May 22, 1975: Kentucky and Indiana meet for a basketball title – not collegiate, but professional.
The Game is Game 5 of the ABA Finals, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, previously home to 6 NCAA Final Fours. Billy Knight scored 40 points for the Indiana Pacers in front of 16,622 fans. The effort was not enough, as the Kentucky Colonels won 110-105, to claim the title.
Hubie Brown was the head coach. The owner was John Y. Brown Jr. They were not related. In the team photo, Hubie is seated next to "Ellie Brown" -- John's wife, the former Eleanor Durrell.
Artis Gilmore was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship series. The Colonels had won 22 of their last 25 regular-season games, and were now, arguably (since most fans considered the result of the NBA Finals to be a huge upset), the best basketball team in the world.
Just 14 months later, they would no longer exist, as the NBA gave John Y. Brown a $3 million payoff and the right to buy the NBA's Buffalo Braves. Although Cincinnati is right across the Ohio River, and a team could have built a venue in Covington, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has never had another team that could be called "major league," in any sport, unless you count Racing Louisville FC of the National Women's Soccer League, a team that began play in 2021.
The Colonels did not last long enough to establish a team Hall of Fame, or to retire any numbers. But Larry Conley, Darrel Carrier, Louie Dampier, Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore and John Y. Brown have all been elected to the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. Conley played only the Colonels' 1st season, 1967-68, and was elected because of his play for the University of Kentucky. Carrier was with the Colonels when they lost the 1971 Finals. Dampier, Issel and Gilmore, of course, were members of the 1975 ABA Champions.
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May 22, 1975 was a Thursday. The NBA Finals were between Games 2 and 3, and the Golden State Warriors would pull a big upset in sweeping the Washington Bullets.
Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals was played. The Buffalo Sabres beat the defending Champions, the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2 at the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. Through the 2022 Playoffs, the Sabres would win only 2 more Stanley Cup Finals games.
And these 5 games were played in Major League Baseball:
* The California Angels beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-3 at Fenway Park in Boston. Bill Singer outpitched Rick Wise. Carl Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 with a walk. Fred Lynn, on his way to becoming the 1st player to win a League's Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player awards in the same season, hit a home run.
* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 2-1 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Jim Kaat, for 5 2/3rds innings, and Rich "Goose" Gossage, the rest of the way, outpitched Mike Cuellar. Brooks Robinson went 2-for-3.
* The Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 6-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Bill Hands pitched a 5-hit shutout. Hank Aaron went 2-for-4 for the Brewers. Robin Yount went 0-for-4.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the San Diego Padres, 4-2 at San Diego Stadium (later Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Willie Stargell went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and 2 RBIs. Dave Winfield went 1-for-3 with a walk.
* And the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 8-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
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