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1978–79 WBL Season
The 1978–79 WBL season was the 1st season of the Women's Professional Basketball League. The season ended with the Houston Angels winning the WBL Championship, beating the Iowa Cornets 3 games to 2 in the WBL Finals. The league was divided into two divisions, with Chicago Hustle, Milwaukee Does, Iowa Cornets and Minnesota Fillies playing in the Western Division, while the Dayton Rockettes, Houston Angels, New Jersey Gems and New York Stars (WBL), New York Stars were in the East. Notable occurrences *In June 1978, Karen Logan became the first player to sign a contract with the league. *With the first overall pick in the 1978 WBL draft, Houston selected Ann Meyers from University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA. *The league's inaugural game was on December 9, 1978, between the Chicago Hustle and the Milwaukee Does at the Milwaukee Arena, attracting coverage in the previous night's ''CBS Evening News'' with Walter Cronkite. Milwaukee mayor Henry Maier issued a proclamation comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Women's Professional Basketball League
The Women's Professional Basketball League (abbreviated WBL) was a professional women's basketball league in the United States. The league played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981. The league was the first professional women's basketball league in the United States. Formation and 1978–79 season The WPBL was founded by sports entrepreneur Bill Byrne (sports entrepreneur), Bill Byrne. The league began with a player draft held in Manhattan's JW Marriott Essex House, Essex House in July 1978, with eight teams participating. While few of the teams had firm commitments on playing locations (or team names, for that matter), the league planned to play a 34-game season with teams in Chicago, Houston, Iowa, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York City and Washington, D.C. Houston drafted Ann Meyers from University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA, while New Jersey's top choice Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State University, Montclair State College said tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |