- Minnesota Pipers
Minnesota Pipers were a member of the
American Basketball Association for one season, 1968-1969.The franchise began its existence as the
Pittsburgh Pipers in the ABA's first season, 1967-1968, and that team won the league's first championship in the 1967-1968 season.The Pipers then departed for
Minnesota where they played as theMinnesota Pipers during the 1968-1969 season. This move was made despite the fact that theMinnesota Muskies , had success on the court, had such financial problems there during 1967-1968 that they moved toMiami, Florida to becomeThe Floridians . The Pipers played most of their games at theMet Center in Bloomington (nearMinneapolis ), with a few games at theDuluth Arena-Auditorium in Duluth. They got off to a good start before their top four starters--Connie Hawkins ,Chico Vaughn ,Art Heyman and Charlie Williams--went down due to injuries. They barely squeezed into the playoffs, where they lost in the first round to their predecessors in Minnesota, the Floridians.After losing $400,000, it was widely expected that the Pipers would move back to Pittsburgh--which they did for the 1969-70 season. The team was renamed the Condors in 1970, and folded in 1972.
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