The Springfield Fame were a men's spring-professional basketball team in the United States Basketball League from Springfield, Massachusetts, the hometown of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which gave the inspiration of the team name.
History
The Springfield Fame were founded in 1985. In their inaugural season, they finished with a record of 19-6 and were the first USBL Champions. The league did not add a playoff system until the 1987 season. In their second season, the Fame made national headlines by signing 27-year-old women's basketball legend Nancy Lieberman. Lieberman thus became the first female basketball player to play regular season minutes in a men's pro league. They would finish second with a 23–10 record and 0.5 game behind the Tampa Bay Flash. The Fame would fold following the 1986 season.
Season-by-season records
| Year | GP | W | L | Win % | GB | Head coach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 25 | 19 | 6 | .760 | .. | Gerald Oliver |
| 1986 | 33 | 23 | 10 | .697 | 0.5 | Henry Bibby |
| Totals | 58 | 42 | 16 | .724 | – | – |
Honours
USBL Player of the Year
| Season | Player |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Tracy Jackson |
USBL Coach of the Year
| Season | Coach | W | L |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Gerald Oliver | 19 | 6 |
| 1986 | Henry Bibby | 23 | 10 |
All-USBL Teams
First Team
| Season | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Tracy Jackson | |
| 1986 | Billy Goodwin |
- Tracy Jackson (1985)
- Billy Goodwin (1986)
Second Team
| Season | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Larry Lawrence | |
| Michael Adams | Point Guard | |
| 1986 | ||
| Jerome Henderson | Center/Power Forward |
- Larry Lawrence (1985)
- Michael Adams (1985 and 1986)
- Jerome Henderson (1986)
USBL All-Rookie Team
| Season | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Andre Goode | |
| Michael Adams | ||
| 1986 | Dominic Pressley |
- Andre Goode (1985)
- Michael Adams (1985)
- Dominic Pressley (1986)
USBL All-Defensive Team
- Michael Adams (1985 and 1986)
- Jerome Henderson (1986)
References
"1985-1986 Springfield Fame". 26 June 2015. https://funwhileitlasted.net/2015/06/26/1985-1986-springfield-fame/ ↩
"History of the United States Basketball League". http://www.apbr.org/usbl.html ↩