Were You a Spurs Fan 40 Years Ago? If so, Tell our Readers About Terry Stembridge

[SpurYank]

I see a thread on Sean Elliott's so-called "homerism." Well, Terry Stembridge was, is, and will remain the greatest of all Spurs announcers. He described James Silas', George Gervin's, Dr. J's, and yes, even George Karl's artistry with the basketball better than anyone has, about any ABA or NBA players from that time, and even from today's stars. He was no homer, VERY far from it. I couldn't wait for his analysis after each of the basketball seasons ended because he always put the season in proper perspective. He used the most descriptive of adjectives and they gave the reader a vivid description of what he was saying.

And it was always positive.

[KaiRMD1]

I wasn't alive 40 years ago

[Old School 44]

I started really following the Spurs after the NBA/ABA merger. Stembridge was fantastic. Very knowledgable. Coupled with the raucous crowds at the Hemisfair Arena his WOAI play-by-play was always exciting. I still remember his call for the 1979 Eastern Conference Finals. Before .4, there was the Bullet's Bob Dandridge hitting what amounted to the game winner in game 7.

[hooperflash]

I wasn't alive 40 years ago

[FromWayDowntown]

His reminder that "There will be another night" after losses wouldn't sit well with many current Spurs fans.

[I. Hustle]

I wasn't alive 40 years ago

[2centsworth]

I was a 1 year old future Larry Bird fan. I do know I was born hating the Lakers. Moved to San Antonio the year Dr. J and Mosses Malone stomped the Lakers in 4!!!!!

[wildbill2u]

Terry was a class guy and a great play by play announcer at the same time. It was a great loss when he quit the Spurs. I wonder what he is doing now?

[rascal]

Yes he would go into a long well thought out script about the game and the season on the post game show.

[CubanMustGo]

It was a while back, but I really enjoyed his takes.

[phxspurfan]

I was -12 40 years ago. And yes, I was a Spur fan.

[TVI]

Terry was a class guy and a great play by play announcer at the same time. It was a great loss when he quit the Spurs. I wonder what he is doing now? Terry owns his own oil business in Kilgore, Tx.

http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAArticles/StembridgeInterviewBaker.html

[EricB]

His reminder that "There will be another night" after losses wouldn't sit well with many current Spurs fans.

Damnt!!!! Baynes needs minutes!!!!!!!!!

[racm]

I wasn't alive 40 years ago

[mexicanjunior]

I wasn't alive 40 years ago

Same here...I grew up on Jay Howard.

[Seventyniner]

Same here...I grew up on Jay Howard.

Me too. As much as I want to forget his orgasmic "BAAAAAANG" when Sean Elliott hit the MDM, I can't erase that memory.

[spurraider21]

I wasn't alive 40 years ago

[silverblk mystix]

I remember his last game (was not 40 years - 1979) against the Washington Bullets...it was the same bs as when the lakers get the playoff calls and then the NBA promotes how great a franchise the lakers are. Spurs got robbed. Stembridge was great and yes, his last words as a Spurs announcer were, "there will be another night."

[purist]

I remember his last game (was not 40 years - 1979) against the Washington Bullets...it was the same bs as when the lakers get the playoff calls and then the NBA promotes how great a franchise the lakers are. Spurs got robbed. Stembridge was great and yes, his last words as a Spurs announcer were, "there will be another night."

that was the third saddest sports day in my young life at the time. 1st - cowboys superbowl 10 loss to steelers, 2nd - the next superbowl loss to steelers, 3rd - spurs loss to bullets and stembridge's final signoff. all of these would be supplanted by the day Roger Staubach retired and then moved down a notch when Tom Landry got fired.

[silverblk mystix]

that was the third saddest sports day in my young life at the time. 1st - cowboys superbowl 10 loss to steelers, 2nd - the next superbowl loss to steelers, 3rd - spurs loss to bullets and stembridge's final signoff. all of these would be supplanted by the day Roger Staubach retired and then moved down a notch when Tom Landry got fired.


The Spurs getting robbed was the worst for me - as a very young man - I loved sports and the spurs enough and was also naive enough to believe it meant everything. The spurs on the team were also a team you grew to love and made it worse to see the refs rob them and hand the bullets the game. Spurs would have walked all over that Sonics team in the finals but instead the bullets got ass-raped.

[Solid D]

Yes, for Chaps and Spurs games. As a kid, I used to listen to Terry do PBP of the Dallas Chaparrals' games. I followed the ABA, even though I was a Celtics fan, because of the Red, White and Blue basketball, the 3-point shot and the wide-open style and flair. Plus, the Chaparrals were the local DFW team. They didn't have an NBA team, an MLB nor NHL team to call their own. Just the Cowboys and the fledgling Chaps.

Terry Stembridge brought excitement to ABA basketball for me. I only got to go to a few of their games in person, which were poorly attended, BTW. The broadcasts on radio, were great though. One night in the Chaparrals' first season, I was in bed, with my radio up to my ear, listening to Terry broadcast the game against the visiting Indiana Pacers. The Chaps' John Beasley scored to break the tie in the last seconds of a very close game. I'll never forget Stembridge's call at the end. I remember it very clearly because of what happened next. Terry said "and the Dallas Chaparrals have beaten....folks, you're not going to believe this but Jerry Harkness of the Pacers just heaved the ball the length of the court and scored. We are going into overtime...wait, they are talking it over. That shot counts as three points, not two. Jerry Harkness threw up a hook shot from just inside the inbounds line, the length of the court, and banked it in. And the Indiana Pacers have defeated the Dallas Chaparrals..."

That 90 foot shot ended up being the longest shot ever made in Pro basketball history. I year later, I would visit the basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass and saw that Red, White and Blue ball that Jerry sank to win the game on display.

Later in life, I moved to San Antonio and had the pleasure of cheering on the Spurs and listening to Stembridge once again. Great memories indeed. It's a shame Terry had to move on. As a broadcaster, he was a true professional and a delight to listen to.

[Hook Dem]

How many remember Pat Tallman as the in house announcer?

[SpurYank]

One of the best memories I have and I still smile when I think about it concerned the Baseline Bums. As soon as Pat Tallman started to announce the visiting Lakers, and on cue, all the Baseline Bums pulled out newspapers and held them in front of them as if they were ALL reading the paper while the Lakers were being introduced. I'm talking about nearly an entire section. The arena went wild.

One could always count on some funny acts from them.

[wildbill2u]

Pat was a great announcer at the games-the best the Spurs have had IMHO.

But then I'm biased on his behalf because Pat and I went to school together from the 7th grade on. He was a good looking kid and stole my first girl friend from me but we remained friends. Most people don't know that his mother was a polio patient at Gonzalez Warm Springs Hospital and Pat's first gig as an radio announcer was working on a closed circuit radio station at the hospital as a DJ for the enjoyment of the patients.. Since his mother was gone most of the time, Pat ran a weekly poker game at his house. It was there I first learned the perils of chasing an inside straight. He was an inveterate smoker from a young age and it finally caught up to him. RIP old friend.

[Twisted_Dawg]

When Terry would spot a well known person in the stands, he would excitedly say, "Face in the crowd......Farrah Facett", or whomever he saw. And back then, there wasn't a lot of celebs that attended Spurs games. Back then a celeb was a politician, a car salesman, restaurant owner, etc.

[Twisted_Dawg]

I remember his last game (was not 40 years - 1979) against the Washington Bullets...it was the same bs as when the lakers get the playoff calls and then the NBA promotes how great a franchise the lakers are. Spurs got robbed. Stembridge was great and yes, his last words as a Spurs announcer were, "there will be another night."


that was the third saddest sports day in my young life at the time. 1st - cowboys superbowl 10 loss to steelers, 2nd - the next superbowl loss to steelers, 3rd - spurs loss to bullets and stembridge's final signoff. all of these would be supplanted by the day Roger Staubach retired and then moved down a notch when Tom Landry got fired.


The Spurs getting robbed was the worst for me - as a very young man - I loved sports and the spurs enough and was also naive enough to believe it meant everything. The spurs on the team were also a team you grew to love and made it worse to see the refs rob them and hand the bullets the game. Spurs would have walked all over that Sonics team in the finals but instead the bullets got ass-raped.

My friend The Bullet, who was 16 at the time, tells a story of watching that robbery on TV and being so shocked and angered, that he ran out of his house and ran down to a drainage culvert where he cried his eyes out.

[Vito Corleone]

My dad took me to my first Spurs game back during the 1973-74 season. It was the spurs vs the St Louis Spirits. Don't remember who won, I don't remember if Gervin was on the team back then. I remember looking across and seeing all the service men in their cool uniforms all looking the exact same. I was very young about 5 years old and to this day I remember that those service men did a cheer that went like this.

Pop corn Pop Corn Crunch Crunch Crunch
Come on Spurs eat the Spirits Lunch

I have no idea why I remember that, but it was all part of my first real memory of my start at becoming a life long Spurs fan.

[Maddog]

My dad took me to my first Spurs game back during the 1973-74 season. It was the spurs vs the St Louis Spirits. Don't remember who won, I don't remember if Gervin was on the team back then. I remember looking across and seeing all the service men in their cool uniforms all looking the exact same. I was very young about 5 years old and to this day I remember that those service men did a cheer that went like this.

Pop corn Pop Corn Crunch Crunch Crunch
Come on Spurs eat the Spirits Lunch

I have no idea why I remember that, but it was all part of my first real memory of my start at becoming a life long Spurs fan.
Terry Stembridge to me -as a young kid-was the SPurs
I didn't really like anybody who replaced him
His tone, descriptions etc. Seemed to be very descriptive without a lot of verbiage

Nowadays with league pass and internet I rarely listen to radio broadcasts