Dedicated to my late wife Shellie
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Shellie always told me that I should write a book about the Blazers. Instead of a book, because many times I don't know how to edit, there is this website. She and I thought of this in 2016, originally thinking of the coming 40th anniversary of the 1976/77 Trail Blazers Championship season. She came up with this idea as she was doing her final rounds of chemo during that spring.
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I've been a Blazer fan since 1971 when I first moved to Oregon. That glorious 1976/77 season was one to remember and I wanted to share what was going on all thru the season with her and via this site.
I started this site on June 1st, 1976 which happened to coincide with the release of Blazer Coach Lenny Wilkens and the hiring of coach Jack Ramsey. That Bicentennial summer included the dismantling of the Blazers team of Petrie and Wicks, the NBA/ABA merger and dispersal draft, many trades and acquisitions. I continued with game recaps of summer league games, and the preseason. During that summer of 2016, Shellie would ask me what was going on as if that off-season was happening live and we talked all summer about how to shape and set up this site.
My intent was to do daily updates and recaps of the regular season games, all the way thru to the championship game on June 5th 1977 game. Shellie passed away on September 17, 2016, before the "regular season" had even started. I continued to do the site in her honor but also as therapy with her always in my mind. Once the Championship was won and recorded on the site, an emptiness set in as to what to do. During the summer of 2017, I talked with our sons, Dustin and Brennen, about the site and what to do with it. I eventually decided to follow the infamous 1977/78 season, what is known as the 50-10 season. Shellie and I first met in early September of 1977 on our first day of High School, just as the Blazers were entering training camp to defend the Championship. The boys were happy about that
Below is a picture of Shellie when she played guard as a member of the West Albany Bulldogs, Class of 1980.
I started this site on June 1st, 1976 which happened to coincide with the release of Blazer Coach Lenny Wilkens and the hiring of coach Jack Ramsey. That Bicentennial summer included the dismantling of the Blazers team of Petrie and Wicks, the NBA/ABA merger and dispersal draft, many trades and acquisitions. I continued with game recaps of summer league games, and the preseason. During that summer of 2016, Shellie would ask me what was going on as if that off-season was happening live and we talked all summer about how to shape and set up this site.
My intent was to do daily updates and recaps of the regular season games, all the way thru to the championship game on June 5th 1977 game. Shellie passed away on September 17, 2016, before the "regular season" had even started. I continued to do the site in her honor but also as therapy with her always in my mind. Once the Championship was won and recorded on the site, an emptiness set in as to what to do. During the summer of 2017, I talked with our sons, Dustin and Brennen, about the site and what to do with it. I eventually decided to follow the infamous 1977/78 season, what is known as the 50-10 season. Shellie and I first met in early September of 1977 on our first day of High School, just as the Blazers were entering training camp to defend the Championship. The boys were happy about that
Below is a picture of Shellie when she played guard as a member of the West Albany Bulldogs, Class of 1980.
Following the recapping of the 1977/78 season, I just didn't want this to end. Once it was announced that the Blazers were going to celebrate the 50th anniversary during the 2019/20 season, it made perfect sense to highlight the many accomplishments, and a few low ones too, on a daily basis. Once the season was suspended on March 11, 2020, seeing the daily events kept me busy without Blazer basketball to watch. I've since decided to cover many different angles of the Blazers as life moves forward. I consider this part of my therapy after losing my wife of 34 years, 7 months and 1 day, not to mention the 37 plus years we were together.
Sources for this site include my own notes, many old Oregonian newspapers (writers include Bob Robinson, John Hahn, Ken Doney, Nick Bergtram, Ken Wheeler among many others), Oregonian Photographers (Bill Zavin) Oregon Journal newspaper (George Pasero, Kerry Eggers) The Sporting News, Associated Press reporters and photographers, Sports Illustrated, Trail Blazer Media Guides and of course, the all knowing Internet, including Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com, and APBR.org.
Sources for this site include my own notes, many old Oregonian newspapers (writers include Bob Robinson, John Hahn, Ken Doney, Nick Bergtram, Ken Wheeler among many others), Oregonian Photographers (Bill Zavin) Oregon Journal newspaper (George Pasero, Kerry Eggers) The Sporting News, Associated Press reporters and photographers, Sports Illustrated, Trail Blazer Media Guides and of course, the all knowing Internet, including Basketball-Reference.com, NBA.com, and APBR.org.