Vincent C. Cazzetta (September 24, 1925 – May 4, 2005) was an American basketball coach and head coach of the Pittsburgh Pipers during the 1967–68 season, in which they won the American Basketball Association (ABA) championship. He was also one of the most successful head coaches in Seattle University's men's basketball history

Vince Cazzetta
Cazzetta in the 1958–59 season.
Personal information
Born(1925-09-24)September 24, 1925
New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedMay 4, 2005(2005-05-04) (aged 79)
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
Career information
High schoolNew Britain
(New Britain, Connecticut)
CollegeBridgeport
Career history
As coach:
1956–1958Seattle (assistant)
1958–1963Seattle
1963–1967Rhode Island (assistant)
1967–1968Pittsburgh Pipers
Career highlights and awards

Cazzetta was head coach at Seattle from 1959 through 1963. He ranked second in school history with a .711 winning percentage and 96 wins. He resigned as coach with nine games left in the 1963 season after a dispute with the athletic director.[1]

Cazzetta moved on to become an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island.[2]

Cazzetta became head coach of the fledgling Pittsburgh Pipers during the ABA's first season. He made major changes to the roster throughout the season; at the end of the season the team only had four players who had been there at the start of the season. During the season the Pipers had winning streaks of 15 and 12 games and won 18 out of 19 games at one point.[3] The Pipers won the 1968 ABA Championship.

Cazzetta was the ABA's Coach of the Year for the 1967–68 season.[4]

Cazzetta resigned as coach of the Pipers after team owners refused to grant him a raise in order to help move his wife and six children, as the franchise was leaving Pittsburgh to become the Minnesota Pipers. (The owners' refusal and move were both mistakes; the team returned to Pittsburgh as the Pipers after only one season in Minnesota.) Cazzetta was replaced as the Pipers' head coach by Jim Harding of LaSalle College.[5]

Cazzetta died in 2005 in Hartford, Connecticut at the age of 79.

Head coaching record

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Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Seattle Chieftains (Independent) (1958–1963)
1958–59 Seattle 21–6
1959–60 Seattle 16–10
1960–61 Seattle 18–8 NCAA University Division first round
1961–62 Seattle 18–9 NCAA University Division first round
1962–63 Seattle 21–6 NCAA University Division first round
Seattle: 94–39 (.707)
Total: 94–39 (.707)
Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
Pittsburgh 1967–68 78 54 24 .692 1st in Eastern 15 11 4 .733 Won ABA Finals
Total ABA 78 54 24 .692 15 11 4 .733

References

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