Oct
10
Oct. 11, 1981- This night in Trail Blazers history was one for the books. Three influential players had their jerseys retired at Memorial Coliseum. Honoring his status as the First Portland Trail Blazer and his six seasons with the team, Geoff Petrie’s no. 45 jersey took its place in the rafters. Along side his, Larry Steele’s no. 15 was raised. Steele—a member of the 1977 World Championship team who comes in at number six on the career leader board in the games played category—spent his entire nine-year NBA career in red and black. Another piece of the 1977 squad, Dave Twardzik’s no. 13 completed the ceremony to enshrine the three significant men in Trail Blazers lore.
Oct. 14, 1979- A 109-93 victory over the Denver Nuggets marked the Trail Blazers 100th consecutive sellout in Memorial Coliseum. This was the first major milestone in what would become a league-leading 814 consecutive game sellout streak.
Beginning in 1977 and ending in 1995 the streak persevered from the 12,888-capacity Memorial Coliseum to the 19,980-capacity Rose Garden without even flinching. A true testament to the passion of Portland fans, the streak is again on its way up—159 and counting.
Oct. 16, 1970- The Trail Blazers hit the hardwood for the inaugural regular season game in Memorial Coliseum. The 115-112 victory over Cleveland—played before 4,273 fans—was full of firsts for the fledgling franchise. The first point, a free throw, was scored by Jim Barnett at the 9:18 mark of the first quarter. Less than a minute later Ron Knight scored the first Portland field goal at the 8:25 mark. It was the beginning of a long and exciting journey to greatness that continues on today.
Missed last week in Trail Blazers history?
Catch up now.