The 1971–72

Pittsburgh Condors The Pittsburgh Condors were a professional basketball team in the original American Basketball Association (ABA). Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team pla ...

season was the 2nd and final season of the Pittsburgh Condors along with the 4th and final season of Pittsburgh involvement in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

. General manager Mark Binstein took over as coach after a 4–6 start. By the time the season was half over, the team was 17–25. From that point, the team went 8–34, with a losing streak of 12 near the end of the season sealing any hope of getting out of the cellar of the Division. One factor was despite being 1st in points scored at 119.2 per game, they were dead last in points allowed, at 126.4 per game. Attendance had simply dried up, with games being moved (with one being moved to Uniontown, 46 miles from Pittsburgh) away from the Arena, with the team unofficially becoming the "United States Condors", with one game being played in Birmingham, Alabama. Fittingly, their penultimate game was played in Tucson, Arizona versus the

Kentucky Colonels The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of ...

. On March 29, they played (and lost) their final game, 113–128 to the

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 esta ...

. Attempts to move the team failed after the season failed, and the league soon cancelled the franchise, ending pro basketball in Pittsburgh. Since then, no pro basketball team has played in Pittsburgh. The players were dispersed to other teams, with George Thompson going to the Memphis Tams, Mike Lewis to the

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

, Skeeter Swift to the Dallas Chaparrals, and Walt Szczerbiak to the

Roster

* 13

Nate Bowman Nathan "Nate the Snake" Bowman (March 19, 1943 – December 11, 1984) was an American basketball player born in Fort Worth, Texas. A 6'10" center from Wichita State University, Bowman played five seasons (1966–1971) in the National Basketba ...

- Center * 40

John Brisker John Brisker (June 15, 1947 – disappeared April 11, 1978, declared dead May 29, 1985) was an American professional basketball player from Detroit, Michigan who disappeared in Uganda in April 1978. Career A 6'5" forward/guard who played for the ...

- Small forward * 35 George Carter - Small forward * 30 Mickey Davis - Small forward * 10

Mike Grosso Michael James Grosso (born July 23, 1947, in Raritan, New Jersey) is an American former basketball player. Career Grosso played for the Pittsburgh Condors of the American Basketball Association in the 1971–72 season. Previously, he had been d ...

- Center * 13 Stew Johnson - Point forward * 14/22

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 ...

- Guard * 33

Dave Lattin David Lattin (born December 23, 1943) is an American former basketball player. He was the starting center for the Texas Western Miners in their NCAA championship year in 1966. During his playing career, he was listed at 6 feet 6 inches tall a ...

- Point forward * 24 Mike Lewis - Center * 12

Jim Ligon Jim "Goose" Ligon (February 22, 1944 – April 17, 2004
Association for Professional Basketball Research. Retrieved on October 20, 2008.) was a ...

- Point forward * 44

Jim O'Brien Jim O'Brien may refer to: Sports Basketball *Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1950), American coach for Emerson College, Ohio State and Boston College *Jim O'Brien (basketball, born 1951), American player for the New York Nets and Memphis Sounds *Jim ...

- Point guard * 15

Paul Ruffner Paul Ruffner (October 15, 1948 – June 17, 2022) was a retired American basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ruffner was born on in Downey, California. He ...

- Center * 23

Skeeter Swift Harley Edward "Skeeter" Swift Jr. (June 19, 1946 – April 20, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'3" guard from East Tennessee State University, Swift was selected in the third round (31st pick overall) of the 1969 NBA draf ...

- Shooting guard * 12

Walt Szczerbiak Walter Szczerbiak Sr. (born August 21, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player. At , Szczerbiak played at the small forward position. On February 3, 2008, Szczerbiak was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors ...

- Small forward * 22 Ron Taylor - Center * 25 George Thompson - Shooting guard * 20 Bob Verga - Point guard

Final standings

Eastern Division

Awards and honors

1972 ABA All-Star Game The fifth American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played January 29, 1972 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky before an audience at 15,738. Joe Mullaney of the Kentucky Colonels coached the East, with LaDell Andersen of the Utah Sta ...

selections (game played on January 29, 1972) *

* George Thompson

References

Condors on Basketball Reference

External links

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20130428061104/http://www.remembertheaba.com/Pittsburgh-Condors.html Condors page {{DEFAULTSORT:1971-72 Pittsburgh Condors season Pittsburgh Condors seasons Pittsburgh Pittsburg Pittsburg