When pro basketball came to Fayette County
Submitted photo
Mike Lewis was a member of the Pittsburgh Condors无毛视频� ABA team which played two games in Fayette County in 1972.
Submitted photo
George Thompson was a member of the Pittsburgh Condors无毛视频� ABA team which played two games in Fayette County in 1972.
It is a little known footnote in Fayette County sports history, but back in the day in 1972 the American Basketball Association无毛视频檚 Pittsburgh Condors played two regular season games in Fayette County high school gymnasiums.
Pittsburgh was a charter member of the old ABA during the 1966-67 campaign. The Pittsburgh Pipers captured the first ABA championship led by Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins. The Pipers, despite having a very good team, did not fill the stands with fans, and that prompted owner Gabe Rubin to move the team after just one year in Pittsburgh to Minneapolis, Minnesota (where another inaugural ABA team, the Minnesota Muskies, had already failed due to lack of fan support).
The Pipers无毛视频� move to Minnesota was a disaster. After spending only one season in Minnesota, team owner Rubin made another strange decision 无毛视频� he moved the team back to Pittsburgh and they were a box office failure. Hawkins had departed to the NBA. That left the Pipers with little talent.
It seemed almost certain that the Pipers would move once again, but the ABA decided to remain in Pittsburgh. Rubin sold the team to a new corporate owner, Haven Industries, Inc. 无毛视频� the owner of the 无毛视频淛ack Frost无毛视频� brand of sugar products. While Haven Industries was headquartered in New York City, it still decided to keep the team in Pittsburgh.
Haven Industries got rid of the Pipers nickname. The team held a 无毛视频渘ame the team无毛视频� contest, open to the general public. The name 无毛视频淧ioneers无毛视频� was selected as the winning entry, and the man who submitted the name won a $500 cash prize.
But that went off the rails quickly. Point Park College was already using the 无毛视频淧ioneers无毛视频� nickname. The school threatened immediate legal action against the ABA club if the 无毛视频淧ioneers无毛视频� name was not dropped. At the same time, a female contestant sued the team, claiming that the winning 无毛视频淧ioneers无毛视频� entry did not stay within the designated 25-word contest limit.
As the story goes, GM Marty Blake decided to select a nickname that nobody could have possibly selected and the team became the Pittsburgh Condors. To jump start interest, Blake decided to give away all available tickets to Pittsburgh无毛视频檚 Nov. 17, 1970, home game against the Floridians. With every seat in the 13,000 seat Civic Arena given away for free (only 8,074 fans actually showed up to watch the game) the Condors lost the game, 122-116.
Haven Industries trustee Donald J. Bezahler condemned the free ticket night as 无毛视频渁n act of desperation无毛视频� and relieved Blake of his GM position. Mark Binstein took over as GM after Blake无毛视频檚 departure from the team but the Condors continued to flounder. During the 1971-72 season GM Binstein suddenly fired coach Jack McMahon. Binstein named himself as McMahon无毛视频檚 replacement. Binstein had no previous pro coaching experience, although he had played some college basketball at West Point.
Attendance was almost non-existent and that无毛视频檚 when the team decided to play some games at local high school gyms and in places like Birmingham, Alabama, and Tucson, Arizona.
John Brisker was the big gun on those Condor teams, but they had some other talent like former Marquette All-American George Thompson and former Duke All-American Mike Lewis.
无毛视频淚t was a different situation,无毛视频� Thompson recalled. 无毛视频淢ark Binstein took over running things and he thought he could coach, so he took over coaching duties at one point, and he didn无毛视频檛 have one clue about coaching. Binstein had an ego that was big as all outdoors. He thought he knew the pro basketball game as well as anybody and in the end he should have just stayed at in the front office and got a professional coach to run the thing, but I guess the budget was tight.
无毛视频淲e had talent, but everything about the organization at that time screamed loser. Had we had different circumstances I无毛视频檓 sure we would have had a better team.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭hey were on a shoestring budget to say the least,无毛视频� Lewis remembered. 无毛视频淲e were all pretty sure that we weren无毛视频檛 going to be playing in Pittsburgh the following year and probably not for that franchise. We knew what was going to happen, it was in bad shape for a lot of reasons, they mismanaged it and plus they they wouldn无毛视频檛 put any money into it.
无毛视频淣ow there was some talent, but when you don无毛视频檛 have any leadership at the coaching position and you can无毛视频檛 encourage people to play together because that无毛视频檚 when you are going to be successful it doesn无毛视频檛 matter how much talent you have. Everybody started going for themselves at the end and you are not going to be successful in basketball if you do that.无毛视频�
On Feb. 9, 1972, the Condors faced the Utah Stars at Uniontown High School无毛视频檚 gym. They drew a sellout crowd of 1,790 fans, which was one of the better crowds the Condors drew all season. The Stars beat the Condors 154-131. Thompson paced the Condors with 33 points and Lewis had 11. The Stars were led by Willie Wise with 36 points.
无毛视频淚t is amazing that we played games in high school gyms,无毛视频� Thompson marveled. 无毛视频淭hat should tell you something and as long as the checks didn无毛视频檛 bounce I无毛视频檇 play where ever they wanted me to play.无毛视频�
无毛视频淭hat无毛视频檚 pathetic isn无毛视频檛 it,无毛视频� Lewis laughed. 无毛视频淥bviously we played our usual great defense giving up 154. That无毛视频檚 a bunch even in a pro game. Utah was a really good team and well coached and they were a strong franchise.无毛视频�
On March 14, 1972, the Condors played the Virginia Squires at Connellsville High School. Virginia, led by rookie Julius Erving with 33 points, downed the Condors 156-133. Lewis had 23 points for Pittsburgh and Thompson added 17. The game only drew 500 fans.
无毛视频淭hat was still a good crowd for us,无毛视频� Lewis stated. 无毛视频淰irginia didn无毛视频檛 want to be outdone by Utah. We helped everybody from that standpoint, everybody padded their scoring average when the played against us.无毛视频�
The Condors limped to a 25-59 record in 1971-72. They had seen enough and folded the franchise and held a special dispersal draft for those Condors players who were still under contract. George Thompson went to the Memphis Tams (another 无毛视频渄ifficult无毛视频� location), Mike Lewis went to the Carolina Cougars, Skeeter Swift went to the Dallas Chaparrals, and Walt Szczerbiak went to the Kentucky Colonels. John Brisker finally decided to test the NBA. He signed a new contract with the Seattle SuperSonics.
无毛视频淚 did not enjoy playing in Pittsburgh,无毛视频� Thompson offered. 无毛视频淧ittsburgh is a great city, but as far as basketball was concerned there was very little interest in the team and I believe that affected the whole organization and I just didn无毛视频檛 enjoy it and I was happy when they folded. They took me first in the draft of eligible players after they folded and I ended up in Memphis.
无毛视频淭hat team was owned by Charlie Finley and that guy was certifiably crazy.无毛视频�
Thompson eventually played with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1974-75.
无毛视频淚 played with Milwaukee,无毛视频� Thompson said. 无毛视频淭he difference between the Bucks and the teams I had played for was like night and day.无毛视频�
It无毛视频檚 only a fleeting memory when the ABA came to Fayette County. The Pittsburgh Condors faded into history.
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.