History of Women's Basketball in America

Women's basketball began the year after the game was invented. The history of women's basketball success is a long one: collegiate and professional teams, intercollegiate competitions (and their critics) as well as the sad history of many failed attempts at professional leagues; women's basketball at the Olympics. It's all here in this timeline.

Early Years: 1891-1914

The early years of women's basketball were characterized by the creation of the first women's team, first women's college game, and even the first article about the sport.

1891

• James Naismith invented basket ball [sic] at a Massachusetts YMCA school

1892

• first women's basketball team organized by Senda Berenson at Smith College, adapting Naismith's rules to emphasize cooperation, with three zones and six players on each team

1893

• first women's college basketball game played at Smith College; no men were admitted to the game (March 21)
• women's basketball began at Iowa State College, Carleton College, Mount Holyoke College, and Sophie Newcomb College (Tulane) in New Orleans; each year more schools added women's basketball to their sports offerings for girls

1894

• Senda Berenson published an article on women's basketball and its benefits in the Physical Education journal

1895

Basketball was being played at many women's colleges, including Vassar College, Bryn Mawr College, and Wellesley College

• Baer published rules for women's "Basquette"

1896

• Bloomers introduced as a playing costume at Sophie Newbomb College, New Orleans
• Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley played the first women's intercollegiate game; Stanford won, 2-1, and men were excluded, with women guarding the windows and doors to exclude men
• first known women's basketball game between two high schools was played in the Chicago area, with Chicago Austin High School against Oak Park High School

1899

• Conference of Physical Training established a committee to form uniform rules for women's basket ball [sic]
• Stanford banned women's basketball from intercollegiate competition, as did the University of California

1901

• University of California at Berkeley was given an outdoor basketball court for women by philanthropist Phoebe Hearst
• Spalding issued women's basketball rules, edited by Senda Berenson, establishing 3 zones with 5-10 players per team; some teams used men's rules, some used Baer's rules, and some used Spalding's/Berenson's rules

1904

• A Native American team played women's basketball at the St. Louis World's Fair, as an exhibition

1908

• AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) took the position that women or girls should not play basketball in public

1914

• The American Olympic Committee declared its opposition to the participation of women in the Olympics competition

Development of the Sport: 1920–1938

The 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of industrial leagues, with teams comprised of company employees, the inclusion of women's basketball in the Olympics, and the emergence of two rival Black women's basketball barnstorming teams.

1920s

• industrial leagues -- teams sponsored by companies for their workers -- were established in many parts of the country

1921

• Jeux Olympiques Féminines held in Monaco, an all-women's sports competition for sports excluded from the Olympics; sports included basketball, track and field; Britain's team won the basketball event

1922

• Jeux Olympiques Féminines held, an all-women's sports competition for sports excluded from the Olympics; sports included basketball, track and field

1923

• Jeux Olympiques Féminines held, an all-women's sports competition for sports excluded from the Olympics; sports included basketball, track and field
• Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation (WDNAAF) held its first conference; over the next few years, it will take on women's extramural basketball and other sports as too competitive, working to get high schools, industrial leagues, and even churches to ban tournaments

1924

• Olympics included women's basketball -- as an exhibition event
• International Women's Sports Federation founded, hosted a women's event paralleling the Olympics, including basketball

1926

• AAU held the first national tournament for women's basketball, with six teams participating

1927

• AAU National Women's Basketball Tournament canceled under pressure from the WDNAAF; Sunoco Oilers (Dallas) declared AAU national champions

1928

• Olympics included women's basketball -- as an exhibition event
• AAU National Women's Basketball Tournament canceled for the second year under pressure from the WDNAAF; Sunoco Oilers (Dallas) declared AAU national champions (again)

1929

• AAU selected the first AAU All-America team
• AAU re-started national championship tournament; Sunoco Oilers won, defeating the Golden Cyclones; a beauty contest was part of the event

1930

• AAU national championship included 28 teams; Sunoco Oilers won, defeating the Golden Cyclones

1930s

• Isadore Channels (of the Chicago Romas team) and Ora Mae Washington (of the Philadelphia Tribunes) starred in two rival Black women's basketball barnstorming teams; both women were also American Tennis Association title winners
• WDNAAF continued to pressure states to ban women's basketball tournaments, with success in many states

1931

• Golden Cyclones won AAU Championship, led by "Babe" Didrikson

1938

• three zones reduced to two in women's competition

Advancement of the Game: 1940s–1979

The period during World War II through the late 1970s saw many advancements in women's basketball, from a reorganization of the sport's international competition to the inclusion of women's basketball in the Paralympics, and the enactment of Title IX, requiring federally-funded schools to fund women's sports, including basketball.

1940s

• during World War II, competition and recreation basketball was common; relocation centers for Japanese Americans, for instance, included regularly scheduled women's basketball games

1953

• international competition in women's basketball was reorganized

1955

• first Pan-American Games included women's basketball; USA won the gold medal

1969

• Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (ICAW) held an invitational basketball tournament, the first national tournament not including AAU teams; West Chester State won the championship
• women's basketball was included in the Paralympics

1970

• five player full court game adopted for women's basketball

1972

• Title IX enacted, requiring federally-funded schools to fund women's sports equitably, including teams, scholarships, recruitment, and media coverage
• Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) held the first national intercollegiate championship in basketball; Immaculata defeated West Chester
• AAU established national basketball tournaments for girls younger than college age

1973

• college scholarships offered to female athletes for the first time
• Amateur Basketball Association of the United States (ABAUSA) established, replacing AAU

1974

• US Olympic Committee recognized the ABAUSA
• Billie Jean King founded the Women's Sports Foundation, to promote sports and physical activity among girls

1976

• women's basketball became an Olympic sport; the Soviet team won the gold, USA won the silver

1978

• Wade Trophy established to honor a top collegiate player; first awarded to Carol Blazejowski
• Bill Byrne founded the 8-team Women's Basketball League (WBL)

1979

• WBL expanded to 14 teams

Increasing Professional Presence: The 1980s

The 1980s ushered in an era of increased professional status for women's basketball as well as major developments in the sport at the college level. And the U.S. women's basketball team even won the gold twice at the Summer Olympics during the decade.

1980

• Ladies Professional Basketball Association founded with six teams; played for less than a month before failing
• first USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year Award went to Carol Blazejowski
• Olympics held but many nations boycotted, led by the USA

1981

• WBL played its last season
• Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) begins
• NCAA announced women's basketball tournaments; AIAW filed an antitrust suit in opposition
• final AIAW tournament held; AIAW dropped the lawsuit against the NCAA and disbanded
• first NCAA women's basketball Final Four championship held

1984

• Olympics women's basketball event won by USA team, with the USSR and some other nations boycotting
• Women's American Basketball Association (WABA) formed, with six teams; it was, like most of the women's professional basketball leagues, short-lived
• Lynette Woodard began playing with the Harlem Globetrotters, the first woman to play with that team

1985

• Senda Berenson Abbott, L. Margaret Wade, and Bertha F. Teague were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, the first women to be so honored

1986

• National Women's Basketball Association (NWBA) founded; folded the same season

1987

• Naismith Hall of Fame initiated Female High School Player of the Year award

1988

• Olympics women's basketball event won by USA team

A New League: The 1990s

The 1990s included the recognition of a women's basketball coach with a major award for the first time as well as the founding and expanion of the WNBA.

1990

• Pat Summit was the first woman to be awarded the John Bunn Award by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1991

• WBL disbanded
• Liberty Basketball Association (LBA) founded, and lasted one game, broadcast on ESPN

1992

• Howard University women's basketball coach became the first woman to win monetary damages under Title IX, for discrimination
• Nera White, who played with the Nashville Business College team, and Lusia (Lucy) Harris (Harris-Stewart) were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1993

• Women's Basketball Association (WBA) founded
• Ann Meyers and Ulyana Semjonova inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1994

• Carol Blazejowski inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1995

• Women's Basketball Association (WBA) failed
• American Basketball League (ABL) founded with ten teams
• players Anne Donovan and Cheryl Miller inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1996

• NBA established the WNBA with eight teams; Sheryl Swoopes was the first player signed by the WNBA
• Nancy Lieberman inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1997

• first WNBA game played
• WNBA added two more teams
• players Joan Crawford and Denise Curry inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1998

• ABL failed
• WNBA expanded by two teams

1999

• Women's Basketball Hall of Fame opened with 25 inductees
• WNBA expanded by four teams for the 2000 season

More Gold, More Glory: The 2000s and Beyond

The USA women's basketball team captured another gold medal a the summer Olympics to start the new millenium and the WNBA marked its first decade during this period.

2000

• Olympics held in Sydney, Australia; USA team won gold medal; Teresa Edwards became the first basketball player to play on five consecutive Olympic teams and win five Olympic medals
• National Women's Basketball Professional League (NWBL) founded
• Pat Head Summitt (coach) inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

2002

• Sandra Kay Yow (coach) inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Ashley McElhiney became the first woman head coach for a men's professional basketball team (ABA, Nashville Rhythm); she resigned in 2005 with a 21-10 record

2004

• Lynette Woodard inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

2005

• Hortencia Marcari and Sue Gunter (LSU coach) inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

2006

• WNBA celebrated its 10th year by announcing an All-Decade Team, selected by fans, media, and current players and coaches.

2008

• Cathy Rush inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
• Signing a 7-day WNBA contract, Nancy Lieberman returned to play in a single game