|
Lois Youngen
Lois Joy Youngen (born October 23, 1933) is a former catcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 137 lb, she batted and threw right-handed. Following her baseball career, she excelled as a physical education instructor for more than 30 years. Early life Born in Westfield Center, Ohio, Lois Youngen grew up dreaming of being a ballplayer while admiring the Cleveland Indians major league team, as well her interest in sports increased as she got older. It was in the years before Little League Baseball allowed girls to play. Her father, who had pitched for the Kent State University team in the 1920s, was also an avid baseball fanatic and encouraged Lois by teaching her how to swing and catch, while she accustomed to play sandlot ball with the neighborhood kids. As a teenager, Lois had the opportunity to play for a softball team in the nearby city of Ashland, where she gained the attention of a AAGPBL scout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the United States. Over 600 women played in the league, which consisted of eventually 10 teams located in the American Midwest. In 1948, league attendance peaked at over 900,000 spectators. The most successful team, the Rockford Peaches, won a league-best four championships. The 1992 film ''A League of Their Own'' is a mostly fictionalized account of the early days of the league and its stars. Founding and play With the entry of the United States into World War II, several major league baseball executives started a new professional league with women players in order to maintain baseball in the public eye while the majority of able men were away. The founders included Philip K. Wrigley, Branch Rickey, and Paul V. Harper. They feared that Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
