Mayor Lugar and Tom Binford in Crowd during Pacers Game, October 1975

The Pacers had won the Western Division title and played in the ABA Finals during the previous season, losing in five games to the Kentucky Colonels. Binford led a group of Indianapolis business and civic leaders that purchased the Indiana Pacers in 1975. He also played an influential role in bringing the Colts NFL franchise to Indianapolis in 1984.