2008-09 News and Features
From the Kangaroo Kid to Head Coach Cunningham
By: Elise Bryers
Billy Cunningham records his first winas head coach of the 76ers
In 1967, the Spectrum was welcomed onto Broad Street in South Philadelphia. This arena had several monikers over the years, beginning with the Spectrum until 1994, the CoreStates Spectrum for the next five years, followed by the First Union Center, then finally the Wachovia Spectrum in 2003. Formerly the home of the Sixers, the Flyers, the Kixx, and the Wings, countless events took place over its fifty years on South Broad Street. Leading up to the Sixers final home game in the spectrum on Friday, March 13, I will be writing about these unforgettable Philadelphia sports memories that took place at the Wachovia Spectrum.
I begin this journey down memory lane with Billy Cunningham and the 1983 NBA Champions. Cunningham is the only person in NBA history to win a National Championship as both a player and a coach. Cunningham grew up on the basketball courts of Brooklyn known as the "Kangaroo Kid". He earned this nickname for his great ability to out-jump and out-rebound his opponents. He went on to prove this moniker at the University of North Carolina, totaling 1,062 rebounds by the end of his senior year. After excelling at North Carolina, he was drafted by the Sixers and made his move to the City of Brotherly Love.
Billy Cunningham started his professional basketball career on the Spectrum hardwood as the sixth man for the 1965 Philadelphia Sixers. He excelled the following season, scoring nearly 20 points per game and played with the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer, and Chet Walker. That 1966-67 season, the Sixers earned a season record of 26-4, which is still the best 30 game season record in NBA history. They went on to capture the 1967 NBA title, beating the San Francisco Warriors.
After this winning season, he continued his career as a player on courts in North Carolina. He joined the ABAs North Carolina Cougars from 1972 until 1976, where he earned the ABA MVP award in 1973. After a four year stint with the Cougars, Cunningham returned to Philadelphia to take on a new role. However, it was much different from his previous Sixers role as sixth man.
Without any previous coaching experience, Billy Cunningham was hired as the Head Coach of the Sixers on November 4, 1977. He entered his first season with a team of basketball legends including Darryl Dawkins, Julius Erving, and World B. Free. That year, he led the team to a 55-27 record. Coach Cunningham succeeded tremendously yet again, but this time he led from the sidelines instead of the court. His team completed the last two seasons of the 1970s with records above the .500 mark each year.
The first two years of the 1980s were victorious for the Sixers, with players like Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, and Andrew Toney wearing red, white, and blue. Both seasons, however, ended in heartbreak for the team, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in both Championship games. 1983 was the year for Philadelphia. While Cunningham coached numerous basketball greats during his coaching career at the Spectrum, he led one of the greatest NBA teams in history in the 1982-83 Season to an NBA Championship. The team consisted of the dynamic quintet of Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Bobby Jones, Maurice Cheeks, and Andrew Toney.
That year, Cunningham and his team finished the season with a record of 65-17. They topped their phenomenal season record with the best playoff record in NBA history, 12-1. The Sixers swept the New York Knicks 4 games to 0, then took on the Milwaukee Bucks, winning 4 games to 1. After losing their fourth game to the Sixers, Head Coach of the Bucks Don Nelson, exclaimed, This is the best team Ive seen in 10 years, I cant see anyone touching the Sixers.
Don Nelson was right. Billy Cunningham and his Sixers took on Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers, beating them in Games 1 and 2 of the series at the Spectrum. After the two wins, Cunningham said, We want it in four. We want someone to remember this team. Remember them, they did. The Sixers swept two more games in Los Angeles to become the 1983 NBA Champions.
When Coach Cunningham was interviewed during the post-game celebration in the locker room, he said, One thing about this team that they should be remembered for is they have the ability every year to come back and just keep on doing it and keep on doing. The 76ers proved this resilience by competing in the 1981 and 1982 NBA finals, then winning the Title in 1983. Sometimes you fail, but you have to be ready to climb back up that mountain to make it. And darn it, they climbed the mountain.
Tickets for the Sixers Remember the Spectrum game start as low as $19.67 (the year the Spectrum opened) and are on sale now exclusively through ComcastTIX at 1-800-298-4200, ComcastTIX.com or in person at the Wachovia Complex box office.