Happy Friday! Yesterday (September 24) was my birthday! So I’ll keep it short and sweet this week :).
Last week, while I was researching material for the When the World Took Notice blog post highlighting Camp Greene’s impact on our beloved Queen City, I came across a bit of a gem by David Young from Charlotte’s Got A Lot. Published in November 2014, the article shines as it takes you on a journey of the major twists and turns in Hornets history, and truly captures why we have such an affinity for our franchise, particularly under the Hornets banner. I definitely encourage a full read!
When it comes to the Hornets, you may not have known:
- The team originally played in the former Charlotte Coliseum aka “The Hive” on Tyvola Road, which hosted the 1994 Men’s Final Four, the 1996 Women’s Final Four, and the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, which will be returning to Charlotte in 2017. When this takes place, almost a decade will have passed since the Charlotte Coliseum was imploded on June 3, 2007.
- Before the Hornets, Charlotte did not have a professional sports team. Critics thought the city could not support one. Boy, were they wrong!
- Over eight straight seasons, the team had 364 consecutive sell-outs to crowds of almost 24,000 people, breaking NBA attendance records.
- The team was the first to introduce pinstriped jerseys, a trend that was later adopted by many other NBA teams. #swag
- Despite a 20-62 record in their inaugural season (1988-89), the city still had a parade in Uptown in the summer of 1989 so fans could celebrate their pride in the team and what it represented.
Until next week!
Chris.
Email me at chris@704Shop.com if you have interesting Charlotte facts you’d like to share!
1988-89 Charlotte Hornets
Credit: Charlotte Magazine
The former Charlotte Coliseum on Tyvola Road.
Credit: The Charlotte Observer via retroclt.blogspot.com