Continental Basketball Association (1991-1992)
Tombstone
Born: May 1, 1991 – The Pensacola Tornados relocate to Birmingham, AL
Moved: May 28, 1992 (Rochester Renegade)
First Game: November 8, 1991 (L 118-114 @ Quad City Thunder)
Last Game: March 25, 1992 (L 116-109 vs. Quad City Thunder)
CBA Championships: None
Arena
Bill Harris State Fair Arena (5,000)11991-92 CBA Official Guide & Register
Opened: 1987
Marketing
Team Colors: Teal, Red & Yellow21991-92 Official CBA Guide & Register
Dance Team: The Bandanas
Ownership
Owner: Tom McMillan
Attendance
Birmingham Bandits average game attendance ranked in last place among the CBA’s 17 clubs during the 1991-92 season. The CBA’s Bakersfield franchise disbanded in midseason, so Birmingham finished 16th in total season attendance.
Source: 1992-93 Continental Basketball Association Guide & Register
Bandit Boutique
Birmingham Bandits
CBA Logo T-Shirt
Birmingham, Alabama is hardly the place that comes to mind when you think “Wild West”, but the Bandits cultivated heavy Yosemite Sam vibes with this logo, trotted out for the club’s lone Continental Basketball Association season during the winter of 1991-92 .
This design is available from American Retro Apparel in sizes small through XXXL today!
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Background
The Birmingham Bandits reside in our One-Year Wonder file of doomed minor league basketball teams.
Alabama businessman Tom McMillan and his wife Jane acquired the Pensacola Tornados franchise in the Continental Basketball Association in June 1989. The Tornados routinely dwelled near the bottom of the CBA box office rankings, so McMillan and wife moved the team to Birmingham in the spring of 1991. The team fared even worse in Alabama, finishing dead last in attendance in the 17-team league during the 1991-92 winter season.
On the court, the Bandits were reasonably competitive. The team finished the regular season 25-31, which was good enough to sneak into the 1992 CBA playoffs. The Bandits were eliminated by the Quad City Thunder in the quarterfinal round in March 1992. By this time, McMillan was actively seeking to unload the team to anyone who might take it.
Holding The Bag in Minnesota
McMillan announced a deal to sell the team to Rochester, Minnesota interests in May 1992. As originally announced, McMillan would hold onto a token stake in the team, which would henceforth be known as the Rochester Renegade. However, his new investors quickly backed away, leaving the Alabaman in control of the money losing club yet again. McMillan finally managed to get out of the CBA in 1994, selling the former Tornados/Bandits/Renegade franchise to a Harrisburg, Pennsylvania man who promptly capsized it within the space of nine months.
Birmingham Bandits Shop
OUR FAVORITE STUFF
Continental Basketball Association
Logo T-Shirt
This Old School Shirts release is strictly for the hardcore hoop heads.
Before the NBA had the G-League, it had the CBA with teams stretched from Puerto Rico to Honolulu. During the CBA’s 1980’s and 90’s heyday, the league provided a launching pad for future NBA All-Stars such as John Starks and Michael Adams as well as coaching legends Phil Jackson and George Karl.
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Life On The Rim: A Year in the Continental Basketball Association
by David Levine
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