1960s

Statement from Pacers Sports & Entertainment Owners Herb Simon, Steve Simon, and the Simon Family:
"Pacers fans will remember Bobby 'Slick' Leonard as the spirit of our franchise. With a charisma, intensity, and wit to match his nickname, Slick made us champions. He was our biggest fan and our most loving critic, and he personified Pacers basketball for generations of Hoosier families. Most importantly, though, Slick and Nancy are our family, and his passing leaves an unfillable void in the hearts of everyone associated with this organization. We keep the entire Leonard family in our prayers, and we recognize and honor Slick for what he meant to our state both on and off the court."

Statement from Larry Bird:
"To me, Slick was a real Hoosier, he loved the State and everyone that lives there. He was a great mentor to me and a friend that everyone should have. Slick will be greatly missed and remembered with respect and admiration forever. My family and I send our sincere condolences to Nancy and the Leonard family."

Statement from Reggie Miller:
"This one hurts Pacers Nation...So very saddened by the loss of a beloved human being in Bobby ‘Slick’ Leonard. We all know how great a Coach you were in guiding the ABA Pacers to 3 Championships, but you were a much better friend. I will cherish every single one of our conversations and pass them along to my kids. Thinking of Nancy and the Leonard Family during this time."

RELATED: Remembering Bobby "Slick" Leonard »

Bobby "Slick" Leonard:
A Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee in 2014, Bobby "Slick" Leonard spent more than 50 years as a part of the Pacers organization, both as a championship-winning coach and a broadcaster. As Pacers’ head coach from 1968-1980, he won 529 games and three ABA championships and was later voted by a national sportswriters and broadcasters association as the ABA’s All-Time Coach.

Named one of Indiana's "50 Greatest Players" and a two-time All-American at Indiana University, Slick was captain of the Hoosiers' 1953 NCAA championship team and Big Ten Championship teams in 1953 and '54. He then served in the U.S. Army from 1954-56 before playing seven years in the NBA with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers and was named an All Star in 1963.

In addition to the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame, Slick is enshrined in the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and the Indiana Sports Writers and Broadcasters Hall of Fame and was the first person inducted into the Indiana University Sports Hall of Fame. He was also honored as a member of Indiana University's All-Century Basketball Team

Finally, Slick is one of just six individuals in Pacers history to have a banner raised in his honor. Hanging from the rafters of Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the banner honors his 529 victories as coach of the Pacers and his contributions to the game.

Slick and his wife, Nancy, have five children, 12 grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.

statements-on-the-passing-of-bobby-slick-leonard

Statements On The Passing of Bobby “Slick” Leonard

The early survival and ultimate success of the Pacers in their formative ABA seasons owes to several fluky factors.

Getting Roger Brown out of a factory in Dayton was one. Getting Mel Daniels in a trade for a mere $100,000 because the Minnesota Muskies were moving to Miami and needed a quick infusion of cash was another. Getting Bob "Slick" Leonard to coach the team early in the second season because he happened to be living just up the road in Kokomo while selling high school graduation supplies was yet another.

The impact of landing Mike Storen as the franchise's first general manager was as crucial as any of them, however.

Storen, more than anyone, laid the groundwork for the Pacers by establishing an aggressive, confident, and optimistic culture that factored into every positive development over their first three seasons. And, his arrival happened to be every bit as fateful and fortunate as the others.

Storen grew up in Michigan City and graduated from Notre Dame in 1957. He then entered the Marine Corps and was sent to Officers Candidate School in Quantico, Va., where he fatefully met Dick Tinkham, a DePauw University graduate. They hit it off and established a relationship that would prove mutually rewarding 10 years later after Tinkham became involved with the founders of the Pacers.

The Pacers' first choice for general manager, Bob Young, accepted the job but quickly backed out, realizing he lacked a strong enough background in basketball to do it well. Tinkham then turned to Storen, whose basketball background included front office stints with the Baltimore Bullets and then the Cincinnati Royals, where he worked as director of ticket sales and promotions. Tinkham convinced him to take the plunge into uncharted territory with the rest of the Indianapolis pioneers, and Storen, just 31 years old at the time, got down to business.

With just seven months remaining before the season-opener, there was plenty of business to be done. The Pacers had no players, no office, no employees, nothing but an ownership group and a dream. But Storen, calling upon his Marine work ethic and leadership skills, raised a franchise from bare concrete. Office space was located at 638 E. 38th St., replacing a jewelry store. It was barely big enough to accommodate the six full-time employees Storen had hired, but he had them operating at a fastbreak tempo.

It's unclear who came up with the nickname "Pacers," as more than one person took credit for it — including Storen. At the very least, he approved it. He more certainly chose blue and gold as the team colors, primarily because they are the colors on the state flag. As a bonus, they are the colors of his alma mater. He also had the Pacers wear low-cut black shoes in their early seasons, copying both Notre Dame and the Boston Celtics, a franchise he tried to emulate.

Most of all, he assembled the core of championship teams.

Brown might have been signed regardless, as he had already been brought to the attention of the Pacers' ownership group by Oscar Robertson, who had played with him in pickup games. One of Storen's first acts upon signing his contract, however, was to drive to Dayton, knock on Brown's door, and convince him to take a chance on a new team in a new league.

Storen knew Freddie Lewis because Lewis had just completed his rookie season in Cincinnati, where he was stuck behind Robertson at point guard. Storen sat with him at the kitchen table at his house in Cincinnati and outlined an agreement on a yellow legal pad.

He signed third-round draft pick Bob Netolicky, beating out the San Diego Rockets, who had Netolicky's NBA draft right. And, he made aggressive runs at former Indiana high school and collegiate stars such as Tom and Dick VanArsdale, Terry Dischinger, and Jon McGlocklin, all of whom opted for the security of the NBA.

Storen also helped engineer the incredibly one-sided trade for Daniels following the first season and then convinced Leonard to take on the challenge of coaching the team nine games into the second season — on a part-time basis at first.

Storen's hard-nosed approach was accentuated by a flair for promotion. And if truth had to be shaded now and then to bring a positive result, so be it. He could have been nicknamed "Slick" just as easily as Leonard. He knew how to work the media, feeding them rumors to maintain their interest and even offering to pay for seats on the team's commercial flights so the newspaper beat writers could cover road games. The Star and News took him up on it for a while during the first season, a blatant ethical violation but one that helped introduce the team to the city.

He also was adept at creating a positive impression of the games by "papering the house" when necessary. He had honed the skill while working for the Royals, handing out tickets to civic organizations and youth groups to avoid the embarrassment of a small crowd for a big game. His best effort with the Pacers came in their season opener in October of 1967 against the Kentucky Colonels. Wanting to create as much excitement as possible, he passed out tickets to local organizations and offered special promotions for fans.

He overdid it, as more than 2,000 fans were turned away from the inaugural game. But that made for a bold newspaper headline — "Pacers Soar And Over 10,000 Roar" — and helped create the impression the Pacers were a big deal before they were.

Storen also faced up to the challenge of volunteering to host the first ABA All-Star Game. A first-year league had never put on an All-Star Game, and it was a massive challenge for his minimal staff. It was conducted professionally, with a banquet that included guest speaker Bob Richards, an Olympic gold medalist as a pole vaulter who was a nationally renowned commercial spokesman, gift bags for all the participants, and a new car for the Most Valuable Player.

It was a tough sell to the public, however, because of a snowstorm the day of the game and competition from college games involving both Indiana and Purdue that evening. Storen claimed the game drew more than 10,000 fans, and the figure was repeated in wire service stories throughout the country. He also said he expected it to turn a slight profit. The truth was that, despite his best house-papering effort, only about 7,500 fans attended and only 2,500 paid for their tickets. The Pacers took a financial bath, losing about $27,500, but viewers across the country — most of whom were getting their first look at the funny league with the red, white, and blue ball — didn't have to know that. The game was competitive and well-played, providing a major publicity boost for the new league starved for attention.

True to his Marine roots, Storen was a thick-skinned leader who kept pushing forward. His unique brand of light-hearted aggression helped maintain a positive relationship with media members and Pacers employees, even the players with whom he might have financial disagreements.

One example came in his contract negotiation with Brown following the first ABA season. The rule at the time was that if a player had signed a one-year contract, as Brown had, and couldn't reach agreement on a second season, he had to play that season for 90 percent of the original deal and then become a free agent. When Storen and Brown were having trouble reaching an agreement and considering the 90 percent option, Brown asked what they would do about the car the Pacers had provided for him.

"You get to keep the car; that's the 90 percent," Storen said. "And I get to keep the keys."

It all worked out. Brown signed another one-year deal.

Storen always seemed to sign the players he wanted ultimately, including Purdue All-American Rick Mount. Storen negotiated a deal with him before the NBA could conduct its draft and Mount's signing was announced just two days after he played his final game for Purdue. In another example of Storen's promotional flair, the signing was televised live by Channel 13, pre-empting the 11 p.m. newscast.

Storen left the Pacers after their 1970 championship, taking an offer from the Kentucky Colonels that included partial ownership of the franchise. In what would have been a classic display of his creative management approach, he liked to tell the story of mailing a letter to the general manager of the Colonels on Pacers stationery proposing a series of exhibition games before clearing out his desk in Indianapolis. Upon establishing his office in Louisville, he responded with a letter to the Pacers general manager on Colonels stationery, accepting the offer.

The following fall, the Pacers and Colonels played five exhibition games against one another as well as two rookie games in various locations throughout Indiana and Kentucky, both saving expenses.

Storen's career was wide-ranging following his three seasons with the Pacers. He bounced from the Colonels to ABA commissioner to part-owner of the Memphis Sounds and then to other leagues and other sports. He finally settled in Atlanta, operating his consulting firm, but always considered his time with the Pacers to be his personal highlight.

It also should be remembered as a highlight for the Pacers, whose early survival hinged on his performance.

storen-got-pacers-up-and-running-toward-championships

Storen Got Pacers Up and Running Toward Championships

The Pacers have played important games in Anderson, thanks to the availability of the Wigwam when they needed a place to call home.

As strange as it might sound today for a professional team to play on a high school court, the Pacers turned to Anderson's gymnasium frequently in their early ABA seasons when the Fairgrounds Coliseum had been previously booked for an event such as the circus or the Boat Sport and Travel Show.

The Pacers are believed to have played four playoff games in the Wigwam and won them all. They defeated Miami twice in the first two games of the second round (of three) in 1969, beat Utah in Game 5 of the second round in 1971 and beat Utah again in Game 3 of the second round in 1972.

HICKORY CENTRAL: Learn More at Pacers.com/Hickory »

The wins over Utah were particularly important. The one in 1971 came in an elimination game after the Pacers had fallen behind 3-1 in the series. It drew a near-capacity crowd of 8,279 to the Wigwam.

"You could close your eyes and imagine the Indians were playing a close one in the old days with Muncie's Bearcats or Attucks' Tigers," Indianapolis News sports editor Wayne Fuson wrote.

The Pacers had announced the signing of George McGinnis earlier in the day. McGinnis, who left Indiana University after his sophomore season to turn pro to help support his widowed mother, watched the game from the front row.

The Pacers won Game 6 in Utah, but lost the series back in Game 7 at the Coliseum.

The Pacers returned to the Wigwam in 1972 after falling behind 2-0 to Utah. Their 116-111 victory reversed the momentum of the series and they went on to win the championship.

To say the least, the players weren't pleased to have games on a smaller high school court, particularly the visiting players.

RELATED: Anderson Has Special Place in Indiana's Basketball Tradition »

"I kinda get claustrophobic," Utah forward Willie Wise said. "I like wide open space."

"You can't communicate with your team," he said. "The players hear the crowd, not the coach's voice. You can't give a foul or call a timeout."

A story in the Indianapolis News before the game said the Pacers took an 8-1 record in the Wigwam into the game, with the only loss a regular season game in the 1969-70 season.

Anderson once had its own NBA team. The Packers, named after the meat-packing plant owned by brothers Ike and John Duffey, played in the National Basketball League from 1946-49. When that league merged with the Basketball Association of American to form the NBA for the 1949-50 season, the Packers were one of the new league's 17 teams. They finished second to the Indianapolis Olympians in the Western Division.

They were dropped from the NBA when it consolidated to 11 teams the following season.

Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

pacers-found-a-happy-home-in-anderson

Pacers Found a Happy Home in Anderson

From Kokomo High School to Indiana University to the Indiana Pacers, Jimmy Rayl embodied Hoosier Hysteria as well as anyone. For him, basketball was far more than a game to be played. It was a genuine passion.

Rayl, who passed away Sunday afternoon at age 77, was one of the greatest long-range shooters of his era, a threat from beyond 30 feet more than two decades before the introduction of the 3-point shot. He also was one of the skinniest, weighing just 145 pounds as a 6-foot-3 guard at Indiana University. He was dubbed by state sportswriters as The Splendid Splinter, a nickname originally attached to baseball star Ted Williams.

Rayl was a member of the Pacers' team that began play in the American Basketball Association in the 1967-68 season, making the team after playing for the Akron Goodyears in AAU competition. He averaged 12 points that season — scoring 30 or more three times in the final month — and was voted Most Popular Player by fans. He kept the trophy for that honor on display in his living room throughout his life.

He was a starter at the beginning of the next season, along with Freddie Lewis, Roger Brown, Bob Netolicky and Mel Daniels. He scored 21 points in the season-opener and hit five 3-pointers, a franchise record that stood until Brown hit seven in the final game of the ABA Finals in May of 1970.

Rayl had a rocky relationship with the Pacers' first coach, Larry Staverman, and was left behind on a road trip early the second season. His career temporarily got a boost when Bob Leonard took over as coach. Leonard, like Rayl, was a former IU All-American and Kokomo resident, and the two occasionally shared rides to practice in Indianapolis.

Rayl averaged more than 16 points in his first six games under Leonard's direction, but his playing time gradually diminished and he was released by general manager Mike Storen in December. He later worked as a salesman for Xerox copier machines out of Kokomo until retiring.

Rayl also hit the first 3-pointer in Pacers' history, in their second game, an appropriate distinction for one of the state's greatest shooters. Rayl was the forerunner to players such as Ron Bonham, Rick Mount, and Billy Shepherd, guys who would let it fly without conscience and with uncanny accuracy.

Rayl, with witnesses, once hit 532 consecutive free throws in a church gym in Kokomo. But he sealed his legend as a shooter in far more public settings, however, as described in my book, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indiana."

He was a first-team all-state selection as a junior and senior, and became one of the most written-about and highly-regarded players in the state's basketball history during his final season at Kokomo, when he led a team that filled the high school's 7,500-seat gymnasium for every game. He averaged nearly 30 points that season and surpassed 40 five times, including some games that became etched in the state's collective basketball memory.

There was the one, for example, against top-ranked Muncie Central, Bonham's team, when he scored 45 points in a 79-77 victory. He played that one with a 101-degree fever, and at one point chased after a loose ball and hit his head on the scorer's table, suffering a knot on his forehead and opening a gash over his eye that required four stitches to close.

Collins, before he became sports editor at the Star, covered the game and couldn't control his admiration, writing: "With the fabulous Jimmy Rayl scoring an equally fabulous 45 points, the Wildcats shot Muncie Central off the top of Indiana's high school totem pole..."

Rayl hit 18-of-30 field goal attempts in the game, scoring from "inside, outside, topside and sometimes nearly upside down," Collins wrote.

Corky Lamm, who covered the game for the News, waxed poetic:

"Sickly, spindly Jimmy Rayl,
caught a Bearcat by the tail;
wouldn't let him out alive,
shot him dead with 45."

Rayl also played a lead role in what became known as the Church Street Shootout, the final game played in the Church Street Gymnasium at New Castle High School. Rayl scored 49 points, but New Castle guard Ray Pavy scored 51 to lead his team's victory.

Rayl set a North Central Conference scoring record by the end of his final regular season, although Bonham would break it a year later. He went on to score 40 points in a state tournament game in Fort Wayne, hitting 18-of-19 free throws. The United Press International account of that one began, "Slim Jimmy Rayl, a nervy fire horse, rammed in a one-hander at the final gun to give Kokomo a spine-tingling 92-90 victory over defending state champion Fort Wayne South Saturday."

Rayl led Kokomo to the final game of the state tournament, where it lost by 38 points to an Attucks team led by Edmonds. Rayl scored 26 of his team's 54 points, and rang up 114 points over the final four games of the tournament, breaking a record once co-owned by Robertson. He also received the Trester Award, a prestigious honor within the state's basketball community, for sportsmanship and academic achievement. Rayl joked in later years about his lack of qualification for the award, but he was a unanimous selection in the voting — perhaps as a tribute to his popularity and consolation for not winning the championship.

Asked on the court after the final game how it felt to receive such a prestigious honor, he was inconsolable. "Aw, it's all right," he muttered, "but to get beat like that..."

Rayl was an obvious choice for Mr. Basketball in 1959, then took a scholarship to IU. He didn't become a starter until his junior season, when he set the Big Ten's single-season scoring record of 56 points in an overtime victory over Minnesota. He repeated the feat as a senior against Michigan State. Not only did he not have the benefit of a 3-point shot, but the clock continued running when the ball went out of bounds then, shortening the game. He was taken out with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining, to the dismay of the IU fans.

He averaged 29.8 points as a junior and 25.3 as a senior, the drop-off resulting from improved talent around him, namely the addition of three sophomore scorers: the Van Arsdale twins, Tom and Dick, and Jon McGlocklin, all of whom went on to play in the NBA.

Rayl was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals, but elected not to go to training camp without a guaranteed contract and took a job with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. The primary purpose of that was to play for the company's AAU team, which competed against a national schedule of other AAU teams and college teams.

Four years later, the ABA was formed and the Pacers came calling.

Rayl was a colorful figure in and out of basketball. He owned fast cars, such as Shelby Cobra and a Porsche 928, and drove them hard.

He had a temper, which occasionally caused conflict with coaches. That second 56-point game for IU, against Michigan State, came just a couple of days after he had quit the team during practice. A truce was brokered with coach Branch McCracken and he was allowed back on the team after he apologized.

He wasn't opposed to talk back to opposing players, either. He once called Ohio State center Gary Bradds a "crybaby" during a game. Bradds swing at him, and barely missed his head.

More than a temper, however, he had a sense of humor. Naming his daughter Ginger was all the proof he needed for that. Once, though, Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote called him to talk about Delta High School star Matt Painter, a player whom Rayl was promoting to college coaches. He had sent newspaper clippings to Heathcote extolling Painter's virtues, and convinced Heathcote to come down to watch him play.

Rayl also had scored 44 points against Michigan State the same season he scored 56 against the Spartans, so when Heathcote opened a telephone the conversation by saying, "Is this Jimmy Rayl, Indiana's all-time leading scorer?" Rayl responded, "No, Jud, I wasn't, but if I played you guys every night I would have been."

Rayl also enjoyed telling the story of the time he met IU coach Tom Crean, who was hosting a gathering for former players. When Crean extended his hand, Rayl said, "Now who are you again?"

Crean took him seriously, Rayl said, until Rayl interrupted and said he was joking.

Ultimately, Rayl was likable. He made friends easily, and rarely held grudges. He recalled having a close relationship with referee Jim Enright, admitting Enright "gave me every break in the book" and even gave him encouragement during games.

After his playing career at IU ended, Enright wrote him a letter that Rayl kept in his scrapbook. It read in part, "Mrs. Enright and I were never able to have children, but if we did we'd have liked for him to be just like Jimmy Rayl."

Rayl's sense of humor helped him maintain friendships in basketball. He was proud of the number of notable figures who bothered to visit him in Kokomo. Jerry Harkness, whom he competed against in college and played with for the Pacers, once drove up on a Sunday to have lunch. Teammates Bob Netolicky and Mike Lewis drove up the summer after the Pacers' first season to help him panel his basement. Former Ohio State and Boston Celtics great John Havlicek looked him up once while driving through town. The VanArsdale twins visited two summers ago. Scott Skiles used to drop in now and then as well.

Rayl in those days made his basketball guests take a shot on the goal hanging on his garage.

One day Mount stopped by to say hello after participating in a clinic in Kokomo. Rayl badgered him into a game of H-O-R-S-E, a classic matchup of Hoosier shooting legends. The game ended in a tie, although their stories of how they reached that conclusion differ.

Ironically, Rayl became closely tied with Purdue's basketball program in later years. He attended several games with Painter's father and remained close to Painter, often driving with friends to hear him speak at offseason alumni gatherings. Rayl kept a letter Heathcote wrote to him in 1989 regarding his recruitment of Painter, and Painter later claimed he had "the best street agent in the state" in Rayl.

Although initially bitter over his exit from the Pacers, Rayl eventually shrugged it off and attended Pacers games and events, such as the annual golf outing. His life after basketball was content, other than the tragic loss of his son, Timmy, in an automobile accident. That was due mostly to his stable family life. He was close to Ginger and his other son, Jimmy (who appeared in the movie "Hoosiers") and had a storybook marriage to his high school sweetheart, Nancy.

"I'm just thankful I'm where I'm at," he said recently, as his health declined. "The best thing that ever happened to me was my wife. I couldn't do any better."

remembering-indiana-basketball-legend-jimmy-rayl

Remembering Indiana Basketball Legend Jimmy Rayl

Pacers Sports & Entertainment is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Jimmy Rayl, who played on the Pacers’ original team in 1967.

Jimmy, the 'Splendid Splinter', was a true Indiana basketball legend. As a former Mr. Basketball at Kokomo High School and All-American at Indiana University, he went on to play on the first Pacers team in the 1967-68 season. Rayl was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.

Pacers Sports & Entertainment offers heartfelt condolences to the Rayl family.

statement-on-the-passing-of-jimmy-rayl

Statement on the Passing of Jimmy Rayl

Bob Costas is a sports broadcasting legend, having done just about everything there is to do behind a microphone, and at the highest levels. He's never enjoyed a job more, however, than his first one out of college as the play-by-play voice of the American Basketball Association's Spirits of St. Louis in the mid-1970s.

"Everything's a new experience," he recalled. "You don't care how much money you're making and you're having the time of your life."

That's why Costas is coming to Indianapolis this weekend to emcee the banquet for the ABA 50th Reunion at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 7. He'll accept no payment for his services, contributing to the labor-of-love motif of the weekend. He'll also perfectly represent the spirit of the ABA. Not the Spirits, the spirit. Because most of the participants would agree, they didn't make much money — by today's standards — but they had the time of their lives.

The weekend's events include a private reception for the players on Friday, a sports card and memorabilia show at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday from 9-3 p.m., and then a banquet at The Fieldhouse on Saturday evening. Costas will interview some of them in a roundtable discussion and relive memories of the ABA, which lasted nine years beginning with the 1967-68 season.

"Costas is stoked," Dr. John Abrams, a member of the reunion's executive committee said.

"(The event organizer) wanted us to have Bob up there for 20 minutes with the players. Costas says, 'I want an hour. Maybe an hour and a half.' I guarantee you, it will be the most entertaining thing of the evening."

For the fans, anyway. For the former players, simply renewing acquaintances figures to be the highlight. More than 100 have RSVP'd, including Naismith Hall of Famers Rick Barry, Louie Dampier, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore, Julius Erving, Dan Issel, and George McGinnis. Several former Pacers also will attend, including Don Buse, Wayne Chapman, Steve Chubin, Oliver Darden, John Fairchild, Mike Flynn, Donnie Freeman, Steve Green, Jerry Harkness, Earle Higgins, Darnell Hillman, Billy Keller, Billy Knight, Ron Kozlicki, Freddie Lewis, Bob Netolicky, Bill Newton, Wayne Pack, Ron Perry, Mike Price, Dave Robisch, and Tom Thacker,

Former Pacers coaches Slick Leonard and Larry Brown also are expected to be on hand, as will former trainer David Craig.

Another former Pacers star, Mel Daniels, left a lasting imprint on the reunion before he passed away in 2015. A group in Louisville had begun talking of organizing a reunion about five years ago. Tarter met them through his work with Dropping Dimes and was asked if the organization wanted to work with them. Tarter took the idea to Daniels, the starting center on the Pacers' three ABA championship teams and was quickly rebuffed.

"If there's going to be a reunion, it's going to be in Indianapolis," Daniels responded.

"Mel is the reason everything shifted over to Indianapolis," Tarter says.

Pictured: Before he passed away, late Pacers legend and Hall of Famer Mel Daniels made sure that the upcoming ABA reunion would take place in Indianapolis. (Credit: Pacers Sports & Entertainment)

The reunion is a labor of love for Costas and the reunion organizers. Costas isn't taking a speaking fee. The executive committee members have donated countless hours of their time, and in some cases, money.

The reunion committee's executive director is Donn Detzler, a retired consultant and longtime Pacers fan who has memories of attending "a zillion" games at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Abrams, whose father was the Pacers' first ophthalmologist, was a ballboy as a child. Local attorney Scott Tarter also was a rabid fan who once waited in line for an hour at Washington Square Mall to get an autograph from Darnell Hillman. Film maker Ted Green is not an Indianapolis native, but produced documentaries on Leonard and former Pacers star Roger Brown.

They have been assisted by local event organizer Maribeth Smith.

The reunion has been a full-time job for Detzler the past few weeks, as he deals with most of the details.

"The fun thing is talking to the players," Detzler said. "Every day a few call and want to know something. I'm still like a kid in the candy store when these guys call. These guys are all so humble and just good guys. They're willing to talk about their background and happy about what they did and they're excited about this event. It's a feel-good sort of thing."

Profits from the event will go to the Dropping Dimes Foundation, an Indianapolis charity formed to aid former ABA players. The reunion organizers, however, emphasize their primary motive is to put on a reunion, not a fundraiser. An "ask" for donations will be made and a few items will be auctioned off, but the fundamental goal is to bring the former ABA players and others associated with the league together to renew acquaintances.

Probably for the last time, in fact. Many of the former ABA players are in their seventies now, and their numbers are dwindling at a quickening pace. Costas ran off a list of several ABA stars who have passed away in the past few years.

"It's inevitable, but it still hits you hard," he said.

Besides, 50 is a common anniversary number for reunions. What could possibly come next?

"You're not going to do a 53rd reunion," Costas said.

Pictured: Members of the ABA Pacers teams from the 1960s are honored during halftime on the 1960s Decade Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Nov. 12, 2016. (Credit: Frank McGrath)

Most of the income from the event will come from the sale of tables to corporations, at $2,500 or $5,000. The NBA purchased a table and will have representatives on hand. The league also has made video footage and still photos available to the organizers. The Pacers have purchased three tables.

Some former ABA team owners also have sought to contribute. Dan Silna, one of the owners of the St. Louis franchise, volunteered to pay for the cost of the rings that will be given to each former player. Red McCombs, who once owned the San Antonio Spurs, cannot attend but donated $10,000.

"He's not asking for anything in return," Tarter says. "He just wanted to be a part of it."

Individual tickets for the banquet, priced at $350, are no longer on sale, although some could become available if there are cancellations. Information regarding tickets can be found at https://droppingdimes.org/aba_50th/.  Registration for the banquet will begin at 6:30 p.m. About 65 tables have been sold.

The players also will be available at a sports card and memorabilia show at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is $10, with children 14 and under admitted for free. The directors for that event are Al Hunter and Netolicky.

A ring presentation will begin at 11 a.m. The presenters include Major Joe Hogsett, Senator Joe Donnelly, Congresswoman Susan Brooks and other dignitaries.

An autograph signing will begin at 12:30. An application has been submitted to Guinness World Records for it to be recognized as the largest-ever mass autograph signing, and a representative will be on hand to verify.

Visitors must purchase a pennant for $149.75 or a basketball for $229.75 to obtain player autographs, with all proceeds beyond expenses going to Dropping Dimes.

The foundation has helped several former ABA players since its formation a few years ago.

One had his house ransacked while he was staying with his wife in the hospital. The vandals turned on all the water faucets, destroying much of the home. A contractor was found to rebuild the house and put them in a hotel while the work was completed.

Another player needed cremation expenses for his daughter, who died unexpectedly.

Another had serious dental problems that was not covered by Medicaid, and received donated orthotics, services and travel expenses for three flights to Indianapolis.

Others have received donations of food and clothing.

While the charity is not the reason for the reunion, organizers hope proceeds from the weekend activities will help address various needs.

"It's a group of ABA fans trying to pull off the coolest post-ABA event in history," Tarter says.

Mark Montieth's book, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," covers the formation and early seasons of the franchise. It is available at retail outlets throughout Indiana and online at sources such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

costas-joining-former-players-for-aba-reunion

Costas Joining Former Players for ABA Reunion

Jerry Harkness has made his share of history in basketball. He was the captain and a consensus first-team All-American for the Loyola-Chicago team that won the NCAA championship in 1963. Four years later, as a member of the original Pacers team, he hit what was then the longest shot in the history of professional basketball to win a game in Dallas.

He's never received more national exposure than what he got just for attending Loyola's NCAA tournament victories last Thursday and Saturday. Harkness was shown frequently on the national television broadcasts from his seat behind the team bench in Atlanta, watching intently with his wife, Sarah.

Harkness wasn't entirely pleased with being the center of attention, however. He had teammates there, too, and he didn't believe they were getting their due.

"They showed me on TV and didn't show the other guys," Harkness said. "I want to make sure everybody gets shown. We need to get seats together."

Harkness hopes they'll all be together in San Antonio this weekend, when Loyola continues its improbable run through the tournament. The 11th-seeded Ramblers will play third-seeded Michigan on Saturday. If they win, they'll play the winner of Saturday's game between two No. 1 seeds, Villanova and Kansas, for the national title. They are already one of the tournament's all-time great stories, a classic underdog team from a smaller school clearing a path with hustle and precision.

Kind of a collegiate version of Milan's run to the 1954 state high school championship.

The team Harkness led to the 1963 championship provided an inspiring story, too, but for entirely different reasons. It was ranked second in the country behind Cincinnati entering the tournament, then came from 15 points down in the second half to pull out an overtime victory over the Bearcats in the championship game.

Pictured: Jerry Harkness is recognized at halftime of the 1960s Decade Game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Nov. 12, 2016. (Credit: Frank McGrath)

That game was thrilling enough to remain memorable in passing years, but the drama for the '63 Ramblers was greater off the court. They started four black players, a major breakthrough in an era when unwritten codes of college basketball dictated teams start no more than two black players. None of the teams of the Southeastern Conference at the time had a black player on their roster — that wouldn't come until 1967 — and some refused to even play against integrated teams.

Mississippi State, for example. It had passed up opportunities to play in the NCAA tournament in previous seasons despite winning the Southeastern Conference championship because of its segregation policies. Change was in the wind, however, and the university president decided to rebel against the state's governor and sneak the team out of the state under the cover of darkness to avoid a restraining order.

Loyola set a tournament record by defeating Tennessee Tech by 69 points in its opening game, then met Mississippi State, which had received a bye, in the second round.

Flashbulbs were popping inside Jenison Fieldhouse on the Michigan State University campus as photographers captured the history-making moment when Harkness shook hands with Mississippi State captain Joe Don Gold at midcourt before the game. Fifty-five years later, that game — which Loyola won by 10 points — is better remembered than the Ramblers' championship victory because of its historical context.

The intersecting moment of social progress was featured in a documentary, Game of Change, produced by Harkness' son, Jerald. It also will be one of the primary emphases of Harkness' autobiography, which is scheduled to be published in a couple of months, called "Connections."

Harkness made history with the Pacers, too, giving up a stable sales and marketing job with Quaker Oats to participate in an open tryout for the first team in June of '67. He barely made the roster and wound up playing 81 games over two seasons before back and knee injuries forced him into retirement.

His highlight came in the 15th game in franchise history, in Dallas, when he banked in an 88-foot shot at the final buzzer to give the Pacers a 119-118 victory. It was the longest shot in the history of professional basketball, and remains the longest game-winning shot.

At 77 years old, Harkness is the oldest former Pacers player. This week, he's the most famous, too. He's not comfortable being the center of attention and doesn't want to distract from the accomplishment of the current Loyola players, but also looks forward to more people learning of the '63 team's story. And plenty of media outlets will be telling it. Harkness has received interview requests from several local reporters, as well as the likes of an ESPN affiliate in Chicago and a radio station in Toronto.

"I can't believe it," he says. "I didn't know it would be like this. No way possible did I know."

He appreciates the interest but looks forward to escaping the spotlight and going to the Final Four games in San Antonio this weekend, where he'll be joined by five of the six living members of the '63 team — all there watching the current collection of unlikely Ramblers take their shot at history.

Want to learn more about Harkness' story?

This two-part feature by Mark Montieth originally ran in 2013, detailing Harkness' place in both Pacers and basketball history: Part 1 »   Part 2 »