The Golden Era

THE GOLDEN ERA

In 1976 Tucker Johnston and Jim Connor approached Murray Metals owner David Murray with a proposal to sponsor a new basketball team comprising members of the Hornets and Pentland Glencraig.  David Murray agreed to support the team with £1,000 and Murray Metals basketball team was born.  They would soon be challenging the top Scottish clubs like Paisley and Boroughmuir who had been earlier in to the process of recruiting foreign players. 

Meanwhile an Edinburgh entrepreneur John Edmunds had been persuaded to buy the disused Falkirk Ice Rink and lay down a magnificent sprung wooden floor for roller skating.  To augment income from roller skating in Coasters Arena he invited local PE teacher and basketball enthusiast Neil Rankine to form a team. They furnished the necessary basketball equipment which included free standing basketball goals and an electronic scoreboard and with sponsorship from a drinks company formed Team Solripe.

The rivalry between Murray Metals and Team Solripe was about to start.  In the early stages the two clubs enticed leading players from other clubs to join their ranks.  Murray metals had Bobby Archibald and later Iain McLean from Paisley.  Ken McAlpine transferred from Boroughmuir while Rankine picked up Jim Smart and Jim Morrison from Cumnock, Steve Hoffman from Dalkeith Saints and Charlie Woods from Paisley. 

Soon they would recruit american players and coaches many of whom would become household names within the basketball fraternity. Lewis Young and Charlie Williamson with Bill Miller as the Murray Metals Coach. They were followed by the electrifying skills of Alton Byrd, the shooting ability of Ralton Way and the towering presence of centre Sam Foggin.  Not content with luring american players David Murray pursued talented college players who had Scottish parents and could acquire a british passport.  Enter Alan Baillie, Paul Stewart and Canadian Seymour Hadwin.   At the same time the Falkirk based team had recruit the legendary coach Kevin Cadle who brought with him the charismatic Bobby Kinzer and workhorse Terry Mangum.

A third team would be formed in Glasgow playing out of the Kelvin Hall.  They would be sponsored by PD Windows and had ambitions to challenge Murray Metals (now Murray International) and Team Solripe for the top prizes.  Convinced of the potential of Scottish Basketball David Murray persuaded Livingston Development Corporation to build a sports arena to rival Falkirk's Ice Rink.  Edinburgh based supporters arranged a fleet of buses to take them to Murray's home matches in the Livingston Forum. Both venues could seat almost two thousand spectators and for cup finals and european cup ties they were filled to overflowing.

At the peak of their powers Murray International played in tournament all over europe but perhaps they will be best remembered for winning performances at Crystal Palace London, where they won several times at the Annual Christmas Tournament, notably beating the Russian Champions comprising several Olympic players in 1991.

Alas the Golden Era was coming to end when in 1988 David Murray bought Glasgow Rangers Football Club and he and Solripe withdrew their sponsorships.  The Livingston Forum was demolished in 1994 to make way for the new shopping centre and Coasters Arena once again fell in to disuse as roller skating lost popularity.