⚾ MLB: 1882-2021
140 7
Left the American Association to join the National League to begin the 1887 season.
Franchise currently exists as the Pittsburgh Pirates.
🏈 NFL: 1933-2021
89 6
Founded in 1933, the Steelers are the seventh-oldest franchise in the NFL, and the oldest franchise in the AFC.
In contrast with their status as perennial also-rans in the pre-merger NFL, where they ...
NHL: 1968-2021
54 5
Founded during the 1967 expansion, the Penguins have qualified for six Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Stanley Cup five times—in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017. Along with the Edmonton Oilers, the P...
Defunct Teams
Teams that have folded or moved away from the Pittsburgh area.F i l t e r & S o r t Filter & Sort
🏀 ABA: 1968-1972
5 1
Originally called the Pittsburgh Pipers, they were a charter franchise of the ABA and captured the first league title. The team played their home games in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.
The Pipers were on...
🏀 ABL3: 1962-1963
2
The American Basketball League played one full season, 1961–1962, and part of the next season until the league folded on December 31, 1962. The founder of the ABL, Abe Saperstein, was the owner of the...
⚾ NNL: 1912-1948
37 9
Formed by Cumberland Posey, and remained in continuous operation for 38 seasons. Played home games in Pittsburgh at Forbes Field and Greenlee Field. In the 1940s they began splitting home games between Pittsburgh and Washington D.C.
🏀 WPBT: 1938-1947
10
The Pittsburgh Pirates were an American professional basketball team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team was one of the thirteen founding members of the National Basketball League (NBL), which...
⚾ USNL: 1931-1946
16 4
Members of the short-lived and mysterious USNL developed by Branch Rickey prior to integration of blacks in baseball.
🏀 NBL: 1937-1938
2
The Detroit Eagles were a professional basketball team based in Detroit, Michigan. Managed by Dutch Dehnert, they played in the National Basketball League from 1939 to 1941, then became a barnstorming...
🏈 AFL2: 1936-1937
2
The Pittsburgh Americans or Pittsburgh Amerks were a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1936 until 1937. The team was a member of the major-league American Foot...
🏀 MBC: 1936-1937
2
Pittsburgh Y.M.H.A.s played for 2 seasons from 1936 to 1937, several in the MBC, before folding....
NHL: 1926-1930
5
The Pirates, the third American-based NHL team, got off to a promising start in the 1925–26 season, making the playoffs in two of their first three seasons. However, the team soon fell on hard times b...
⚾ NNL1: 1921-1922
2
Founded by a Barbadian immigrant and pool hall operator. Their home field was Central Park, built by the prominent African American architect Louis Arnett Stuart Bellinger, who would later design Greenlee Field for the Pittsburgh Crawfords.
⚾ FL: 1912-1915
4 1
Member of the short-lived USBL and Federal League. The team was originally called Pittsburgh Stogies after an earlier Pittsburgh team that played in the Union Association in 1884.
WPHL: 1897-1909
13 3
The Pittsburgh Athletic Club, or Pittsburgh PAC, was one of the earliest professional ice hockey teams. It was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from around 1895 until 1904 and again from 1907 to 1909...
WPHL: 1900-1909
10 3
The Pittsburgh Bankers were one of the earliest professional ice hockey clubs. The club was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, the first leag...
WPHL: 1897-1909
13
The team first played exhibition games of ice hockey in 1895. The Duquesne team then played in the first season of the WPHL at the Schenley Park Casino, with three other teams, the Pittsburgh Athletic...
WPHL: 1908-1909
2
After the WPHL was revived for the 1907–08 season, it was determined that two new teams would be needed so that the league could return to its four team format. That season, the Pittsburgh Pirates and...
IHL: 1905-1907
3
The Pittsburgh Professional Hockey Club, also referred to as the Pittsburgh Professionals and Pittsburgh Pros, were a professional ice hockey team that participated in the International Professional H...
🏈 WPPFC: 1895-1905
11 2
The Latrobe Athletic Association was a professional football team located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, from 1895 until 1909. A member of the unofficial Western Pennsylvania Professional Football Circuit,...
🏈 WPPFC: 1904-1905
2
The Pitcairn Quakers were a professional American football team from Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, United States. The team played as an independent from 1904 until 1920 and featured the best players in the ...
WPHL: 1901-1904
4 1
The Pittsburgh Keystones were a semi-professional ice hockey club, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, the first league to openly hire hocke...
WPHL: 1903-1904
2 1
For the 1902–03 season, the Victorias were added to the WPHL making it a four team league. The team was made up of players from Ottawa, Ontario, enticed to come to Pittsburgh. The Victorias were able ...
🏈 WPPFC: 1891-1901
11 1
Intense competition between two Pittsburgh-area clubs, the Allegheny Athletic Association and the Pittsburgh Athletic Club, led to William (Pudge) Heffelfinger becoming the first known professional football player.
🏈 WPPFC: 1899-1901
3 2
In 1898, William Chase Temple took over the Duquesne Country and Athletic Club, becoming the first individual team owner in professional football. In 1900, most of the Duquesne players were hired by t...
🏈 WPPFC: 1894-1900
7 1
Included several of the era's top players that revolutionized the game during their playing careers: Charlie Atherton, George Barclay, Ross Fiscus, Jack Gass, Arthur McFarland, Charles Rinehart, Isaac Seneca and Adam Martin Wyant.
🏈 WPPFC: 1895-1900
6 3
Considered one of the best professional football teams in the country. However, the team is most famous for being the first football franchise to be owned by an individual, William Chase Temple.
WPHL: 1897-1900
4
The Western Pennsylvania Hockey league played its first season in 1896–97 at the Casino, with four teams—the Pittsburgh Athletic Club (PAC), the Duquesne Country & Athletic Club (or Pittsburgh Duquesn...
🏈 WPPFC: 1890-1896
7 4
The Allegheny team was assembled in 1890. At that time athletic clubs and associations, ranging from the best with extensive facilities to local organizations with minimum meeting rooms, were in their...
⚾ PL: 1890-1890
1
Team was purchased by the Pittsburgh Alleghenys of the National League after the Players League folded following the 1890 season.
⚾ UA: 1884-1884
1
Team disbaded after only 25 games in 1884.
The Union Association replaced the team with the Kansas City Cowboys.
The early history of sports contains hundreds of teams that appeared for only 1 or 2 seasons before folding. Most of these teams have no historical photographs or articles, so are omitted from this list to reduce clutter. To view a comprehensive list of all defunct teams, browse to the early leagues section for baseball, football, basketball, or hockey.