Tag: Albuquerque Civic Auditorium

Albuquerque Silvers Continental Basketball Association

Albuquerque Silvers

The Albuquerque Silvers were a short-lived Continental Basketball Association team that landed abruptly in this New Mexico city during the winter of 1983. The team moved to the Albuquerque Civic Center in midseason after the club’s original owners stopped paying their bills in Las Vegas and gave up the keys to the team. New local owner Pat McKernan, the president of the Albuquerque Dukes minor league baseball team, immediately hired controversial former University of New Mexico coach Norm Ellenberger to coach the team. Under Ellenberger, the Silver posted the worst record in the CBA in both 1983-84 and 1984-85 before disbanding after two-and-a-half seasons.

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New Mexico Energee

The New Mexico Energee were one of six franchises that were supposed to play in a promotion called the Ladies Professional Basketball Association (LPBA) in the winter of 1980. The Energee, coached by disgraced for University of New Mexico men’s coach Norm Ellenberger, managed to play just three games in December 1980 before the ramshackle LPBA went out of business after only one week of play.

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1980 Albuquerque Lasers pocket schedule from the International Volleyball Association

Albuquerque Lasers

The Albuquerque Lasers were a co-ed volleyball team that played parts of two seasons in the International Volleyball Association during the summers of 1979 and 1980. NBA Hall-of-Famer Wilt Chamberlain played in three matches for the Lasers in 1979. The league folded midway through the Lasers’ second season in 1980.

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