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1968–69 Minnesota Pipers Season
The 1968–69 Minnesota Pipers season was the only season of the Pipers in Minnesota and second overall season in the American Basketball Association. The previous season, the Pipers had won the ABA Finals, but moved the team from Pittsburgh to Minnesota (which had just lost the Muskies) after the season. But the Pipers were not any more successful in Minnesota, and they moved back to Pittsburgh before next season. The team went through three coaches: Harding, who was fired after attacking the Pipers Chairman Gabe Rubin at the banquet of the All-Star Game. Mikkelsen (the general manager) took over for a while before Verl Young took the job permanently. Hawkins, Williams, Vaughn, and Heyman were nagged by injuries due to long practices, which affected the team, which fell in the Semifinals to the Miami Floridians. Minnesota would not have a pro basketball team again until 1989 with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Roster * 25 Dan Anderson - Center * 35 Frank Card - Small forward * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vern Mikkelsen
Arild Verner Agerskov Mikkelsen (October 21, 1928 – November 21, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. One of the National Basketball Association's first Power forward (basketball), power forwards in the 1950s, he was known for his tenacious defense. Also an ironman, he played in 699 out of a possible 704 during his career. He was a six-time All-Star and four-time Second Team All-Pro, and was inducted into the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame and the sport's Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995. Along with fellow Hall of Famers George Mikan and Slater Martin he was a key part of four championships with the Minneapolis Lakers, today's Los Angeles Lakers. Mikkelsen was also an All-American in college, and earned a master's degree from the University of Minnesota. Early life Mikkelsen was born in Parlier, California and was raised in the Danish-American community of Askov, Minnesota. His father, Michael, was an immigrant from Denmark who became a Luther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arvesta Kelly
Arvesta Kelly (born November 20, 1945) is an American former professional basketball player. A combo guard, he played four seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA), winning the title with the Pittsburgh Pipers in 1968. College career By his own admission Kelly was "not real good in basketball" in his junior year at Lanier High but performed better in track and field for which he received a scholarship offer from Lincoln University (Missouri). After improving at basketball during his senior year he received offers from other colleges but chose to remain with Lincoln as they were the first to contact him. Joining Lincoln in 1963, he started as a reserve for the basketball team until an injury propelled him to the starting line-up where he stayed thereafter. He also continued in track where he excelled in javelin, he finished third in the Kansas Relays decathlon in both 1965 and 1966. After leading all scorers with 75 points in three games during the Mid-America Intercol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miami Floridians
The Miami Floridians, later in their history known simply as The Floridians, were a professional basketball franchise in the original, now-defunct American Basketball Association. The Miami Floridians played in the ABA from 1968 through 1970 when they became simply The Floridians. The team had two color schemes: their original red, blue, and white, and their later black, magenta, and orange. The Miami Floridians began as the Minnesota Muskies, a charter ABA franchise who played in Bloomington, Minnesota at the Met Center and wore blue and gold. The Muskies finished with the league's second-best record, but wretched attendance figures (officially 2,800 per game, a figure that was likely padded) led owner Larry Shields to conclude that the team could not be viable in the Twin Cities. He sold minority shares to a group of Florida businessmen and moved the team to Miami. However, in order to pay leftover debts in Minnesota, Shields sold Rookie of the Year Mel Daniels to the Indi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first established in 1967 as a member of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and became a member of the NBA in 1976 as a result of the ABA–NBA merger. They play their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The team is named after the state of Indiana's history with the Indianapolis 500's pace cars and with the harness racing industry. The Pacers have won three championships, all in the ABA. The Pacers were NBA Eastern Conference champions in 2000. The team has won nine division titles. Six Hall of Fame players – Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Alex English, Mel Daniels, Roger Brown, and George McGinnis – played with the Pacers for multiple seasons. Franchise history 1967–1976: ABA dynasty In early 1967, a group of six investors (a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leroy Wright
James Leroy Wright Sr. (May 6, 1938 – March 21, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) in 1967–68 and 1968–69, winning the ABA Finals in 1968 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pipers. Early life Wright grew up in Texas and graduated from Aycock High School ( Rockdale) in 1956. He was a four-sport star, playing football, basketball and track and field. He won state championships in both football and basketball during his senior year of 1955–56. College career Wright played basketball at the College of the Pacific from 1957–58 to 1959–60 (freshmen were not allowed to play varsity sports according to NCAA rules when he was in college.) When he became eligible as a sophomore in 1957–58, Wright burst onto the national basketball scene with per game averages of 13.2 points and 17.1 rebounds. A forward, his points per game average increased in each his junior and senior seasons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charlie Williams (basketball)
Charles E. Williams (born September 5, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player born in Colorado Springs, Colorado. A 6’0” guard from Stadium High School ( Tacoma) and Seattle University, he played in the American Basketball Association (which later joined the NBA in the ABA-NBA merger) in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The highlight of his career was in 1968, when he teamed with Connie Hawkins to lead the Pittsburgh Pipers to the 1968 ABA Championship. Williams also played in the 1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ... and 1970 ABA All-Star Games. He retired in 1973 with 6,020 total points and a career scoring average of 16.2 points per game. References External linksCareer Stats 1943 births Living people American men's basketbal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Wilburn
Kenneth Eugene Wilburn (June 8, 1944 – October 6, 2016) was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Central State Marauders from 1962 to 1966 and set a career scoring record. He led the team to an National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship in 1965.Lawrence Casey. "Beleaguered Bulls try new face". ''Chicago Defender''. November 2, 1967. 39. Wilburn played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), American Basketball Association (ABA), and the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL)/Eastern Basketball Association (EBA). Wilburn was a three-time EPBL/EBA champion with the Allentown Jets. He won the EPBL Most Valuable Player award in 1968 with the Trenton Colonials and the EBA Most Valuable Player award with the Allentown Jets in 1974. Wilburn joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in November 1967 to provide reinforcement after the team had lost several players to injuries. He returned to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trooper Washington
Thomas "Trooper" Washington (April 21, 1944 – November 19, 2004) was an American professional basketball player born and raised in Philadelphia. A 6'7" forward from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Washington was drafted in 1967 in the 5th round by the Cincinnati Royals, but he played instead in the American Basketball Association from 1967 to 1973 as a member of the Pittsburgh / Minnesota Pipers, Los Angeles Stars, The Floridians, and New York Nets. He won the 1968 ABA Championship with the Pittsburgh Pipers and appeared in the 1969 ABA All-Star Game. In his ABA career, Washington averaged 10.6 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally .... Washington died suddenly while coaching his first game as head coach of the Pennsylvani ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chico Vaughn
Charles "Chico" Vaughn (February 19, 1940 – October 25, 2013) was an American basketball player. At 6'2", he played the guard position. Vaughn is the highest scorer in Illinois high school boys basketball, tallying 3,358 points during his career at Egyptian High School in Tamms, Illinois (1954–1958). He was born in nearby Hodges Park, Illinois, then moved with his family to Portland, Oregon before returning to Tamms at age 7. Vaughn also is the all-time leading scorer for Southern Illinois, where he scored 2,088 points for the Salukis and had his uniform number (20) retired by the school. He had an unorthodox behind the head release that made his shot difficult to block. After leaving college, Vaughn played five seasons (1962–67) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the St. Louis Hawks and Detroit Pistons. He joined the rival American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Vacendak
Stephen T. Vacendak (born August 15, 1944) is an American former basketball player and coach. He originally came from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and was recruited by Vic Bubas to play as a guard for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team. As a guard for the team he led Duke to a 72–14 record and two Final Four appearances during his three-year varsity career. In 1966 he was captain of his basketball team, ACC Player of the Year, and on the All-ACC Tournament team. Despite being named player of the year, Vacendak was not named to the All-ACC team in 1966. Early career After graduating from Duke University, he was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in the fourth round of the 1966 NBA draft, but he never played for them. Instead, he played professional basketball for the American Basketball Association and later joined the sales staff at Converse Rubber Company. In 1980, he went back to work at Duke as an associate athletic director for five years. Perhaps his most si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
George Sutor
George Joseph Sutor (September 14, 1943 – August 29, 2011) was a professional basketball center who played three seasons in the American Basketball Association as a member of the Kentucky Colonels (1967–68), the Minnesota Pipers (1968–69), the Carolina Cougars (1969–70), and the Miami Floridians (1969–70). He attended La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La .... On August 5, 2011, Sutor was involved in an ATV wreck in which the vehicle flipped over, causing a serious head injury. On the 29th of that same month, Sutor died at the age of 67. References External links George Sutor Sr Obituary 1943 births 2011 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball players from Philadelphia Carolina Cougars players Centers (basketball) Kentu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Porter (basketball)
Willie William Porter (born July 3, 1942 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is a retired professional basketball power forward who played two seasons (1967–68) in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a member of the Oakland Oaks, Pittsburgh / Minnesota Pipers and the Houston Mavericks. He attended Tennessee State University where he was selected by the Cincinnati Royals during the 16 round of the 1965 NBA draft The 1965 NBA draft was the 19th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 6, 1965, before the 1965–66 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players .... External links 1942 births Living people Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Cincinnati Royals draft picks Houston Mavericks players Minnesota Pipers players Oakland Oaks players Pittsburgh Pipers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
