The Sixer Sense
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: The 10 craziest episodes in franchise history

By Stuart London

Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Joel Embiid | Philadelphia 76ers (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Original Caption) Philadelphia 76ers’ basketball coach Roy Rubin huddles with three of his players at team’s pre-season training camp at University of Scranton’s John Long Center here, 9/12. From left to right are Rubin, 6-10 John Block of Maryland; 6-2 Hal Greer of Marshall and 6-7 Gary Gregor of South Carolina. 76ers open season September 21 against Baltimore Bullets in NBA exhibition.
(Original Caption) Philadelphia 76ers’ basketball coach Roy Rubin huddles with three of his players at team’s pre-season training camp at University of Scranton’s John Long Center here, 9/12. From left to right are Rubin, 6-10 John Block of Maryland; 6-2 Hal Greer of Marshall and 6-7 Gary Gregor of South Carolina. 76ers open season September 21 against Baltimore Bullets in NBA exhibition. /

Spring, 1972: The Sixers get a head coach through a help wanted ad

Four years earlier the Philadelphia 76ers were the king of the NBA. The 1966-67 Sixers would eventually be voted the greatest team in NBA history.

But by the late spring of 1972, fortunes had turned against the Sixers. Career-ending injuries, poor trades and drafts that produced nothing but busts had weakened the once great franchise.

Following a 30-52 season in 1971-72 the future looked bleak and those who could get out, did.

Head coach Jack Ramsay, a lifelong Philadelphian, left to coach the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers).

So, yes, the Sixers were probably going to be a bottom feeder in the 1972-73 season.

However, there are very few chances to be a NBA head coach (back then even fewer, as there were only 17 teams, compared to 30 today) and you can usually count on some ambitious NBA assistant or major college coach to want the opportunity to have their own NBA team.

Wrong.

Having come up empty in their search, the 76ers put an ad in the Help Wanted section of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

More. 15 greatest seasons in franchise history. light

As Mike McGovern of the Reading Eagle later described the situation:

"“After several people turned down the head coaching job, Marquette’s Al McGuire and Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp among them, owner Irv Kosloff, getting a tad desperate, placed a want ad in The Philadelphia Inquirer. For an NBA head coach. What could go wrong?”"

A Philadelphia stockbroker, Jules Love, saw the ad and thought of his old friend, Roy Rubin. A former successful high school coach in New York City, Rubin was currently the head coach at Long Island University. In 11 years with the Blackbirds he had a 174-94 record and three times made what is now the Division II NCAA tournament.

On June 15, 1972, the 76ers introduced Rubin as their new head coach. On the same day, it was officially announced the Sixers top player, Billy Cunningham, was leaving to sign with the ABA’s Carolina Cougars.

The season went about as well as one would expect with a coach found in the want ads. After a 4-47 record at the all-star break, Kosloff fired Rubin and he never coached anywhere again. With player-coach Kevin Loughery in charge the rest of the season, the Sixers finished with a 9-73 record, the worst in NBA history.

At the end of the season, veteran NBA coach Gene Shue, coming off a 52-win season with the Baltimore Bullets (now Washington Wizards),  was hired to run the basketball operations. Four years later the Sixers would be in the NBA Finals.

As far as is known, no other head coach in NBA history has been hired from a want ad.