1986: A Party in the Mall

As the Adelaide 36ers prepare to celebrate the 40-year anniversary of the club’s inaugural championship in 1986, we’ve created a series of articles that tell the story of one of the most incredible seasons in NBL history.

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There were some big events in Adelaide in 1986. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip touched down in March, Pope John Paul II visited in December and to mark the state’s 150th jubilee, there was a year-long, statewide celebration featuring street parades, calisthenics and rock concerts.

With the state already in the mood to celebrate, thousands flocked to Rundle Mall to catch a glimpse of the 1986 NBL Championship trophy and the heroes who secured it for the Adelaide 36ers in a season still unmatched 40 years on.

Having endured the disappointment of the 1985 Grand Final loss to the Brisbane Bullets, the 36ers completed a 24-2 regular season, eventually earning their way through to the NBL’s new three-game Grand Final series where they would again face the Bullets.

A 2-1 overall win in the series saw the group nicknamed “The Invincibles” claim the club’s first Championship.

American born naturalised Australian Al Green had 22 points and three rebounds in the deciding final, at the old Apollo Stadium.

He remembers feeling like a rock star seeing so many people in the mall wanting to meet him and his teammates.

“Adelaide's not a big town,” he told Adelaide 36ers Media. “It's not like Melbourne or Sydney.”

“It's still a big place. I mean, a big enough place for us to feel like ‘hey, we are rock stars in our own little way’. You know what I mean?

“It was a great, great feeling. to win it for South Australia.”

Fellow import Mark Davis remembers the celebration vividly, even 40 years on.

He keeps a photo of the day at home, which keeps the memory fresh.

“The walk out there, to see all those people,” he said.

“And then it hits like, are you here for us, man?

“And it was very emotional. It was a very emotional time.”

Back then, there was an escalator that led up to a footbridge that went across the Mall.

It was there that the 36ers group, led by coach Ken Cole in his last official duty with the club, was presented to the public.

“We had to go up and we was in the centre of the mall,” Davis reflected, reminded that he was one of the more popular players after hitting 22 points and pulling down a whopping 25 boards in the deciding game.

“They were like ants on the ground, man. Like so many people, and we were like, ‘wow!’

“I think looking at that, you realise the impact that the group has had on the state.

“That's special. That's priceless. I took a photo of that view. I’ve got a frame and I'm gonna have that forever.”

It was a task just to push through the crowd. There were people clambering for any vantage point, all in good spirits.

Mike McKay was one of the younger players in the squad. He’d come off scoring nine points and having three rebounds and an assist in game three.

The image of coach Cole being given a crown by the then Lord Mayor James Jarvis lingers in McKay’s memory.

“The parade in Rundle Mall, the amount of people there was mind boggling and that showed us how much it meant to the city and how much their support helped us to achieve (the championship),” McKay remembers.

“I still remember it. We were walking through the crowd to get to the bridge and it was just so noisy, so loud.

“We got up, we got presented by the Lord Mayor, and they gave Ken the crown and so forth and it was just crazy.

“And we certainly celebrated the win for a period of time!”

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That concludes our six-part series on the 1986 “Invincibles” and their incredible contribution to the history of the Adelaide 36ers. If you missed any of it, you can find the other articles under the News tab at Adelaide36ers.com.

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