Tag: Wayne Vandenburg

Tucson Turquoise International Volleyball Association

Tucson Turquoise

The Tucson Turquoise were an expansion franchise that debuted during the second season of the co-ed International Volleyball Association in 1976. The team lasted for only one tumultuous season, constantly shuffling its roster and finishing in last place with an 11-29 record. In 1977 new owners took over and re-named the team the Tucson Sky.

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1976 El Paso-Juarez Sol pocket schedule from the International Volleyball Association

El Paso-Juarez Sol

The El Paso-Juarez Sol were a rollicking, co-ed pro volleyball squad that drew crowds to the El Paso Civic Center with a combination of international Olympic stars and cornball promotions from 1975 until 1978.  The Sol were original members of the International Volleyball Association, a start-up operation in 1975 with five teams clustered in the Western U.S.  The Sol were the only team located outside of Southern California during that first season, though the league eventually grew to include clubs in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Washington. IVA volleyball featured two women and four men on the court at all times and the league didn’t take itself too seriously.  Sol games featured a roving P.A. announcer named Paul “The Mouth” Strelzin who galloped around the arena on a stick horse.

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