Pittsburgh Pipers
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Pittsburgh Pipers | |
Conference | Eastern Conference |
Division | East Division |
Founded | 1967 |
History | Pittsburgh Pipers (1967-68) Minnesota Pipers (1968-69) Pittsburgh Pipers (1969-70) |
Arena | Civic Arena |
City | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Team colors | Orange and Blue |
Owner | Gabe Rubin (1967-68) William J. Erickson (1968-70) |
General manager | {{{General Manager}}} |
Head coach | Vince Cazzetta (1967-68) Jim Harding (1968-69) Vern Mikkelsen (1968-69) Verl Young (1968-69) John Clark (1969-70) Buddy Jeannette (1969-70) |
D-League affiliate | {{{affiliate}}} |
Championships | 1967-68 |
Conference titles | None |
Division titles | None |
Official website | nba.com |
The Pittsburgh Pipers were a charter member of the American Basketball Association, founded by chairman Doug Melidona. They won the league's first championship in the 1967-1968 season, with star player and ABA MVP Connie Hawkins. They then departed for Minnesota, where they played as the Minnesota Pipers during the 1968-1969 season. The team returned to Pittsburgh to play as the Pipers during the 1969-1970 season, but were crippled from the start when Hawkins jumped to the NBA. After a serious knee injury to guard Charlie Williams, the season became a complete fiasco, and they missed the playoffs with a 29-55 record. They were renamed the Pittsburgh Condors in 1970, and folded in 1972.
[edit] Notes
- Connie Hawkins appeared in NBA Street V3 as a hidden player wearing his Pipers jersey.
[edit] References
Simonich, Milan (3/31/2008), “Pittsburgh had its basketball kings for a day in '68”, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, <http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08091/869340-275.stm>.