 | |
| Sport | Team tennis |
|---|---|
| Founded | May 22, 1973 (1973-05-22) |
| Folded | November 26, 1974 (1974-11-26) |
| League | World TeamTennis |
| Division | Western |
| Based in | Bloomington, Minnesota |
| Stadium | Met Center |
| Colors | English Violet, Golden Yellow |
| Owner | Burt McGlynn |
| President | Burt McGlynn |
| Head coach | Owen Davidson |
| Championships | None |
| Division titles | None |
| Playoff berths | 1974 |
| Section titles | 1974 |
TheMinnesota Buckskins were a charter franchise ofWorld Team Tennis (WTT) founded by Lee Meade, Len Vannelli and John Finley. The Buckskins played only one season before folding after the1974 season. The Buckskins had 27 wins and 17 losses and were the Gulf Plains Section Champions. They lost to theDenver Racquets in the Western Division Championship Series ending their season.
The Buckskins were founded by Lee Meade, Len Vannelli and John Finley as a charter member of WTT in 1973.[1][2]
Prior to the inaugural WTT draft, each franchise was entitled to sign a player in advance and then use its first-round draft selection on that player. Before the team even had a name, the Minnesota franchise made an aggressive play forBillie Jean King who was widely regarded as a player with the ability to generate much interest andticketsales. Minnesota negotiated a majoradvertising campaign for King toendorsecandy. Thecontract offered by Minnesota to King would have obligated her to play for the team for five years and pay hercompensation in excess of $2 million paid out over ten years. Most of the money in the contract would have come from the endorsement. In addition, the team would have been named the Minnesota Kings. However, King (and WTT league executives) believed it would be better for her to play in theeastern United States. Therefore, she solicited offers from theNew York andPhiladelphia franchises before signing a five-year contract worth $1 million with Philadelphia where she thought there would be better commercial opportunities. King claimed she could earn up to $75,000 for spending a couple hours making a television commercial. "Man, I'm not dumb," she said. "Get it while you can."[3] King went on to win the 1974 WTT Most Valuable Player Award while leading the Philadelphia Freedoms to the best regular-season record in WTT.[4]
Minnesota's top 10 draft choices in the WTT inaugural draft were[5]
| Round | No. | Overall | Player chosen |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | 11 | Linda Tuero |
| 2 | 6 | 22 | Owen Davidson |
| 3 | 11 | 43 | Stan Smith |
| 4 | 6 | 54 | Pat Walkden-Pretorius |
| 5 | 11 | 75 | Bob Hewitt |
| 6 | 6 | 86 | Brenda Kirk |
| 7 | 11 | 107 | Patrick Proisy |
| 8 | 6 | 118 | Corrado Barazzutti |
| 9 | 11 | 139 | Nathalie Fuchs |
| 10 | 6 | 150 | Sue Stap |
Just before the start of the season, Meade, Vannelli and Finley sold the Buckskins toHennepin County businessman Burt McGlynn of McGlynn Bakeries.[3][6] The team played its home matches at theMetropolitan Sports Center inBloomington, Minnesota starting with WTT's inaugural1974 season.[7]
The first match in Buckskins' history was a 30–28 loss to theHouston E-Z Riders at home on May 7, 1974, in front of 2,317 fans. The Buckskins drew a crowd of 9,300 for their home match against King and the Freedoms.[7]
The Buckskins featured player-coachOwen Davidson,[8]Ann Haydon-Jones,[9][10]Bob Hewitt,[8]Shari Barman,[11]David Lloyd,Mona Schallau,[12]Wendy Turnbull[13] andTerry Holladay[14]
The Buckskins finished the season with 27 wins and 17 losses and were the Gulf Plains Section Champions. They were matched up with the E-Z Riders in the Western Division Semifinals.[4][15]
WTT playoff series in the division semifinals and division championship series in 1974, were played over two legs, one match on the home court of each team. The team with the best aggregate score over the two matches was the winner. The higher seed had the right to choose whether to play the first or second match at home. The Buckskins chose to open at home and lost the first match to the E-Z Riders, 28–19. The Buckskins went toHouston and dominated the E-Z Riders in the second match, 29–19, to squeeze out a win in the series, 48–47, and advance to the Western Division Championship Series against theDenver Racquets.[4][15] The Buckskins won four of the five sets in the second division semifinal match to pull off the stunning comeback. Schallau and Turnbull recorded a 6–0 set win overKaren Krantzcke andLesley Bowrey in women's doubles. Haydon-Jones beatHelen Gourlay, 6–3, in women's singles. Davidson and Schallau toppedDick Stockton and Lesley Bowrey.[16] The E-Z Riders had a cumulative lead in the two matches of 43–42 heading to the final set of the second match which Davidson and Schallau won by a score of 6–4.[17]
Following the division semifinal victory over the E-Z Riders, it was reported that WTT had taken over the Buckskins and paid players six weeks of back salaries.[18]
The Racquets chose to open the series at home won the first match inDenver, 29–18.Françoise Dürr of the Racquets beat Haydon-Jones, 6–1, in women's singles and then teamed withKris Kemmer Shaw to beat Turnbull and Schallau in women's doubles by the same 6–1 score.[13] The Buckskins came back at home to win the second match, 26–25.[19] It was not enough as the Racquets won the Western Division title by a cumulative score of 54–44 and ended the season for Minnesota.[4][15]
Despite the Buckskins' success on the court and the large crowd for the match against the Freedoms, the team was unable to generate enough revenue for McGlynn to consider it viable. He tried to sell the Buckskins to local investors after the season ended. On November 6, 1974, McGlynn announced that the local interests in the Buckskins had dried up, and the team would either fold or be sold and moved. He mentioned that there was interest from investor groups inIndianapolis andWashington, D.C.[20] The investor group from Indianapolis ended up buying theDetroit Loves, and the group from Washington decided not to buy a team. On November 26, 1974, WTT announced at its annual meeting that the Buckskins had become the first team in the league to fold.[4][21] WTT conducted a dispersal draft of the Buckskins' players at its annual meeting using an auction system. Davidson and Haydon-Jones went to theCleveland Nets. Hewitt went to theLos Angeles Strings. Schallau and Turnbull went to theNew York Sets. Holladay went to theHouston E-Z Riders.[14]
The following players who are enshrined in theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame played for the Minnesota Buckskins:
The Minnesota Buckskins roster for the 1974 season was
Owen Davidson, Player-Coach
Shari Barman
Ann Haydon-Jones
Bob HewittTerry HolladayDavid LloydMona SchallauWendy Turnbull