Late 1960s Stephen Vacendak Pitt/Minn/Pitt Pipers Inaugural Season ABA Worn Road Fleece Warm-Up Jacket

On the inside right front is the "Rawlings" manufacturers size 44 tag. Adjacent to that is an additional manufacturers tag with wash instructions. On the left breast is the official "Pipers" logo patch. On the right breast is the official "ABA Champions 1967 1968" patch, which was added to the jacket after their inaugural season. On the back of the jacket is "PITTSBURGH PIPERS" in orange on white tackle twill which was at one time covered up by a “MINNESOTA” plate and then removed when the team re-relocated back to Pittsburgh. On the left sleeve is the player number "22" in orange tackle twill, which was Vacendak’s uniform number in 1968-69. Due to the ABA’s lack of funding it is probable that more than one player wore this jacket during its tenure. The jacket shows excellent wear and besides the aforementioned appears to have no alterations of any kind. This lot is accompanied by a LOA from Al Trautwig.

Notes: In the inaugural 1967-68 season of the ABA, the Pittsburgh Pipers, led by Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins won the Eastern Division title and faced off against the New Orleans Bucs in the Championship Finals. In a hard fought seven-game series, the Pipers emerged as the victor to win the very first ABA title. Prior to the 1968-69 season, the team relocated and played as the Minnesota Pipers. The following year, in a twisted turn of events, they once again did what everyone least expected and moved the organization back to Pittsburgh, all while keeping the same team name.