Washington Tapers
| Philadelphia Tapers | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1961 |
| Dissolved | 1963 |
| History | Washington Tapers (1961), New York Tapers (1962), Philadelphia Tapers (1962–1963) |
| Arena | Philadelphia Civic Center |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Head coach | Mario Perri |
The Philadelphia Tapers were an American professional basketball team that played a partial 1962–1963 season and traces its history to the 1950s 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.
When Abe 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. Cohen signed Gene Conley, who had played for the Boston Celtics and pitched for the Milwaukee Braves. 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 team mid-season, on January 2, 1962, to Commack, New York and renamed the New York Tapers. They played their final game in New York at Long Island Arena on March 14, 1962.
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) 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.
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