The Wisconsin Flyers were a

professional basketball In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...

team based in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. They were members of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) from 1982 to 1987. The team relocated to

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Olmsted County. Located on rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota, the city is the home and birthplace of the renowned Mayo Clinic. Acco ...

at the conclusion of the 1986–87 season.

Team history

Killian Spanbauer, the owner of a sporting good chain based in Oshkosh, had publicly stated as early as 1981 that he wanted to form a minor league basketball circuit with 6–8 teams across

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. Nothing more appeared in the media until the winter of 1981–1982 when Spanbauer announced he was seeking a franchise in the

for Oshkosh. The area had a rich history of basketball, dating back to the All-Stars of the National Basketball League (1937–1949). At the time, Spanbauer made it quite clear that the CBA needed more than one franchise in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

in order to expand. In May 1982, it happened, as the league added the Wisconsin Flyers (based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin), the

Detroit Spirits The Savannah Spirits were a professional basketball team that played for two years in the Continental Basketball Association from 1986 to 1988, amassing a total regular season record of 42 wins and 60 losses for a total of 306.5 points. The team ...

, and the

Ohio Mixers The Cincinnati Slammers, originally the Ohio Mixers, were a professional basketball team based in Lima, Ohio from 1982 to 1984 and Cincinnati, Ohio from 1984 to 1987. They were members of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The team was ...

(based in

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...

). All three teams would be placed in the same division – the Central.

1982–83 season

The Flyers suffered a setback immediately, when head coach Dave Wohl took an assistant's position with the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

before the season began. Dave Harshman was tabbed to take over the team. As an expansion team, Wisconsin never jelled, though it sent

Joe Kopicki Joseph Gerard Kopicki (born 12 June 1960) is a former American basketball player. At and , he played the power forward position. Biography Kopicki played basketball at Fitzgerald High School in Warren, Michigan, his hometown. He was named t ...

to the NBA. Steve Burks led the team in points, assists, steals and minutes played. Most of the Western Division, the

Billings Volcanos The Billings Volcanos were an American basketball team based in Billings, Montana that was a member of the Continental Basketball Association. From 1979-80, they were called the Hawaii Volcanos. The team name is spelled "Volcanos," even though th ...

and the Reno Bighorns folded. The two remaining teams were the

Albuquerque Silvers The Albuquerque Silvers were an American basketball team based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was a member of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The team was coached by Norm Ellenberger, the former coach of the University of New Mexic ...

(who had moved from

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

during the season) and

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

, were placed in a new Western Division with Wisconsin, Detroit, Ohio and the Louisville Catbirds (an expansion team). In the East, Rochester folded, while

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

moved to Brockton, Massachusetts and were renamed the Bay State Bombardiers. The Bombardiers joined the

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

and

Lancaster Red Roses The Lancaster Red Roses baseball team, originally known as the Maroons, changed its name at the start of the 1906 season during a bitter match with the York, Pennsylvania-based White Roses. Some sources indicate that the rival teams were named fo ...

, holdovers from the Eastern Division, and three expansion teams – the

Toronto Tornados The Toronto Tornados were a professional basketball team in the Continental Basketball Association that played in Toronto from 1983 to December 1985. The team was owned by Ted Stepien who had threatened to move his Cleveland Cavaliers team of the ...

, Sarasota Stingers and the Puerto Rico Coquis.

1983–84 season

Gene "Torchy" Clark, who had been coaching collegiate basketball in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, was named the third head coach of the Flyers in the off-season. Clark had ties to the area as a successful high school coach in the 1960s and 1970s and he took a one-year sabbatical from his duties at the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

to take the Flyers job, but he never coached an actual game for Wisconsin. A few weeks before training camp, Clark and owner Killian Spanbauer had a falling-out. The rumors were over certain player signings, but the facts were never revealed in the local media. The only answers available are from a November 30, 1983 article in the ''Appleton Post Crescent'' by John L. Paustain, who had interviewed Clark about his resignation. According to that article, Clark needed and wanted an assistant coach and had assumed that John Spanbauer, the son of owner Killian Spanbauer, would be available to help. When Clark's assumption proved false Killian offered to make player Joe Mertens Clark's assistant. Clark did not want this, but had another in mind for the job to whom Clark had previous ties. Killian refused Clark's request, and Clark quit. Clark summed it up saying "I just thought if we disagree about this, it could get worse." Clark's relationship with Killian had been troubled prior to this, and apparently Clark decided this was enough. Bill Klucas, who was CBA coach of the year with the

Anchorage Northern Knights The Anchorage Northern Knights were a professional basketball team based in Anchorage, Alaska from 1977 to 1982. The team played in the Eastern Basketball Association (EBA) during the 1977–78 season. The next season, the league changed its name t ...

in 1979–1980, was available and came on board. The 1983–84 Flyers featured an exciting cast of players – Jose Slaughter, Greg Jones (CBA Rookie of the Year), Steve Lingenfelter (CBA Newcomer of the Year), and Kevin Graham. Graham was named to the CBA Second-Team and the First-Team All-Defense. Slaughter was named to the Second-Team All-Defense. Wisconsin started out sluggish, then turned red hot down the stretch and held off the defending champion Detroit Spirits for the Western Division title. Wisconsin (27-17) defeated the Ohio Mixers (23-21) in five games to win the Western Division semi-final series. The Mixers would announce they were moving to

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, as the Slammers, shortly afterwards. In the Western finals, Wyoming (23-21) shocked the Flyers by winning three of four. The Wildcatters would go on to lose to Albany and head coach Phil Jackson in the CBA finals.

1984–85 season

For the first time, there were rumblings that the Flyers could be moving to greener pastures if attendance did not improve. They still played a majority of their games at

Oshkosh North High School Oshkosh North High School is a public secondary/high school located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Part of the Oshkosh Area School District, the school serves students in grades 9 through 12. As of 2021, there are 1,193 students enrolled at the school. ...

Fieldhouse. Bill Klucas returned, as did Jose Slaughter (24.0 PPG). Slaugher was named to the CBA All-League team and the All-Defensive team. Greg Jones was lost to

Evansville Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in S ...

in the expansion draft and would lead the Thunder to the playoffs. Dale Wilkinson would add to the offensive firepower before being called to the Clippers. His loss would send the Flyers from the top of the West to a battle for a playoff spot. Wisconsin would manage to hold off

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

for the fourth and final berth. Another factor which hurt the Flyers down the stretch – in addition to Wilkinson being called up – was Killian Spanbauer announcing the franchise was up for sale in February. The remainder of the season would be played under the shadow of who was going to buy the team and where they would be in 1985–1986. Wisconsin (21-27) faced the Western Division champion Wyoming Wildcatters (24-24). The 'Catters won the first two games in Wyoming, before the series swung back to Oshkosh. The Flyers won Game Three and then made it interesting with a Game Four win, which included a bench-clearing brawl which involved the fans. With a heavy police presence, Wisconsin crushed Wyoming in Game Five, 98–84. The Detroit Spirits (23-25) were rested after downing Evansville (23-25) in four games. Detroit would crush Wisconsin in three games to win the Western Division title, but would lose the CBA title to the expansion

Tampa Bay Thrillers The Tampa Bay Thrillers were a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1984–1987. They won back-to-back championships in 1984–85 and 1985–86. At the end of the 1986–87 CBA regular season the team relocated to Rapi ...

in seven games. It would be the last playoff appearance in Wisconsin history, and the last of Bill Klucas. He would replace Jack Schalow in Wyoming, after he could not agree on a contract extension with Spanbauer.

1985–86 season

The Flyers appeared to be on the right track, as Killian Spanbauer added five partners after turning down offers from La Crosse and Milwaukee to buy the franchise. Dean Moede, who was president of the team's fan club, was named General Manager, and former player Joe Merten, who was 27, was named head coach. McKinley Singleton picked up the offense after the loss of Jose Slaughter, averaging 20.0 PPG. Bryan Warrick led the CBA in assists with 9.9 PPG, and set a franchise record with 24 in one game. Cozell McQueen finished in the top ten in rebounding (9.9 PPG) and blocked shots (2.1 PPG). Tommy Davis was second in the CBA with 46 three-pointers. In the end, the season was a disaster. Needing 1,800-2,000 fans per game to break even, the team drew 1,492 to its home opener, and it never got any better. Season ticket sales dropped from 560 to 250. Moede resigned as GM before the season began, and was replaced by former Ohio Mixer head coach John Nillen. Merten even had to suit up for the second half of the season due to roster problems and a lack of money.

1986–87 season

The end was in sight for the Wisconsin Flyers. Bill Klucas, who had led Wyoming to a 21–27 record in 1985–86, returned as head coach. Greg Jones also returned and led the team in scoring (21.9 PPG). He led the CBA in three-pointers – 68. Jones was third in the CBA in steals (2.2 PPG) and assists (7.3 PPG), replacing Bryan Warrick, who was sent to Rockford, as point guard. McKinley Singleton was still an offensive force (19.3 PPG). He had the best free throw percentage in the league – 87.2 percent. T. Tony Brown finished in the top ten in rebounding (10.3 PPG) and blocked shots (2.3 PPG), and was named to the second team All-Defense. In the end, all of these positives could not contribute to a winning season. Wisconsin finished 22–26, and had 153.5 standings points, eight behind Rockford for the final Western Division playoff berth. Wyoming finished fifth with a 21–27 record, but had 160.5 points. All through the 1986–87 season, it was apparent that the Wisconsin Flyers were in trouble. Killian Spanbauer and the minority owners placed the team back on the market during the season. The most serious offer came from

. With no prospect of an arena being built in the Fox Valley, the franchise was moved for the 1987–88 season. The team spent two seasons in Rochester before moving to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

Legacy

An NBA G League team named the

Wisconsin Herd The Wisconsin Herd are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and are affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Herd play their home games at Oshkosh Arena. History On June 29, 2016, it was anno ...

was awarded to Oshkosh in 2017; the team wore Wisconsin Flyers throwback jerseys at one of their first games on December 9, 2017.

All-time roster

* Norm Anchrum * Robert Armstrong *

Jerry Beck Jerry Beck (born February 9, 1955, in New York City) is an American animation historian, author, blogger, and video producer. Beck wrote or edited several books on classic American animation and classic characters, including ''The 50 Greatest C ...

* Tom Boswell * Darrell Browder *

T. Tony Brown T is the twentieth letter of the Latin alphabet. (For the same letterform in the Cyrillic and Greek alphabets, see Te and Tau respectively). T may also refer to: Codes and units * T, Tera- as in one trillion * T, the symbol for "True" in lo ...

* Steve Burks *

Gary Carter Gary Edmund Carter (April 8, 1954 – February 16, 2012) was an American professional baseball catcher whose 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career was spent primarily with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. Nicknamed "the Kid" for his y ...

* David Cooke * Jewell Crawford *Tommy Davis * Joedy Gardner *

Chris Giles Chris Giles (born 16 April 1982 in Wales) is a former Welsh footballer, who was most recently acting first team coach at Yeovil Town. He played predominantly as a defender, but could also play as a striker. Playing career Yeovil Town Giles ...

Kevin Graham Kevin Graham (born April 21, 1986 in Regina, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian water polo player. He was a member of the Canada men's national water polo team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. The team finished 11th out of the 12 teams in the tourna ...

Chris Harrison Christopher Bryan Harrison (born July 26, 1971) is an American television and game show host, best known for his role as the host of the ABC reality television dating show '' The Bachelor'' from 2002 to 2021. He also hosted its spin-offs ''The ...

* Gib Hinz * John Horrocks * Ed James * Greg Jones *

* Wayne Kreklow * Steve Lingenfelter *

Oliver Mack Oliver Mack (born June 6, 1957) is a retired American professional basketball player. Born in New York City, he was a 6'3" (1.90 cm) 185 lb (84 kg) shooting guard. He played college basketball at East Carolina University. Early yea ...

Cozell McQueen Cozell McQueen (born January 18, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. He was part of the NC State side that surprisingly won the 1983 NCAA Tournament. Though he briefly played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, the majo ...

* Joe Merten * Sam Mitchell *

Bill Nelson Clarence William Nelson II (born September 29, 1942) is an American politician and attorney serving as the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Nelson previously served as a United States Senator from Flor ...

* Russell Pierre * Bobby Potts *

Ulysses Reed Ulysses Cleon "U.S." Reed (born May 23, 1959) is an American former college basketball player for the Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball, Arkansas Razorbacks, perhaps best known for the half-court buzzer beating shot he sank during the 1981 NCA ...

* Dedrick Reffigee * Chauncey Robinson *

Nate Rollins Nate or NATE may refer to: People and fictional characters *Nate (given name) *A nickname for Nathanael *A nickname for Nathaniel Organizations *National Association for the Teaching of English, the UK subject teacher association for all aspects ...

Edmund Sherod Edmund "Ed" Sherod (born September 13, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. A 6'2" guard born in Richmond, Virginia, Sherod attended Virginia Commonwealth University from 1977 to 1981. There, he tallied a then-school recor ...

* McKinley Singleton *

Jose Slaughter Jose Dan Slaughter (born September 9, 1960) is an American former basketball player. He was a 6'5" shooting guard and attended the University of Portland. Slaughter played for the NBA's Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American pr ...

* Darryl Space * John Spanbauer * Kevin Sprewer *

Vince Taylor Vince Taylor (14 July 1939 – 28 August 1991), born Brian Maurice Holden, was an English rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in ...

David Thirdkill David Thirdkill (born April 12, 1960) is an American retired basketball player. He played in the NBA, and was the 1993 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP. NBA career He was selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round (15th overall) of th ...

* Brent Timm *

Bryan Warrick Bryan Anthony Warrick (born July 22, 1959) is an American retired professional basketball player. He was a 6'5" (195 cm) 218 lb (99 kg) point guard and played collegiately at Saint Joseph's University where he was named to the Eas ...

* Dale Wilkinson *

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

* Mike Wilson * Howard Wood ::''Sources''

References

{{reflist

External links

"History of Basketball is Oshkosh"
via NBA.com Basketball teams in Wisconsin Continental Basketball Association teams Sports in Oshkosh, Wisconsin 1982 establishments in Wisconsin 1987 disestablishments in Wisconsin Basketball teams established in 1982 Sports clubs disestablished in 1987