The 1968–69

Minnesota Pipers Minnesota ( ) is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the south, and Nor ...

season was the only season of the Pipers franchise up in the state of

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

and second overall season in the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. 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 ended. However, the Pipers would have a rollercoaster of a season in Minnesota before deciding to relocate back to Pittsburgh for 1969. The team went through three coaches: Harding, who coached the team 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. At the All-Star break, the Pipers were 26-19. However, the team went into a dry spell, losing twelve of their last fifteen games to end the regular season, with Hawkins, Williams, Vaughn, and Heyman each being nagged by injuries due to long practices. The Pipers lost in the Division Semifinals to the Miami Floridians. While the state of Minnesota would try a third time to get a new ABA team in the state with the owner of the

Memphis Tams Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memph ...

later having a desire to sell the team and potentially move the franchise up to

St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

instead of within the

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

area, they would not have a professional basketball team again until 1989 with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

out in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Roster

Final standings

Eastern Division

Playoffs

Eastern Division Semifinals vs.

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 ...

''Pipers lose series, 4–3''

Awards and honors

1969 ABA All-Star Game The second American Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on January 28, 1969, at Louisville Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky before an audience at 5,407, between teams from the Western Conference and the Eastern Conference ...

selections (game played on January 28, 1969) *

Trooper Washington Thomas "Trooper" Washington (April 21, 1944 – November 19, 2004) was an American professional basketball player born and raised in Philadelphia. Biography A 6'7" forward from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Washington was drafted in 1967 ...

* Charlie Williams Hawkins had been selected, but he was injured. Harding was selected to coach the team, but Rhodes replaced him after his firing.

References

Pipers on Basketball Reference

External links

* ttp://www.remembertheaba.com/Pittsburgh-Pipers.html Pipers page {{DEFAULTSORT:1968-69 Minnesota Pipers season Pittsburgh Condors seasons

Minnesota Pipers, 1968-69 Minnesota Pipers, 1968-69