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SALT LAKE CITY — Before there was the Utah Jazz, the Utah Stars came to town and won a 1971 ABA championship.
On Saturday, June 11, at 6 p.m., KSL Sports will devote a half hour to “Here Come The Stars,” a tribute to the state of Utah’s first-ever pro sports championship 45 years ago.
We’ll take a look back at all of the players who made the team great: three-time ABA all-star Willie Wise; two-time all-star Zelmo “Big Z” Beaty; former Utah standout Merv “The Magician” Jackson; and former Cougar Jeff “Mutt” Congdon.
“He was a grease that caused the wheel to move smoothly,” Wise said of Beaty. “We ran everything through him.”
Click the video above to see entire cast of characters, plus rare footage of the Stars' championship run — in full Technicolor.
Contributing: Matthew Glade
