The Tucson Gila Monsters were a perpetually troubled minor league hockey outfit that player one full season and part of a second at the Tucson Convention Center in 1997 and 1998. During the Monsters’ debut season, the club finished with the worst record and worst attendance in the West Coast Hockey League filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Gila Monsters returned for a second season in the fall of 1998 but disbanded after only 21 games.
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.
Central Hockey League (1974-1975) Born: 1974 Folded: 1975 First Game: October 10, 1975 (L 6-0 @ Salt Lake Golden Eagles) Last Game: April 4, 1976
The Tucson Gunners were the first and only champions of the Western Basketball Association, a solid (on the court) minor league basketball circuit that lasted just one season during the winter of 1978-79. Top Gunners included former ABA regular Al Smith and rookie guard Gerald Henderson, who would go on to win three NBA championships with the Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons.
The Rustlers were part of Tucson, Arizona’s procession of short-lived pro hockey teams in the 1970’s, following the Central Hockey League’s Tucson Mavericks (1974-1975) and the Tucson Icemen (1976-1977) of the Southwest Hockey League. Like their predecessors the Rustlers lasted only one season before evaporating, and they were lucky to make it that far.
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