Earl Foreman | |
|---|---|
 Foreman at a 1984 Major Indoor Soccer League press conference in New York City applauding the admission of four teams to the MISL | |
| Born | (1924-03-29)March 29, 1924 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 2017(2017-01-23) (aged 92) |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Phyllis Foreman |
| Children | 3 |
Earl Marin Foreman (March 29, 1924 – January 23, 2017) was an Americanlawyer and sports executive.[1]
Foreman practiced law in theDistrict of Columbia (Washington D.C.).[2][3] He was the owner of the short-livedWashington Whips professional soccer club of theNASL and a minority owner of theBaltimore Bullets franchise in theNational Basketball Association. He was the owner of theWashington Caps/Virginia Squires of theAmerican Basketball Association. At one time, he also owned an interest in thePhiladelphia Eagles of theNational Football League.[3]
Born inBaltimore,Maryland. Foreman served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War II and he was a medic. He graduated from theUniversity of Maryland inCollege Park andUniversity of Maryland School of Law.[4]
He, along withAbe Pollin and real estate investor/former NBA referee Arnold Heft purchased the then-Baltimore Bullets from Dave Trager for $1.1 million on November 23, 1964.[5][6]
On August 21, 1969, Foreman, with Thomas Shaheen and Louis Diamond, purchased theOakland Oaks professional basketball team in theAmerican Basketball Association.[7] The group inherited a championship-caliber nucleus led byRick Barry, whom Foreman called "the hottest attraction in basketball." The franchise also was heavily indebted after winning the Oaks' only championship, however, which was a situation that would haunt the team following its move until its demise in 1976 just prior to theABA–NBA merger.
Foreman and the two co-owners paid $2.6 million for the team and moved it to Washington, D.C. where it became theWashington Caps for the 1969–1970 ABA season. The Caps brought onAl Bianchi as head coach and finished the season with a record of 44–40, good for third place in the Western Division. The Caps lost in the first round of the1970 ABA Playoffs to theDenver Rockets in seven games.[2] For the 1970–71 season, Foreman moved the Caps toRoanoke, Virginia and the team became theVirginia Squires. Strapped for cash due to debts, the Squires tradedWarren Jabali to theKentucky Colonels for a draft pick and cash, and sold Barry to theNew York Nets for $250,000. The Squires finished in first place in the Eastern Division with a 55–29 record. In the1971 ABA Playoffs, the Squires defeated the New York Nets in six games in the first round, but lost theEastern Division Finals to the Kentucky Colonels in six games. With the conclusion of the season, on April 6, 1971, the Squires signed future starJulius Erving to a 4-year, $500,000 contract.[2]
The Squires finished the 1971–72 season with a record of 45–39, good for second place in the Eastern Division. The Squires defeated swept theMiami Floridians in the first round of the1972 ABA Playoffs but then lost the full seven-gameEastern Division Finals to the New York Nets. During the season,Johnny Kerr joined the team as administrative vice president.[2] The Squires finished the 1972–73 season with a 42–42 record which put them in third place in the Eastern Division. The Squires lost in the1973 Eastern Division Semifinals in five games to the Kentucky Colonels despite outstanding play by Erving. At the conclusion of the season, Foreman addedGeorge Gervin to the Squires' roster, putting two future Hall of Famers on the same team.[2]
In August 1973, Foreman, again motivated by the Squires' indebtedness, traded Erving andWillie Sojourner to the New York Nets forGeorge Carter, the rights toKermit Washington and $1 million. Discussing his sales and trades of the Squires' best players, Foreman said, "It's not a pleasant thing to hear, but I did what I had to do out of necessity. This is not a public utility. I can't ask for a fare increase when things go bad."[8] The Squires signed centerSwen Nater but then sold Nater to theSan Antonio Spurs for a draft pick and $300,000. Just after Gervin played in the1974 ABA All-Star Game (which the Squires hosted), it was announced that Foreman had sold Gervin to the San Antonio Spurs for $225,000. Legal action ensued but Gervin ended up with the Spurs.[2]
By that time, the constant selling off of the team's star players had a major effect on the Squires' dwindling fan base. The team finished the 1973–74 season with a record of 28–56[9] which actually was good for fourth place in the Eastern Division, but the Squires lost in the first round of the1973 ABA Playoffs to the New York Nets in five games.[2]
During the ensuing off seasonBarry Parkhill of the Squires, angry about bouncing paychecks filed suit against Foreman, the Squires and the ABA for $24,000 in back pay and $360,000 for anticipated breach of contract.Jack Ankerson became the Squires' general manager while the league then purchased the Squires franchise. In its last two years, the debt-ridden Squires finished 15–69 both seasons, the worst records in ABA history, and failed to make the playoffs. The team came to an end on May 11, 1976, after its failure to pay a $75,000 league assessment. Because of those circumstances, the Squires were not a part of theABA–NBA merger which took place just weeks later.[2]
In 1977 through 1978, Foreman was instrumental in creating theMajor Indoor Soccer League.[10] He was the commissioner of the MISL from 1978 to 1985, and again in 1989.[10][11][12]
Earl Foreman died on January 23, 2017. He was survived by his wife, Phyllis (who was the older sister ofEd Snider) and their sons, Scott, Ronald, and Stuart.[13]