WBL History (The Beginning)

At last! "Mad Seasons: A History of the first Women's Professional Basketball League (1978-81)" (University of Nebraska Press, 2006) is now available for purchase here from Amazon.com or here from Barnes & Noble. 354 pp., 22 photos, detailed source notes, and index.

Also, three online chapters that did not make it into the book and an interview with yours truly are posted at womensbasketballonline.com.

Click here for a list of chapters and their general subject matter.

The following are some highlights of WBL history. (Click on the blue frames to see full-sized images.) Please e-mail me with any corrections or additions. Karra Porter, Salt Lake City

"I learned a lesson about passion, because it can just break your heart." Katie McEnroe, WBL P.R. director (1978-79) and Iowa Cornets general manager (1979-80)

The WBL is incorporated as a non-profit organization in Ohio, home of founder and president William "Bill" J. Byrne, Jr. Co-incorporators are David Almstead and Carew Smith.

Preparations are made for the unveiling of the new league, the official colors of which are blue and orange.

High-profile women's basketball player Karen Logan is recruited as spokesperson and consultant. "Today names like Karen Logan are known to all women and most men," the league writes in a promotional brochure. "She starred on network TV in the Challenge of the Sexes when she defeated Jerry West." As a member of the All-American Redheads, Logan had been featured in a May 6, 1974, Sports Illustrated article that sparked interest in women's professional basketball. If the Redheads were men, the article stated, "they would be famous. They would be rich. . . . They would have played before hundreds of thousands in the Garden, the Spectrum, the Forum, the Astrodome -- tens of millions on television." The star of the team, the article says, is Logan, "who is perhaps not very far below the unmatchable Babe Didrikson in natural abilities. . . . Seeing Karen play, even against once-upon-a-time high school stars, is like seeing a work of art."

The league prepares a glossy 8-page brochure that answers six questions for potential investors:

The league's marketing arm, WBL Properties, Inc., prepares a Preliminary Marketing Plan for the 1978-79 season, including projected revenues and expenses.

Newspapers across the country run articles on the new league, some more supportive than others. "This is no gag," begins one article by a Chicago sportswriter. Some confuse the WBL with the Women's Professional Basketball Association, a planned league announced in January 1977 by New York restaurateur Jason Frankfurt that never materialized.

To eliminate fears of infringement by college coaches, the league announces that it will only sign players who have completed their college eligibility. No "hardship" exceptions will be allowed.

The league signs its first team, an Iowa franchise owned by local trampoline manufacturer George Nissen. The Iowa Cornets receives its certificate of membership at a press conference attended by Governor Robert Ray, and will become one of the league's strongest franchises. Also in March, the Cornets hire the league's first coach, George Nicodemus, who imposes a code of conduct for his players under which "they will be ladies, first of all." Iowa later declares that, because it does not want male reporters in the locker room, all press will be banned.

The league gains its first "major breakthrough," an endorsement by Wilson. The sporting goods manufacturer will produce the official WBL ball, which is approximately one inch smaller in diameter than a traditional basketball. The modified ball is the idea of Karen Logan, whose written proposal has previously been rejected by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). "Almost all sports, with the exception of basketball, vary the size, weight and nature of the equipment to compensate for the physical size and anatomical differences of women," Logan writes. ". . . In short, Debbie Brock (4'11") is expected to function in the same manner with equal success with the same equipment as Kareem Abdul Jabbar (7'2")."

Taking advantage of the Wilson endorsement, the league issues a new triple-fold-brochure featuring the Wilson logo. "Hoop It Up!" the brochure declares. "After College, Bounce on Over . . ." Bumper stickers and other promotional material echo the motto.

The National Scouting Association, an affiliated entity operated by founder Bill Byrne's brother Hubert, releases its first list of All-American women basketball players.

Honorees are sent a congratulatory letter by the WBL, along with a request for biographical information and a photograph for promotional purposes.

The league's organizational meeting is held at the Marriott Hotel downtown. The league will be operated by a Board of Governors consisting of team owners and general managers.

The inaugural WBL draft is held at the Essex House in New York City. Other than a prohibition against drafting women with unused college eligibility, no limitations exist as to the identity of draftees or their inclination to play.

Houston Angels owner Hugh Sweeney wins the first pick. "This is kind of a historic moment," Sweeney says. "I drew a Ping Pong ball out and get to make the first selection and that is Ann Meyers." Three hours later, the draft ends with the selection by New York of former Miss America Phyllis George. Other selections include 7'0" Soviet player Uljena Semenova, and 7'7" Sandy Allen, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest woman. (Photos of inaugural draft)

Iowa owner George Nissen invests heavily in "Dribble," a movie about a down-and-out professional women's basketball team. (See photos) The movie is filmed in Iowa, and features Iowa Cornets players and NBA star "Pistol Pete" Maravich. Iowa also customizes a $30,000 Greyhound bus called "the Corndog," in which the team travels to road games.

League officials concede defeat in attempting to land a national television contract.

The league's Board of Directors votes in the WBL's final rules, which largely mirror NBA rules: Four 12-minute quarters, 24 second shot clock (the 30-second shot clock used in women's college ball is rejected), player-to-player defense (no zones), six fouls for disqualification, three shots to make two in the penalty. Free throw lanes were 12 feet wide. Technical fouls cost $75, the same as in the NBA, which later irritates some especially "lively" WBL coaches.

Cartoonists Bill Hinds and Jeff Millar gently spoof the formation of the league in their nationally syndicated "Tank McNamara" comic strip.