Author, Mark Montieth spent decades researching this book through extensive interviews and access to previously unseen internal documents regarding the formation and early seasons of the Indiana Pacers in 1967. He tells the dramatic story of the noble, citywide effort to establish the franchise after a 14-year hiatus, from professional basketball in Indianapolis, as well as the tumultuous and electrifying early seasons when the franchise that thrives today first took root.
More than merely recounting the games, he delves into the unique personalities of some of the players and the social issues that influenced their careers. He also captures the carefree, raucous nature of professional basketball in a basketball-crazed state in the Sixties. This was an era, when fights in games were common, a player could pack a gun in carry-on luggage for a road trip, newspapers unabashedly, promoted the team to help assure its survival, games were, played in arenas so cold the players could see their breath, a player could be told he was traded, while taking a post-game shower and fans would run onto the court and attack a referee after a game.
The Pacers would go on to win three championships in the American Basketball Association, and their popularity would play a critical role in revitalizing downtown Indianapolis by establishing the need for a new arena. This book sets the stage for that era by exploring the difficult birth of the franchise and the fateful events that enabled it. It is, illustrated with numerous photos, many never seen by the public.
