Sick's Pack: Six awesome (and random) moments in Albuquerque sports

Apr. 14—Michael Cooper, this one's your fault.

You never know what sort of random factoid will launch a column full of random Albuquerque sports memories. Cooper, the former UNM Lobos and Los Angeles Lakers star being selected for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last week sparked this one.

It had nothing to do with Cooper's glory days with the superbly entertaining 1977-78 Lobo men's basketball team or his key supporting role for the Showtime Lakers teams that included the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Those events evoked adoring chants of "Cooooop" from hoops fans watching in Albuquerque, L.A. and on TVs around the country.

Nope, this demented brainstorm arose from a bullet point listed somewhere near the bottom of Cooper's Hall of Fame résumé:

Head coach Albuquerque Thunderbirds, 2005-06 NBA D-League Champions

Hey, it's a worthy accomplishment and only adds to the affable Cooper's legendary status in Albuquerque. But I can easily imagine a few Hall patrons scratching their heads a bit when they read that line.

"Albuquerque Thunderbirds, huh? That's random."

It's now been 18 years since the Thunderbirds' title run — 13 since the franchise's final game — which makes them well qualified for this random edition of Sick's Pack:

Six awesome (and random) moments in Albuquerque sports

Sounds impressive, right? Well, to be honest, one driving factor for inclusion on this list is that they're events most folks either didn't see or might not remember. In some cases, that includes me.

But Albuquerque has had its share of cool and random sports moments over the years. In my humble opinion, here are six of the coolest.

No. 6 — Silver medal: You want random? The Continental Basketball Association's Albuquerque Silvers were certainly that. The team made its home debut on Valentine's Day in 1983 after its previous owners in Las Vegas, Nevada (the team tipped off the season as the Las Vegas Silvers) stopped paying their bills.

Albuquerque Dukes president Pat McKernan took over the franchise, hired ex-UNM coach Norm Ellenberger to run the show and rented Civic Auditorium for home games. The good news: Dwight Anderson of the Silvers led the CBA in scoring (26.4 ppg) in 1984-85. The bad news: Albuquerque went 29-63 over two full seasons. The club folded in 1985.

No. 5 — NFL hoops showdowns: These happened occasionally over the years and were generally entertaining and fun. The Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos sent teams to Albuquerque to square off against former Lobos, local all-star teams or even each other.

Football stars playing basketball, you ask? It was mostly fun and games for charity. The Cowboy Hoopsters brought the likes of all-stars Drew Pearson and Ed "Too Tall" Jones to New Mexico in 1982. The Cowboys lost a close one (78-73) to ex-Lobos in the Pit and later got crushed by altitude in Los Alamos. Pearson later told the Journal's Rick Wright, "We couldn't wait for that game to end. Guys were throwing up in the locker room and everything. ... That altitude got us."

With the zillion-dollar contracts NFL stars get nowadays, kind of hard to imagine random offseason hoops games like this now.

No. 4 — COVID warriors: Obviously they are of more recent vintage, but these two accomplishments deserve a place in Albuquerque's random hall of fame. I'm fortunate to be among the very few who witnessed both.

Sept. 19, 2020:

New Mexico United played all of that season's abbreviated schedule on the road due to COVID restrictions, but the club hosted a "home match" at Colorado Springs' old Weidner Field. Nearly 1,000 enthusiastic NMU supporters made the trip. United lost that day but would qualify for the playoffs and go on to defeat San Antonio in yet another road game — its only postseason victory to date.

March 4-5, 2021:

UNM women's basketball played a pair of rescheduled games against Colorado State at the Pit. They were the Lobos' only home games that season and fans were not allowed to attend. The Lobos had to beat the first-place Rams on back-to-back days to win a Mountain West regular-season title — and they did. Watching Jaedyn De La Cerda and Antonia Anderson celebrate by making "snow angels" in confetti on the Pit floor created an enduring image.

No. 3 — Coach Coop: As mentioned, Cooper played a key role in the Thunderbirds' shining moment. Players joyously pummeled him after their title-clinching 119-108 win over the Fort Worth Flyers on April 22, 2006 in Texas. Cooper became the rare cat who won championship rings in the NBA (as a player) the WNBA and NBA D-League (as a coach).

The T-Birds, who were owned by now-Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, were generally winners during their run from 2005-11. After five seasons at Tingley Coliseum, they became the New Mexico Thunderbirds and played in Rio Rancho in 2010-11, but low attendance led to the club being sold and relocated to Canton, Ohio. The Thunderbirds' playing floor in Rio Rancho has lasted longer and has been used for New Mexico high school state tournament games — including by players not born yet when the T-Birds won it all.

No. 2 — Lobos vs. Dodgers: Played on April 2, 1963, this exhibition game pegs about 9.5 on the random meter. The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the UNM baseball team 4-0 at Tingley Field behind the pitching of star Don Drysdale, who struck out 10 over five innings.

The Journal sent two reporters to the game, including recent New Mexico Sports Hall of Famer inductee Frank Maestas. They reported:

The Lobos managed just one hit, that by guest batter/pitcher Johnny Podres. UNM's only other baserunner was Isidro Rubi, who got plunked in the head by Drysdale but stayed in the game.Future UNM athletic director Gary Ness played first base for the Lobos and was involved in picking off famed Dodgers base stealer Maury Wills.An announced crowd of 3,518 took in the game, including the Los Lunas High School baseball team. The Tigers postponed that day's scheduled game against Valley to watch the Lobos and Dodgers.

No. 1 — Wilt's Laser focus: When it comes to all-time random Albuquerque sporting events, this one's hard to beat. On May 18, 1979, hoops Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain suited up for the Albuquerque Lasers of the International Volleyball Association at Civic Auditorium. The Lasers lost to the hated Denver Comets in three sets.

For those who don't remember (shame on you!), the IVA was a co-ed volleyball league in the 1970s and early '80s. Chamberlain, somewhat better known for his basketball (100 points in a game) and self-described amorous exploits, served as commissioner of the league for a time. He also played for several teams, including three matches with the Lasers.

Chamberlain played just one home match in Albuquerque and it was certainly different. One of the Lasers' female players was injured in set one and the team did not have an available substitute. The Lasers pulled volunteers from the stands to fill in, including Lobo volleyball player Billie Colborne, who ended up joining the Lasers for the rest of the 1979 season.

A crowd of 2,726 turned out for Chamberlain's lone Albuquerque appearance, but it would be a short run for the franchise and the IVA, which folded in 1980. The Lasers went 18-42 over one-plus seasons, but they do get the coveted Sick's Pack award for best random performance in a starring role.

Sorry, Coop.