Maine Lumberjacks were an American minor league basketball team formed as an expansion team in 1978. The franchise played 17 seasons in 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), calling six different cities home. The team was originally based in

Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's List of municipalities in Maine, third-most populous city, behind Portland, Maine, Portland ...

History

Bay State Bombardiers (1983-86)

After five seasons in Bangor the team was relocated to

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 105,643 at the 2020 United States census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, ...

and were renamed the

Bay State Bombardiers A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

. After one season in Brockton, the Bombardiers moved their home games to Worcester, Mass., and the Worcester Auditorium. The 1985–86 season was the most successful in franchise history, going 30-18 (third-best in the CBA) during the regular season. The Bombardiers eliminated the Baltimore Lightning in the first round of the playoffs but fell to eventual champion Tampa Bay Thrillers in the Eastern Division Finals.

Pensacola Tornados (1986-91)

Three seasons in Massachusetts were followed by a relocation to

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

for the 1986–87 season. The team was renamed

Pensacola Tornados The Pensacola Tornados was a basketball team that played in Pensacola, Florida in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1985–1991. 1985–1986 season Ted Stepien bought a CBA franchise for Toronto in 1983 after threatening to mo ...

, the second CBA team to use the name.

Birmingham Bandits (1991-92)

Another relocation and name change came before the 1991–92 season, this time to

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. The team was known as the

Birmingham Bandits The Birmingham Bandits were a professional basketball team based in Birmingham, Alabama. They played 1 season in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketball Association (NBA). History ...

for just one season before team owner Bob McMillan moved the team again.

Rochester Renegade (1992-94)

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

was the next home of the franchise, now renamed the

Rochester Renegade The Rochester Renegade (later Rochester Renegades) were a professional basketball team based in Rochester, Minnesota. They played 2 seasons in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), the defunct development league for the National Basketbal ...

. The first year was the worst in franchise and CBA history, winning just six games. The off-season saw the hiring of

Bill Musselman William Clifford Musselman (September 13, 1940 – May 5, 2000) was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. Early life Musselman was the second of five children. His father, Clifford Musselman, was an ...

as head coach, leading the Renegades to a 31–25 record.

Ronnie Granderson Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by FreakBob Gaudio and Bob Crewe * "Ronnie" (Metallica song), a song from the Metallica album ''Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an associ ...

was named league MVP.

Harrisburg Hammerheads (1994-95)

After two seasons in southeast Minnesota the team was sold and relocated for the fifth and final time. The Harrisburg Hammerheads played 33 of 56 regular season games during the 1994–95 season before the CBA terminated the franchise for failure to keep financial commitments. Amongst other noteworthy points was responsible for the drafting of

Billy Ray Bates Billy Ray Bates (born May 31, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player. Bates played shooting guard at McAdams High in Mississippi and attended Kentucky State University. Bates played four seasons in the National Basketball ...

into the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Season-by-season

Notable players

* Joe Dawson (born 1960), American-Israeli basketball player, 1992

Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player in a given season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier level ...

Mike Largey Michael Patrick Largey (born August 9, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player. He played the power forward position. He and two of his college basketball teammates were nicknamed the "Bruise Brothers" by their college coach. H ...

(born 1960), basketball player in the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

Randy Owens Randolph Owens (May 12, 1959 – December 1, 2015) was an American basketball player. He played the center and forward positions. He was drafted in the 1980 NBA draft in Round 6 by the Indiana Pacers. He played in the Continental Basketball Assoc ...

(1959–2015), American basketball player * James Terry (born 1960), American-Israeli basketball player *

Jerry Sichting Jerry Lee Sichting (born November 29, 1956) is an American basketball coach and retired player of the National Basketball Association (NBA). High school career Jerry Sichting, the , point guard from Martinsville, Indiana, attended Martinsville ...

(born 1956), 10-year

veteran; long-time

coach

References

{{reflist

External links

History of the CBA
1978 establishments in Maine 1982 disestablishments in Maine Basketball teams established in 1978 Basketball teams disestablished in 1982 Sports in Bangor, Maine Continental Basketball Association teams Defunct basketball teams in Maine