Cincinnati’s Other Sports

Cincinnati Royals

• http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nba/cincy/cincyroyals.htmlCincinnati’s first and only NBA franchise

• Moved to the city from Rochester, NY in 1957– Did not draw large crowds and lost money for 5

straight years before move– Cincinnati had a strong college basketball fan base

and no NFL team to compete with

• Local college stars on the roster helped gain fans quickly

Cincinnati Gardens

• Maurice Stokes helped make the team a contender in the first season– In the final game Stokes

would injure his head after falling for a rebound but would finish the game

– Three days later the injury would be aggravated by cabin pressure on a plane trip

– Stokes suffered a seizure and was hospitalized

• Without Stokes the team nearly folded

• The team suffered two straight 19 win seasons and the owners were pressured to sell the team to local investors

• The new owners dumped Maurice Stokes for being unable to play– The move angered many fans

• Guard Jack Twyman became only the 2nd player to ever average 30 points for an entire season in the NBA

• In 1960 the team obtained University of Cincinnati star Oscar Robertson– The team immediately became a contender

Jack Twyman & Oscar Robertson

• In 1963 ownership derailed the teams title chances by booking a circus in the Cincinnati Gardens the week of a playoff series against the Boston Celtics

• Robertson and Jerry Lucas (Ohio State) became stars of the team during mid-1960s

• Robertson averaged a triple-double in 1961-62 and was MVP of the 1964 season

• The team was very successful but could not beat the Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers

• Starting in 1966 the team would play some home games at neutral sites around Ohio

• In 1969 Jerry Lucas was traded away, a year later Oscar Robertson was traded

• After losing their star players the franchise was in decline and moved to Kansas City in 1972

Cincinnati Stingers

• The Stingers were founded in 1975 and played hockey in the WHA, a rival to the NHL at the time

• In the four years of existence the team reached the playoffs twice

The team played its games in Riverfront Coliseum

• Due to below-average attendance the team was not included in the WHA-NHL merger.

• Future Hall of Famer Mark Messier played his early games with the Stingers.

• Wayne Gretzky scored his 1st professional hat trick in a game Vs the Stingers in Dayton’s Hara Arena.

Cincinnati Cyclones

• The Cyclones were founded in 1990 as a minor league affiliate to NHL and AHL teams– Games were played at the Cincinnati Gardens

and currently at US Bank Arena

• The team has played in the ECHL and the IHL

• The Cyclones have been a city favorite but attendance has only been average.

• The team won the 2007-08 Kelly Cup and were champions of the ECHL– Attendance records were set during this

playoff run

Cincinnati Mighty Ducks

1997 - 2005

• Played in the American Hockey league as an affiliate of the Detroit Redwings and Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

• Played out of the Cincinnati Gardens.

• The team folded & then sold after being unable to find a new NHL affiliate nor being able to sell enough season tickets.

Cincinnati Silverbacks

• The Silverbacks were a professional indoor soccer team from 1995 to 1998.– Were members of the NPSL– Reached the playoffs 2 of the 3 years in

Cincinnati– Played their games at Cincinnati Gardens and

US Bank Arena

Cincinnati Excite

• The Excite was a professional indoor soccer team once playing out of Game Time Training Center in Fairfield.

Cincinnati 1790

• Professional Indoor Soccer team that has replaced the Excite..Have just won their 2nd consecutive Eastern Conference Championship.

• Head Coach, Craig Rhodis, a Fairfield HS graduate was named PASL Coach of the Year.

Cincinnati Rockers

• The Rockers played two seasons in the AFL from 1992 to 1993

• Team was owned by Ted Gregory..the founder of the Montgomery Inn.

• Games were played in Riverfront Coliseum..and generally had over 10k in attendance per game

• The team made the playoffs the first year of existence

• In season 1, the home games were an extremely rowdy experience with Bikini Sections and Hot Tub seats.

• Season 1 also saw the return of Art Schlichter to professional sports..one of the most notorious NFL players of all time.

• In an attempt to become more family friendly the atmosphere was toned down dramatically in season 2..attendance dropped..and the team was sold.

Cincinnati Marshals

• The Marshals played in the NIFL from 2005-2006

• The team relocated from Waco, TX and played its games at US Bank Arena

• The team reached the playoffs both years in Cincinnati

• In 2006 the Marshals were in a playoff situation– Cincinnati was suppose to go to Osceola, FL

for their game– Osceola was hosting a rodeo and wanted to

come to Cincinnati– Cincinnati was hosting a concert– Cincinnati refused to go to Lakeland, FL and

forfeited – Osceola did not file paperwork correctly to

advance and declined to play Cincinnati thus forfeiting

– Cincinnati advanced and lost in the next round

Cincinnati Jungle Kats

• The Jungle Kats played in the AFL2 during the 2007 season

• Games were played in US Bank Arena– Team went 1-15

• Former Bengal Sam Adams and Ken Griffey, Jr. were principle owners