International Volleyball Association (1979-1980)
Tombstone
Born: January 1979 – IVA expansion franchise
Folded: June 12, 1980
First Game: May 12, 1979 (L 5-12, 9-12, 10-12 @ Denver Comets)
Last Game: July 15, 1980 (L 3 games to 2 @ Denver Comets)
IVA Championships: None
Arena
San Jose Civic Auditorium
Opened: 1936
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: Jim Blair, Terry Rose, Michael Hunt, Larry Russell, Mike Eggers & Dennis Chambers.
Background
The San Jose Diablos were a co-ed professional volleyball team that played parts of two seasons in the International Volleyball Association (1975-1980).
38-year old Carlos Feitosa, who played for Brazil in the 1964 Tokyo and 1968 Mexico City Olympics, was the Diablos’ player-coach during the 1979 and 1980 seasons. The team went 13-27 in 1979, for the second worst record in the seven-team IVA.
The Diablos hosted the International Volleyball Association’s annual All-Star Game at the San Jose Civic Auditorium on July 27th, 1979.
The Diablos’ owners withdrew support of the team on June 12, 1980 only 12 games into the club’s second season of play. The players scratched together support from the community and other teams to continue playing for another month. San Jose was not the league’s only trouble spot, however. In mid-July 1980, the league disbanded shortly before its midseason All-Star game break. The Diablos played the league’s final match, a glorified exhibition game on the road against the Denver Comets on July 15th, 1980.
In Memoriam
Player-coach Carlos Feitosa (Diablos ’79-’80) passed away on July 29th, 2007 at the age of 66.
Links
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