American Basketball League (1961)
Tombstone
Born: April 21, 1960 – ABL founding franchise
Moved: December 31, 1961 (New York Tapers)1ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Commack Gets Taper Franchise”. The Sun (Baltimore, MD). January 1, 1962
First Game: November 2, 1961 (W 65-64 vs. Chicago Majors)
Last Game: December 31, 1961 (W 108-95 @ Chicago Majors)
ABL Championships: None
Arena
Washington Coliseum
Opened: 1941
Closed: 1985
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: Paul Cohen & Harry G. Lynn
Our Favorite Stuff
Washington Tapers
Logo T-Shirt
Earlier this year Cincinnati’s Old School Shirts introduced this great line of tees from the American Basketball League of the early 1960’s. Kind of amazing that the Washington Tapers made the cut, seeing as how this club spent only two months in the nation’s capital before bolting town for Long Island in the middle of their first season. But our friends at Old School Shirts are nothing if not thorough…
This design is available in sizes Small through 3XL and can also be ordered as a Crewneck or Hooded Sweatshirt!
When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Background
Doomed entry in Abe Saperstein’s short-lived American Basketball League of the early 1960’s. The Tapers were owned by Paul Cohen, owner of the Technical Tape Company of New Rochelle, New York. Cohen was a millionaire business owner, basketball fan and sufferer from muscular dystrophy. It was Cohen who recruited Jerry Lewis to the cause of muscular dystrophy and helped inspire the comedian’s famous Labor Day telethons in support of the MDA. Cohen previously backed the New York Tuck Tapers (1959-1961) in the amateur National Industrial Basketball League (NIBL). The Washington Tapers marked Cohen’s first foray into full professionalism in the basketball arena.
Notable Names
The biggest name on the Tapers was Gene Conley, a two-sport star who previously played Major League Baseball for the Milwaukee Braves and pro basketball for the Boston Celtics. Conley signed a $20,000/year contract with the Tapers in October 1961.2ASSOCIATED PRESS. “New Washington Tapers Open Campaign Thursday”. The Press-Herald (Portland, ME). November 2, 1961
Another noteworthy Taper was 6′ 10″ former University of Cincinnati center Connie Dierking, who had been the #5 overall pick in the 1958 NBA Draft for the Syracuse Nationals. Dierking quit the NBA at age 24 following the 1959-60 season because of his fear of flying and the league’s increasing reliance on air travel. Tapers owner Paul Cohen offered Dierking a no-flying contract that only required him to appear in 60 of the team’s 85 scheduled games.3Jacobson, Howard. “Dierking Happy With Tapers”. The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk-Portsmouth, VA). November 9, 1961
Dan Swartz, one of several holdovers from the NIBL Tapers, was the Tapers’ top scorer at 24.8 points per game in 1961-62.
Move To Long Island
The team was a bust in the nation’s capital. After just two months of play, the Tapers announced a midseason move to Long Island’s Commack Arena on New Year’s Eve, 1961, where they would become known as the New York Tapers. Following the 1961-62 season, Cohen moved the team again, this time to Philadelphia. The ABL folded on December 31st, 1962 midway through its second season, taking the Washington/New York/Philadelphia Tapers down with it.
In Memoriam
Center Connie Dierking passed away at age 77 on December 29, 2013. New York Times obituary.
Forward Gene Conley died on July 4th, 2017 of congestive heart failure at 86 years old. New York Times obituary.
Links
##
