Pittsburgh Condors
Pittsburgh Pipers Pittsburgh Condors | |
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Pittsburgh Civic Arena (1967–68, 1969–1972) Met Center (1968–69) | |
Location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
Team colors | Blue and Orange (1967–1970) Red and Gold (1970-72) |
Team manager | Vern Mikkelsen 1967–1968 Marty Blake 1970–1972 |
Head coach | Vince Cazzetta 1967–1968 Jim Harding, Vern Mikkelsen, and Verl Young 1968–1969 John Clark and Buddy Jeannette 1969–1970 Jack McMahon 1970–1971 Jack McMahon and Mark Binstein 1971–1972 |
Ownership | Gabe Rubin 1967–1969 Metro Sports Haven Industries 1970–1972 |
Championships | 1 (1968) |
Division titles | 1 (1968) |
The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional
Franchise history
Pittsburgh Pipers - First ABA Champions (1967–1968)
The Pipers were one of the ABA's inaugural franchises in 1967. The team had great success on the court, posting the league's best record during the regular season (54-24, .692) and winning the league's first ABA Championship. The Pipers were led by their star player, ABA MVP and future Hall-of-Famer Connie Hawkins, who led the ABA in scoring at 26.8 ppg. The Pipers swept through the 1968 ABA Playoffs and defeated the New Orleans Buccaneers 4 games to 3 to take the title, with Hawkins earning Finals MVP honors. The ABA title remains Pittsburgh's only pro basketball championship.[1] Coupled with the Philadelphia 76ers' NBA championship one year earlier, Pennsylvania had two pro basketball champions in as many years.
Playoff Results
Division Semifinals
- (1) Pittsburgh Pipers vs. (3) Indiana Pacers: Pipers win series 3-0
- Game 1 @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 146, Indiana 127
- Game 2 @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 121, Indiana 108
- Game 3 @ Indiana: Pittsburgh 133, Indiana 114
Division Finals
- (1) Pittsburgh Pipers vs. (2) Minnesota Muskies: Pipers win series 4-1
- Game 1 @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 125, Minnesota 117
- Game 2 @ Pittsburgh: Minnesota 137, Pittsburgh 123
- Game 3 @ Minnesota: Pittsburgh 107, Minnesota 99
- Game 4 @ Minnesota: Pittsburgh 117, Minnesota 108
- Game 5 @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 114, Minnesota 105
ABA Finals
- (1) Pittsburgh Pipers VS. (1) New Orleans Buccaneers: Pipers win Series 4-3
- Game 1 @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 120, New Orleans 112
- Game 2 @ Pittsburgh: New Orleans 109, Pittsburgh 100
- Game 3 @ New Orleans: New Orleans 109, Pittsburgh 101
- Game 4 @ New Orleans: Pittsburgh 106, New Orleans 105
- Game 5 @ Pittsburgh: New Orleans 111, Pittsburgh 108
- Game 6 @ New Orleans: Pittsburgh 118, New Orleans 112
- Game 7 @ Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 122, New Orleans 113[1]
The Pipers shared the
Minnesota Pipers (1968–1969)
Despite the championship and strong attendance figures in Pittsburgh, the Pipers franchise left Pittsburgh after their
Pittsburgh Pipers (1969–1970)
For the first season back in Pittsburgh the team retained the "Pipers" nickname. However, the team failed to match their previous success and fans stayed away. After the season, Haven Industries, maker of the "Jack Frost" brand of sugar products, bought the team and decided a name change was in order.
Pittsburgh Condors (1970–1972)
1970–71 season
A "name-the-team" contest yielded the nickname "Pittsburgh Pioneers." However, local NAIA school Point Park College (now Point Park University) already had that nickname and threatened to sue. Ownership resolved the objection by changing the name to "Condors."
The most memorable moment of the season came when Charlie "Helicopter" Hentz destroyed two backboards in a game against the Carolina Cougars.
1971–72 season
For the next season, Haven tried to change the Condors' image, with a new logo and uniforms, plus a slick marketing campaign. In October, they lured the defending
After a 4-6 start, general manager Mark Binstein fired McMahon for unknown reasons and named himself head coach. The move backfired disastrously; the Condors only went 21-50 the rest of the way.
As the season progressed, attendance dropped below 1,000 fans per game, fueling speculation the Condors would fold before
John Brisker and George Thompson played in the ABA All-Star Game. The Condors finished in sixth place in the Eastern Division at 25-59 and failed to make the playoffs. They averaged 2,215 fans per home game—a figure that would have been even lower if not for the gates brought in at both Birmingham (an estimated 3,000) and Tucson (reported as 5,000). These were significantly better than the ones in Pittsburgh; the Condors drew only 689 at their final game at the Civic Center.
Decline and folding
Haven and the league tried to move the Condors to a bigger market. However, they were unable to do so, and on June 13, 1972 the ABA canceled the Condors franchise. The Condors' roster was put into a dispersal draft; George Thompson went to the
Basketball Hall of Famers
Pittsburgh Pipers/Condors Hall of Famers | ||||
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Players | ||||
No. | Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted |
42 | Connie Hawkins | F/C | 1967–1969 | 1992 |
Coaches | ||||
Name | Position | Tenure | Inducted | |
Buddy Jeannette 1 | Head Coach | 1969–1970 | 1994 | |
Vern Mikkelsen 1 | Head Coach | 1968–1969 | 1995 |
Notes:
- 1 Inducted as a player. Never played for the franchise.
Season-by-season
Note: W = wins, L = losses, % = win–loss %
Season | W | L | % | Playoffs | Results |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pittsburgh Pipers (ABA) | |||||
1967–68 | 54 | 24 | .692 | Won Eastern Division Semifinals Won Eastern Division Finals Won ABA Finals |
Pittsburgh Pipers 3, Indiana Pacers 0 Pittsburgh Pipers 4, Minnesota Muskies 1 Pittsburgh Pipers 4, New Orleans Buccaneers 3 |
Minnesota Pipers | |||||
1968–69 | 36 | 42 | .462 | Lost Division Semifinals | Miami Floridians 4, Minnesota Pipers 3 |
Pittsburgh Pipers | |||||
1969–70 | 29 | 55 | .345 | Did not qualify | |
Pittsburgh Condors | |||||
1970–71 | 36 | 48 | .429 | Did not qualify | |
1971–72 | 25 | 59 | .298 |