American Professional Slo-Pitch League (1977-1980)
United Professional Softball League (1981-1982)
Tombstone
Born: 1977 – APSPL founding franchise
Folded: 1983
First Game: May 29, 1977 (W 13-8, L 17-5 vs. Kentucky Bourbons)
Last Game: August 22, 1982 (L 13-8, L 14-6 vs. Cleveland Competitors)
APSPL Championships: None
UPSL Championships: None
Stadia
1977-1978: Munhall Municipal Stadium (3,800) 1NO BYLINE. “Pittsburgh”, Pro Softball Magazine, June 1977, 35
1978-1980: Moreell Field
1981-1982: LaRussa Field
Branding
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owners: Jim DiIorio and Josephine DiIorio
OUR FAVORITE STUFF
Pittsburgh Hardhats
Logo T-Shirt
Leave it to the guys at Old School Shirts to come up with this deep cut from the American Professional Slo-Pitch League of 1977-1980. Men’s Slo-Pitch crossed over from the beer leagues to professional fever dreams for a hot minute in the late 70’s and Pittsburgh’s Hardhats certainly had one of the better names and logos.
This design is also available as a Crewneck or Hooded Sweatshirt, 3/4 Sleeve Raglan or as a Women’s V-Neck or Tank Top!
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Background
The Pittsburgh Hardhats softball team played for six seasons during the short-lived Pro era of men’s slo-pitch softball. The Hardhats competed in the first men’s pro league – the American Professional Slo-Pitch League – and, later, in its the APSPL’s successor league, the United Professional Softball League.
The Hardhats were a mom-and-pop operation funded by Jim & Josephine DiIorio, proprietors of Jim’s Sports Shop in Edgewood, Pennsylvania. In practice, the Hardhats were really more of a semi-pro operation. Hardhats players earned a few hundred dollars to play, but had to hold down other jobs during the season. As a result, all league games were played only on weekends, typically as doubleheaders.
After three seasons, the team had lost a reported $100,000, but the DiIorio’s kept the club going, even in the face of new competition that arrived in 1980. In June 1979, Ted Stepien, the President of the APSPL and owner of the league’s Cleveland franchise, got into a snit with other league owners. He split off to form his own rival league in 1980 called the North American Softball League. Stepien struggled to find partners for his rebel league and ended up owning most of the teams himself, including the newly formed Pittsburgh Champions who tried to loot the Hardhats roster of players. Stepien and the DiIorio’s wound up in court over the matter.
Ultimately both Pittsburgh teams took the field in 1980. The Hardhats were one of the best teams in the APSPL and advanced to the league’s championship series, where they lost to the Rochester Express 5 games to 4. Stepien’s Pittsburgh Champions team finished last in their division and folded along with the rest of the North American Softball League at the end of 1980.
The End
The Hardhats played two more seasons in the United Professional Softball League in 1981 and 1982. The team changed stadiums frequently and never really developed much of a following, attracting only a few hundred fans per game in the early 1980’s.
The UPSL went dark in 1983 and attempted to re-organize for a return to play in 1984. But the league was never heard from again and the Pittsburgh Hardhats went down with the ship.
Pittsburgh Hardhats Shop
Downloads
1979 American Professional Slo-Pitch League Franchise Sales Brochure
1979 American Professional Slo-Pitch League Franchise Sales Brochure
Links
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