Cleveland Pipers
Encyclopedia
The Cleveland Pipers was an American basketball
team based in Cleveland, Ohio
that played in the short-lived American Basketball League
from 1961-62. General Manager, Mike Cleary hired John McLendon
, the first African American head coach in professional basketball to lead the squad. Playing under coach John McLendon
, the team won the league championship in its only year in the league. In a game against the Hawaii Chiefs, George Steinbrenner sold player Grady McCollum to the Chiefs at halftime.
unsuccessfully petitioned to get the National Basketball Association
to accept his team the following year, the Pipers disbanded. After the ABL folded, Steinbrenner had $125,000 in debts and personal losses of two million dollars.
signed Jerry Lucas
to a player-management contract worth forty thousand dollars. With the Lucas signing, Steinbrenner had a secret deal with NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff
. The Pipers would merge with the Kansas City Steers and join the NBA. A schedule was printed for the 1963-64 NBA season with the Pipers playing the New York Knicks in the first game. Steinbrenner and partner George McKean fell behind in payments to the NBA and the deal was cancelled.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team based in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
that played in the short-lived American Basketball League
American Basketball League (1961-1963)
The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961-1962, and part of 1962-1963. The league actually folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a three point shot for baskets scored far away from the goal.-Formation:...
from 1961-62. General Manager, Mike Cleary hired John McLendon
John McLendon
John B. McLendon, Jr. was a pioneering American basketball coach who is recognized as the first African American basketball coach at a predominantly white university. He was a major contributor to the development of modern basketball and coached on both the college and professional levels during...
, the first African American head coach in professional basketball to lead the squad. Playing under coach John McLendon
John McLendon
John B. McLendon, Jr. was a pioneering American basketball coach who is recognized as the first African American basketball coach at a predominantly white university. He was a major contributor to the development of modern basketball and coached on both the college and professional levels during...
, the team won the league championship in its only year in the league. In a game against the Hawaii Chiefs, George Steinbrenner sold player Grady McCollum to the Chiefs at halftime.
NBA petition
After team owner George SteinbrennerGeorge Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
unsuccessfully petitioned to get the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
to accept his team the following year, the Pipers disbanded. After the ABL folded, Steinbrenner had $125,000 in debts and personal losses of two million dollars.
Jerry Lucas
In the spring of 1962, Cleveland Pipers owner George SteinbrennerGeorge Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees. During Steinbrenner's 37-year ownership from 1973 to his death in July 2010, the longest in club history, the Yankees earned seven World Series...
signed Jerry Lucas
Jerry Lucas
Jerry Ray Lucas was a basketball player from the 1950s to the 1970s, and is now a memory education expert. In 1996, the NBA's 50th anniversary, he was named one of the 50 greatest players in National Basketball Association history...
to a player-management contract worth forty thousand dollars. With the Lucas signing, Steinbrenner had a secret deal with NBA commissioner Maurice Podoloff
Maurice Podoloff
Maurice Podoloff was a U.S. lawyer and basketball and ice hockey administrator. He was the first president of the National Basketball Association...
. The Pipers would merge with the Kansas City Steers and join the NBA. A schedule was printed for the 1963-64 NBA season with the Pipers playing the New York Knicks in the first game. Steinbrenner and partner George McKean fell behind in payments to the NBA and the deal was cancelled.
Players
Apparently Lucas did not play in any ABL games. Pipers players include the following:- Dick Barnett
- John CoxJohn CoxJohn Cox may refer to:*John Cox , British wildlife artist and photographer*John Cox , member of the Virginia House of Delegates*John Cox , British Royal Navy admiral...
- Larry SiegfriedLarry SiegfriedLarry E. Siegfried was an American National Basketball Association player.-Early years:Siegfried led Ohio in scoring as a senior at Shelby High School....
- Ben WarleyBen WarleyBenjamin Vallentina Warley was an American professional basketball player.A 6'5" forward/guard from Tennessee State University, Warley played five seasons in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Syracuse Nationals, Philadelphia 76ers, and Baltimore Bullets. He averaged 8.4...
Year-by-year
| Year | League | Reg. Season | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961/62 | ABL | 1st, Eastern | Champion |