The Philadelphia Tapers were an American professional basketball team that played a partial 1962–1963 season in the
American Basketball League (1961–1962)
The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and approximately one-third of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The ABL was the first basketball league to have a three-point field goal for s ...
. It traces its history to the 1950s AAU New York Tapers.
AAU New York Tapers
Originally the amateur New York Tapers, the team played in the
NABL and was sponsored by Technical Tape Corporation, makers of Tuck brand adhesive and recording tapes. The Tapers were a top
AAU club team in the 1950s featuring many former collegiate stars and pro players.
Washington Tapers 1961–1962
The American Basketball League played one full season,
1961–
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
, and part of the next season until the league 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. Other rules that set the league apart were a
30-second shooting clock and a wider
free throw lane, 18 feet instead of the standard 12.
The American Basketball League was formed when
Abe Saperstein did not get the Los Angeles
National Basketball Association
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 ...
(NBA) franchise he sought. His
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters is an American Exhibition game, exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, entertainment, and comedy in their style of play. Over the years, they have played more than 26,000 exhibition games in 124 ...
had strong NBA ties. When
Minneapolis Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise has a long and storied history, having played and won championships in both the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL) and the Basketball Association of America (BAA) prior to ...
owner
Bob Short was permitted to move the Lakers to Los Angeles, Saperstein reacted by convincing
National Alliance of Basketball Leagues
The National Alliance of Basketball Leagues (NABL) (founded 1961) is the descendant of the industrial-based basketball clubs that formed into the National Basketball League (United States), National Basketball League (NBL) in the early 1930s.
H ...
(NABL) team owner Paul Cohen (Tuck Tapers) and
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...
(AAU) National Champion
Cleveland Pipers owner
George Steinbrenner
George Michael Steinbrenner III (July 4, 1930July 13, 2010) was an American businessman who was the principal owner and managing partner of Major League Baseball's New York Yankees from 1973 until his death in 2010. He was the longest-serving own ...
to take the top NABL and AAU teams and players and form a rival league.
League franchises were: the
Chicago Majors (1961-1963);
Cleveland Pipers (1961-1962);
Kansas City Steers (1961-1963);
Long Beach Chiefs (1961-1963), as
Hawaii Chiefs in 1961-62;
Los Angeles Jets (1961-1962) — disbanded during season);
Oakland Oaks (1961-1963), as
San Francisco Saints in 1961-62; Philadelphia Tapers (1961-1963), as
Washington Tapers in 1961-62 — moved to New York during 1961-62 season, as
New York Tapers; and the
Pittsburgh Rens (1961-1963).
When Saperstein's
American Basketball League was born in 1961, Tuck Tape owner Paul Cohen purchased a franchise, gave it the Tapers name, and placed it in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
(playing at the
Washington Coliseum). Cohen signed
Gene Conley, who had played for the
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...
and pitched for the
Milwaukee Braves
The Milwaukee Braves were a Major League Baseball club that played in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, from 1953 to 1965, having previously played in Boston, Massachusetts, as the Boston Braves. After relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, in 1966 they were rename ...
. While with the Tapers, Conley often accompanied Paul Cohen on sales calls for his Tuck Tape Company.
The team was a failure in Washington, and Cohen transplanted the franchise mid-season — on January 2, 1962 — to
Commack, New York
Commack ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the towns of Huntington and Smithtown in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. The CDP's population was 36,124 at the 2010 census.
History
The name "Commack" comes from t ...
, renaming it the New York Tapers. They played their final game in New York at
Long Island Arena on March 14, 1962.
Philadelphia Tapers 1962–1963
When the ABL began their second season in 1962, the Tapers moved to Philadelphia, where Cohen hoped to take advantage of the NBA
Philadelphia Warriors' (and
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...
’s) departure to San Francisco.
Harvey Pollack kept the Tapers' statistics as he had for the Warriors. The Tapers hired Mario Perri to coach the team in Philadelphia. Perri had been the athletic director at the Technical Tape Corp where he coached the softball team to a national title.
In a bizarre bit of scheduling, the team twice faced the Chicago Majors on November 15, winning the first game, 51-46, before dropping the nightcap, 65-63, in overtime. The Tapers played only 28 games during the abbreviated 1962–1963 season. The final game was against the Chicago Majors in a neutral site game at the
Cleveland Arena on December 30, 1962.
Players
During their time, the Tapers boasted of many outstanding players.
Star of the team was
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard
Roger Kaiser, who later became an outstanding college coach at
West Georgia College and
Life College.
Another star was 6'10" center
Bill Chmielewski, out of the
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a Private university, private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary (Marianists), Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the U ...
. In 1964, he was selected 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 ...
draft by the
Cincinnati Royals, but never played in the NBA.
Also starring on the team was the mysterious
Sylvester Blye
Sylvester "Sy" Blye (born February 14, 1938) was an American streetball, street and professional basketball player.
Blye was famous in the Rucker Park league in New York City, being named to its Hall of Fame. He played briefly in college for Seat ...
, a strapping 6-9 player who saw his college career at
Seattle University quashed after one game when officials discovered that he had been playing professionally for the touring
Harlem Clowns. Blye then went to work for Tuck Tape and became the team's signature player. He was known as a legend in the
New York Rucker league and was a full-fledged star in the ABL, but no
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 ...
team ever called on him after the league's demise.
Another notable Taper was point guard
Cleo Hill, who was a superstar at
Winston-Salem State University several years prior to
Earl Monroe. Hill was a number one draft pick of the NBA
St. Louis Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at S ...
but was mysteriously cut a year later. His stay with the Tapers also did not result in a call by any NBA teams.
ABL Year-by-year
References
External links
Just Sports Stats: Philadelphia Tapers
{{Defunct Pennsylvania sports teams
American Basketball League (1961–62) teams
Basketball teams in New York (state)
Basketball teams in Philadelphia
Basketball teams in Washington, D.C.
Defunct basketball teams in Pennsylvania
1961 establishments in Washington, D.C.
1962 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
Basketball teams established in 1961
Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1962