Pittsburgh Pipers (1967-68 and 1969-70)/Minnesota Pipers (1968-69)/ Pittsburgh Condors (1970-71 to 1971-72)

Year-to-Year Notes (courtesy Robert Bradley)

Formative Period
2Feb67 The formation of ABA announced with a franchise owned to Gabe Rubin (a Pittsburgh theater owner, who had been involved with the Pittsburgh Rens of the American Basketball League) .... The franchise is named the Pittsburgh Pipers .... Sign Connie Hawkins (who had played for the Rens after being banned from the NBA because of his alleged association with gamblers) to a two-year $45,000 contract without an option clause, renewable for the second year by Pittsburgh only .... Vince Cazzetta is named coach .... Draft Barry Liebowitz, Earl Monroe (who signs with Baltimore of the NBA) and Trooper Washington .... Sign Ira Harge, Charlie Williams (who had been banned from the NBA in 1965 because of his alleged failure to report a bribe offer made to a college teammate), Arvesta Kelly and Chico Vaughn

1967-68 (54-24) First Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 3,143

Play in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena .... 2Dec67 Liebowitz is traded to New Jersey for Art Heyman .... Harge is traded to Oakland for Willie Porter .... 9Jan68 Hawkins and Vaughn play in the All-Star Game .... 9Feb68 Harge (now with Oakland) totals 32 rebounds against the Pipers .... Hawkins and Williams are named First Team All-ABA .... Hawkins is named ABA Most Valuable Player and leads the league in scoring with 26.8 PPG .... Washington is named to the ABA All-Rookie Team .... 6May68 Cazzetta is named ABA Coach of the Year .... 6Apr68 Washington totals 35 rebounds against Minnesota in the ABA Semifinals....Defeat Indiana 3 games to 0, Minnesota 4 games to 2 and New Orleans 4 games to 3 in playoffs to win the ABA Championship

1968-69 (36-42) Fourth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,183

28Jun68 After losing over $250,000, Rubin sells 85% intrest in the Pipers to ABA General Counsel William J. Erickson.... Erickson becomes club President and moves the franchise to Minneapolis (the site of the league office) where it becomes the Minnesota Pipers .... Cazzetta chooses not to follow team to Minnesota .... Vern Mikkelsen is named General Manager .... Jim Harding is hired as coach .... Play in the Metropolitan Sports Center and Duluth Auditorium .... 27Nov68 Hawkins scores 57 points against New York .... 5Dec68 Hawkins scores 53 points against Denver .... 9Dec68 Steve Chubin is traded to Indiana for Mike Lewis .... Erickson defaults on his payments and the team reverts back to Rubin .... Hawkins plays in only 47 games due to a knee injury .... Harding is fired as coach after a fist fight with Rubin at the All-Star Game .... 28Jan69 Washington and Williams play in the All-Star Game as Hawkins is selected to play but misses the game due to a knee injury .... Team Director of Special Promotions Gus Young is named coach .... Hawkins is named First Team All-ABA .... Lose in first round of the playoffs to Miami 4 games to 0

1969-70 (36-42) Fifth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,009

Draft George Thompson .... Harry "Buddy" Jeannette is named Director of Operations .... John Clark hired as coach .... 12Jun69 Stew Johnson is acquired from Carolina in three-way trade in which Pipers send Frank Card to Oakland .... 20Jun69 Hawkins leaves the ABA to sign with Phoenix of the NBA after reaching a settlement in his $6 million suit against the NBA .... The franchise returns to Pittsburgh after losing a reported $400,000 in Minnesota .... Play in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena .... Sign John Brisker .... Jeannette replaces Clark as coach after a 14-25 start .... Williams plays in only 26 games due to a knee injury.... Kelly plays in only 70 games due to a neck injury .... 20Dec69 Mel Daniels of Indiana totals 34 rebounds against the Pipers .... Washington is traded to Los Angeles for Warren Davis .... 10Jan70 Lewis totals 31 rebounds against New York .... 24Jan70 Williams plays in the All-Star Game .... Brisker is named to ABA All-Rookie Team .... Fail to qualify for the playoffs

1970-71 (36-48) Fifth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,806

Draft Calvin Murphy (who signs with San Diego of the NBA) .... The franchise is purchased by Haven Industries, Inc.... Marty Blake hired as President and General Manager .... Former Pittsburgh Pirate Dick Groat is hired as Executive Vice President .... Jeannette becomes Business Manager .... The team nickname is changed to the "Condors" after a name-the-team contest .... The contest winner was originally the "Pioneers" (the nickname of Point Parks, a local NAIA school), and after the threat of a lawsuit, the name "Condors" was picked instead .... Jack McMahon is hired as coach .... Sign Dave Lattin from Phoenix of the NBA .... 6Nov70 Charles "Helicopter" Hentz breaks two backboards in a game against Carolina at Dorton Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina .... Williams is traded to Memphis for Skeeter Swift .... Jan71 A reporter finds a signed contract between the Condors and Villanova University star Howard Porter in Commissioner Jack Dolph's briefcase .... 15Jan71 Rick Barry of New York scores 53 points against the Condors .... 23Jan71 Brisker and Lewis play in the All-Star Game .... 6Feb71 Julius Keye of Denver collects 30 rebounds against the Condors.... The Condors fail in an attempt to lure Hawkins back from the NBA .... .... 6Mar71 Stew Johnson scores 62 points in a game against the Floridians .... 30Mar71 Dan Issel of Kentucky scores 51 points against the Condors .... Brisker is named Second Team All-ABA .... Fail to qualify for the playoffs

1971-72 (25-59) Sixth Place in Eastern Division
Avg. Regular Season Attendance: 2,215

Donald J. Bezahler becomes team President .... Mark Binstein is named General Manager .... Jeannette is named Director of Player Personnel .... Sep71 A first-round draft choice is traded to Virginia for George Carter .... 25Oct71 Metro Sports, headed by Donald H. Abrahams, a Maryland investment banker, buys the franchise, stating that the team will remain in Pittsburgh .... Mark Binstein replaces McMahon as coach after a 21-53 start .... Nov71 Stew Johnson is traded to Carolina for Bob Verga .... 29Jan72 Brisker and Thompson play in the All-Star Game .... Feb72 Carter is traded to Carolina for a second-round draft choice and cash .... 21Feb72 Zelmo Beaty of Utah scores 63 points against the Condors .... 2Mar72 Draft John Gianelli (who signs with New York of the NBA), James Silas, and Charlie Edge .... Fail to qualify for the playoffs

Dispersal of Franchise
4Jun72 The league announces it will attempt to relocate the Condors franchise to a larger television market .... 13Jun72 The Condors franchise is purchased by the league and disbanded .... 13Jun72 The Condors' players are dispersed in a special draft as Thompson goes to Memphis, Lewis to Carolina, and Swift to Dallas .... Silas signs with Dallas

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