MEMORIES OF JAN ROBISON: "I was the woman whose name appeared in the Dallas Morning News and the Times Herald after one of the games against Kentucky. I do not remember the exact date and would love to find the newspaper articles. The Times Herald said that "an irate young woman" attacked the referee while the Dallas Morning News said that "a very attractive young woman" interrupted the game ----- so I've always said that is why I took the DMN. Cincy Powell was on the Kentucky team and years later I ran into him at a Steak 'N Ale restaurant where I think he was the manager or something.
After the Chaps were sold and moved down to San Antonio, we would sometimes drive down there to watch them. Once we were so pumped after the game that we just got in the car and drove all the way back to Dallas. My husband and I have been long time fans and are now so proud of the Dallas Mavericks. Not only did they play hard in the 2011 playoffs, and play as a team, but they also stayed humble. What a winning combination. Go Mavs!"
MEMORIES OF JIM WILLIAMS: "I recently found my Dallas Chaparrals Roadrunner Club card from 1972 with my name imprinted. It brought back many memories: Steve Jones once appeared at Shakey's Pizza in Dallas and gave me a red, white & blue "official" ABA ball. I remember going to many games at Moody Coliseum at SMU. I once saw Dallas beat the Nets & Dr. J in a 112-111 thriller. I also saw Dallas play at Memorial Auditorium (now the Dallas Convention Center) and Loos Fieldhouse. What I remember most was listening to Terry Stembridge on the radio (still one of the all-time greats). I kept the box scores on a small chalkboard. I seldom missed a game."
MEMORIES OF BRUCE HOPKINS: "Although fewer than 200 people were at the Texas Chaps game in Fort Worth on January 5, 1971, my dad and I were among them, since game tickets were a Christmas present that I'd received the previous week. I'd never been to a pro basketball game before. As I remember, the Condors, powered by John Brisker, beat Dallas in a game in which both teams scored over 140 points. A junior high student, I'd played lots of football, some baseball, a little basketball, and was from a tennis-playing family. But, with this game, I was hooked on basketball.
I loved the Chaps. I kept a scorebook at home while listening to Terry Stembridge for almost every game. I got to shoot the 3-point shot at halftime at Moody Coliseum once. My dad took me to the Bucks vs. Chaps preseason game, the first ABA vs. NBA game ever played. We were there to see Rick Barry's sort-of-underhanded foul shooting perfection, as well as the New Year's Eve doubleheader at Moody Coliseum and countless other games.
Because of that game and the Chaps, I fell in love with basketball. I played on the Paschal High School state finalist team in '75, my own three sons collectively earned 8 high school basketball letters, and we have adopted extended family members from the youth basketball coaching that I've done as an adult. Oddly for a Chaps fan, I was a defensive specialist as a player, and, in my own coaching, I've always stressed defense first. Maybe because the Chaps usually lost in high-scoring games…
Now-ESPN radio and TV sports announcer Dave Barnett has been a lifelong friend. The only time I was really impressed was when he became the voice of the Spurs. "Wow, you have Terry Stembridge's old job? There are kids that think of YOU the way that WE thought of Terry Stembridge?"
MEMORIES OF MIKE ELLIS: "If you lived in the Dallas area in the late 60's or early 70's, there's a real good chance your only memories of pro basketball (other than the Sunday afternoon NBA game on ABC, which always featured the Celtics against the 76ers, or so it seemed ) involved the Dallas Chaparrals.
I was 11 when they started play in 1967. My uncle took me to my first game early on in that first season. I was awestruck. My goodness, those guys could shoot. Cliff Hagan and his hook, Cincy Powell with his "flutterball" that seemed to take forever to get to the basket, John Beasley with his no-arc flat-footed shot. All these shots had one thing in common - the Dallas player rarely missed. Maybe that was a result of the fact that no one was interested in playing any defense in the early ABA, but it was still amazing to watch. I made it to about 30 more games while they were still the Chaparrals and listened to the talented Terry Stembridge call all the rest. They had a few really good players and quite a few stiffs, but I loved them, every one.
Even as much as I loved the Chaps, most of my favorite memories of those days were of the opposing players. There so many great ones. You wouldn't know it to catch his tiresome coaching act these days, but Larry Brown was an unbelievable basketball player. I also remember Larry Jones of the Denver Rockets. He had a scoring streak where he scored over 30 points in 35 consecutive games (or something along those lines), just unbelievable stuff. Then there was the not flashy but just as effective Louie Dampier, Dan Issel, Mel Daniels, and Rick Barry. I personally didn't like Barry because he was such a crybaby and a gunner, but you just couldn't argue with his talent. I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. The ABA was an exiting alternative to the moribund NBA and i'll always cherish the time it was with us in Dallas."
