 | 2–4 | 0–6 | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–7 | 6–4 | 1–5 |
| Dallas | 8–2 | — | 4–5 | 8–2 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 7–2 | 2–4 |
| Denver | 7–3 | 5–4 | — | 6–3 | 4–2 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 5–1 | 5–5 | 7–3 | 2–4 |
| Houston | 3–6 | 2–8 | 3–6 | — | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 3–3 | 0–10 | 7–3 | 2–4 |
| Indiana | 4–2 | 3–3 | 2–4 | 3–3 | — | 6–5 | 3–8 | 6–4 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 4–6 |
| Kentucky | 6–0 | 1–5 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 5–6 | — | 5–5 | 4–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 3–7 |
| Minnesota | 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 3–3 | 8–3 | 5–5 | — | 7–3 | 5–1 | 5–1 | 4–7 |
| New Jersey | 4–2 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 3–3 | 4–6 | 7–4 | 3–7 | — | 3–3 | 5–1 | 3–8 |
| New Orleans | 7–2 | 6–4 | 5–5 | 10–0 | 3–3 | 4–2 | 1–5 | 3–3 | — | 6–3 | 3–3 |
| Oakland | 4–6 | 2–7 | 3–7 | 3–7 | 2–4 | 3–3 | 1–5 | 1–5 | 3–6 | — | 0–6 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–1 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 4–2 | 6–4 | 7–3 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 3–3 | 6–0 | — |
Playoffs
Eastern Division Semifinals [1]
| Game | Date | Location | Score | Record | Attendance |
| 1 | March 24 | Minnesota | 102–115 | 0–1 | 661 |
| 2 | March 26 | Minnesota | 100–95 | 1–1 | 3,874 |
| 3 | March 27 | Kentucky | 107–116 | 1–2 | 1,458 |
| 4 | March 29 | Kentucky | 94–86 | 2–2 | 4,472 |
| 5 | March 30 | Minnesota | 108–114 | 2–3 | 879 |
Colonels lose series, 3–2
Awards and honors
1968 ABA All-Star Game selections (game played on January 9, 1968)
- Louie Dampier
- Darel Carrier
- Randolph Mahaffey
- All-ABA Second Team selection
- Louie Dampier
- All-ABA Rookie Team selection
- Louie Dampier
References
- ^ "1967-68 ABA Regular Season Standings". Remembertheaba.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2015.