The National Girls Baseball League (NGBL) was a professional

women's baseball Women's baseball is played in several countries. The strongest and most organized women's baseball leagues are in the United States, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Cuba, Hong Kong, and Canada. Those countries have national governing bodies that suppor ...

league which existed from 1944 to 1954, with teams based in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. The National Girls Baseball League started a year after the

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 Uni ...

(AAGPBL), which was featured in the film ''

A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). The film stars Tom Hanks, Geena Dav ...

''. The National Girls Baseball League differed from the AAGPLB in that the NGBL kept and allowed the traditional underhand softball pitching format. Football legend

Red Grange Harold Edward "Red" Grange (June 13, 1903 – January 28, 1991), nicknamed "the Galloping Ghost" and "the Wheaton Iceman", was an American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and the short-lived New York Yankees ...

served as commissioner of the National Girls Baseball League.

History

The National Girls baseball League was founded in 1944 by

Forest Park, Illinois Forest Park (formerly Harlem) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, United States. The population was 14,339 at the 2020 census. The Forest Park terminal on the CTA Blue Line is the line's western terminus, located on the ...

contractor Emery Parichy,

Charles Bidwill Charles W. Bidwill (September 16, 1895 – April 19, 1947), sometimes known as Charley Bidwill, was an owner of the National Football League's Chicago Cardinals. He owned the team for 14 seasons, from 1933 through 1946. Early years Bidwill was ...

, who was owner of the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

football team and politician Ed Kolski. Parichy had built Parichy Stadium in Forest Park in 1934 and owned a softball league, the Metropolitan League. Parichy and Bidwell hired

to preside over the league. The National Girls Baseball League was formed in 1944 and played 11 seasons. It was formed as a result of scouts for the Chicago–based All–American Girls Professional Baseball League scouting and recruiting talent from the Chicago softball Metropolitan League, run by Parichy. It was decided to then turn the Metropolitan League to a professional league. The National Girls Baseball League consisted of teams from the greater

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

area and regularly drew over 500,000 fans annually. Unlike the All American Girls Professional Baseball League, the National Girls Baseball League kept the traditional underhand softball pitching format. "For two seasons our league outdrew the White Sox in attendance," noted player Freda Savona, in reference to the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. “They packed the place,” said Al Maag, of the NGBL attendance. Maag was the founder of the Chicago 16-inch Softball Hall of Fame, which posthumously inducted and honored Charles Bidwill with the Richard J. Daley Friend of Softball Award in 2013 for his contributions to women's baseball and softball. The National Girls Baseball League had six teams, all owned by Emery Parichy: the Bloomer Girls, Blue Birds, Chicks, Queens, Cardinals, and Music Maids. The Forest Park based Bloomer Girls were moved by Parichy to Chicago from Boston in 1937 and used the "Parichy Bloomer Girls" moniker, playing home games at Parichy Stadium. The league played at ballparks throughout Chicago, including

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...

and

Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a Major League Baseball (MLB) stadium on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home of the Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charles Weeghman's Chicago Wh ...

. The National Girls Baseball League was in competition with the All–American Girls Professional Baseball League. The integrated National Girls Baseball League offered higher salaries and emphasized closer road game schedules in an attempt to secure the best players. League rosters included an African–American, Betty Chapman; a Chinese–American, Gwen Wong; and Nancy Ito, a Japanese–American. One player, Freda Savona, was rumored to earn $500 a week.

Connie Wisniewski Constance Wisniewski (Wiśniewski) (February 18, 1922 – May 4, 1995) was a starting pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 8", 147 lb., she batted left-handed an ...

jumped to the NGBL when the AAGPBL switched to overhand throwing and

Audrey Wagner Genevieve "Audrey" Wagner udrey(December 27, 1927 – August 31, 1984) was an outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 145 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Brief profile ...

was a notable AAGPBL player who switched to the NGBL.

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

member

served as league president. Retired

major league baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

players

Buck Weaver George Daniel "Buck" Weaver (August 18, 1890 – January 31, 1956) was an American shortstop and third baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox. Weaver played for the 1917 World Series champion White Sox, then w ...

(

Black Sox Scandal The Black Sox Scandal was a Major League Baseball game-fixing scandal in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for money from a gambling syndicate led ...

) and

Woody English Elwood George English (March 2, 1906 – September 26, 1997) was an American professional baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played twelve seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1927 and 1938 for the Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Dodgers ...

were team managers. In 1946, after two years of conflict over players, the administrators in the two leagues reached a non–raiding agreement. Red Grange served as commissioner of the National Girls Baseball League until 1949. Grange was replaced as commissioner by Arch Wolfe, who had worked for the

. Wolfe had served as president of the league, with Ed Kolski serving as secretary and Emery Piarchy as treasurer. In the winter of 1952–1953, players from both the AAGPL and National Girls Baseball League played together in the four–team

International Girls Baseball League The International Girls Baseball League (IGBL) was a professional women's baseball league based in Miami, Florida, which existed for one partial season in the winter of 1952–1953. The four–team International Girls Baseball League was a winte ...

(IGBL) based in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. The league was formed by Frank Darling, the owner of the NGBL’s Music Maids. Darling served as the president, while Harry D. Wilson, also from the NGBL, served as league secretary. Darling recruited players from both leagues and created the team rosters and schedule. Connie Wisniewski, a former AAGPBL player of the year, played in the 1950 National Girls Baseball League. Wisniewski played for the 1950 Music Maids, winning 30 games as a pitcher. Wisniewski returned to the

Grand Rapids Chicks The Grand Rapids Chicks were a women's professional baseball team based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League from 1945 to 1954, winning championships in 1947 and 1953. History The franchise ...

of the AAGPL in 1951. Freda Savona was called the “Babe Ruth” of the NGBL, setting home run records and batting over .400 in 1951. Audrey Wagner joined the Parichy Bloomer Girls and the National Girls Baseball League in 1950 from the AAGPL. Offered a higher salary, a signing bonus, with no extensive travel, Wagner valued being home every night, being closer to school and her studies. With a salary of 125 dollars a week, Wagner put herself through school at

Elmhurst College Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July 1, 2020. Hist ...

and then the

University of Illinois-Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois sy ...

, where Wagner earned her MD in 1955. Wagner helped her team to the Championship in 1950 and made the All–Star Team in each of her four seasons in the National Girls Baseball League. In 1952, Wagner led the league in doubles, triples, home runs and total bases, and was second in the batting, with a .364 average.

Sophie Kurys Sophie Kurys (May 14, 1925 – February 17, 2013) was a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , Kurys batted and threw right-handed. Career A native of Flint, Michig ...

stole 1,141 bases in her career. She joined the National Girls Baseball League in 1951, moving from the AAGPL with her teammate

Joanne Winter Joanne Emily Winter '' o' (November 24, 1924 – September 22, 1996) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 138 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Early life A native ...

. Together, they helped lead the Admiral Music Maids to the 1951 championship. Kurys played three seasons in the National Girls Baseball League. Lois Roberts Strenkowski played barefoot for the duration of her time in the National Girls Baseball League and throughout her career. Playing for the Cardinals team in the NGBL, she made $65 per week playing for two seasons through 1951. In June, 2010, on her 90th birthday, celebrated at

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ( ...

, Strenkowski was given the honor to announce the Dodgers' opening words, “It’s time for Dodger baseball.” After the 1952 National Girls Baseball League season,

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games. Owens specialized in the sprints and the long jump and was recognized in his lifet ...

was on hand to present

Dolores Moore Dolores Moore ��Dee″(October 27, 1932 – August 31, 2000) was an infielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 153 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Born in Chicago, Illino ...

with the league's Most Valuable Player Award at a ceremony. Moore's manager

, became the manager of the AAGPBL's

and added Moore to his roster.The Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League After the 1954 season, the National Girls Baseball League folded amid declining attendance. Increased TV viewing of Major League Baseball was a factor. In 2013, in a women's professional softball league game, the Chicago Bandits of the

National Pro Fastpitch National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup. The WPSL was founded in 1997 and folded in 2001; the NPF revive ...

Softball played tribute to the Parichy Bloomer Girls and the National Girls Baseball League by wearing replica Bloomer Girls' uniforms.

Rules of play

The league allowed underhand pitching and used a 12" ball. Uniforms generally consisted of long knee socks, jerseys over long-sleeves and shorts.

Teams by season

*1944: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Chicks, Kandy Kids, Sparks *1945: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Chicks, Queens (former Kandy Kids), Music Maids, Sparks *1946: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Chicks, Queens, Music Maids, Sparks *1947: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Chicks, Queens, Music Maids, Cardinals (former Sparks) *1948: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Chicks, Queens, Music Maids, Cardinals *1949: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Rock-Olas (former Chicks), Queens, Music Maids, Cardinals *1950: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Rock-Olas, Queens, Music Maids, Cardinals *1951: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Rock-Olas, Queens, Music Maids, Cecashers (former Cardinals) *1952: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Belles (former Rock-Olas), Queens, Music Maids, Cecashers *1953: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Queens, Maids *1954: Bloomer Girls, Bluebirds, Queens, All-Stars/Jewels

Ballparks

*Admiral Stadium, South River Road,

Des Plaines, IL Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the ...

60016 *Athletic Field, North Chicago, IL 60088 *Bidwill Stadium, 1975 East 75th Street, Chicago, IL 60649 *Boltwood Park, Main Street & Dodge Avenue,

Evanston, IL Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

60202 *Gill Stadium, 1107 East 87th Street, Chicago, IL 60619 *Lane Stadium, 2600 West Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60618 *North Town Currency/

Thillens Stadium The Stadium at Devon & Kedzie is a two-field baseball stadium in Chicago, Illinois. It has 2,400 seatsLarry Mayer"Thillens Stadium: A Field Of Memories Is Still Going Strong,"''Chicago Tribune'', August 31, 1991. and an average of 17,000 Chicago ...

, 3200 West Devon Avenue, Chicago, IL 60659 *Parichy Memorial Stadium, Harrison Street & Harlem Avenue,

Forest Park, IL Forest Park (formerly Harlem) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, United States. The population was 14,339 at the 2020 census. The Forest Park terminal on the CTA Blue Line is the line's western terminus, located on the ...

60130 *Rock-Ola Stadium, 4200 N Central Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60634 *Shewbridge Field, West 74th St & South Aberdeen Street, Chicago, IL 60621 *

, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, Chicago, IL 60605 *Sparta Stadium, South Kostner Avenue & West 21st Street, Chicago, IL 60623 *

, 1060 West Addison Street, Chicago, IL 60613

League champions/runner-up

YEAR / CHAMPION / RUNNER-UP *1944 Champion: Brach's Kandy Kids. Runner-up: Chicago Chicks *1945 Champion: Rock-Ola Music Maids. Runner-up: Chicago Bluebirds *1946 Champion: Chicago Bluebirds. Runner-up: Chicago Chicks *1947 Champion: Parichy's Bloomer Girls, Forest Park, IL. Runner-up: Chicago Queens *1948 Champion: Parichy's Bloomer Girls, Forest Park, IL. Runner-up: Chicago Queens *1949 Champion: Chicago Bluebirds. Runner-up: Match Corporation Queens *1950 Champion: Match Corporation Queens,. Runner-up: Chicago Bluebirds *1951 Champion: Tony Piet Queens. Runner-up: Parichy's Bloomer Girls, Forest Park, IL *1952 Champion: Alemitte Queens. Runner-up:Chicago Bluebirds *1953 Champion: Mithcell's Maids. Runner-up: Wilson-Jones Bloomer Girls, Forest Park, IL *1954 Champion: Wilson-Jones Bloomer Girls, Forest Park, IL. Runner-up: Chicago Bluebirds

Notable alumni

* Vivian Anderson *

Charlotte Armstrong Charlotte Armstrong Lewi (May 2, 1905, in Vulcan, Michigan – July 18, 1969 in Glendale, California) was an American writer. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine she wrote 29 novels, as well as short stories, plays, and screenpl ...

* Sonny Berger *

Erma Bergmann Erma M. "Bergie" Bergmann (June 18, 1924 – September 13, 2015) was an American baseball pitcher and outfielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 155 lb., she batted and threw right ...

* Charles Bidwill (Founder) * Geraldine Bureker *

Corinne Clark Corinne Clark (September 23, 1923 – December 2, 2006) was an infield/outfield utility and right-handed hitter who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She was dubbed ''Corky''.Josephine D'Angelo *

(Manager) *

(league president) * Irene Kerwin *

Audrey Kissel Audrey Susan Kissel ''Lafser(February 27, 1926 – March 19, 2017) was an American infielder who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. She batted and threw right handed.Sophie Kurys Sophie Kurys (May 14, 1925 – February 17, 2013) was a former second basewoman who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , , Kurys batted and threw right-handed. Career A native of Flint, Michig ...

* Lucella MacLean *

Anna Meyer Anna L. "Pee Wee" Meyer (later Petrovic; born November 17, 1928) is a former female shortstop who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1944 season. Born in Aurora, Indiana, she was one of the youngest players t ...

* Betty Moczynski *

* Anna Mae O'Dowd * Toni Palermo *

Edythe Perlick Edythe Perlick '' die' (December 12, 1922 – February 27, 2003) was a left fielder who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at , 128 lb., she batted and threw right-handed. Overview profile P ...

Viola Thompson Viola Thompson ''Griffin(January 2, 1922 – December 31, 2017) was a pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at , , she batted and threw left-handed. A hard-throwing, underhand ...

* Betty Tucker *

(Manager) * Helen Westerman *

Media

The National Girls Baseball League was the subject of a documentary. "Their Turn at Bat: The Story of the National Girls Baseball League" is a documentary film by Adam Chu.

References

External links

Bloomer Girls photos

Ballpark photos
{{Professional Baseball Sports leagues established in 1944 1954 disestablishments in the United States Women's baseball leagues in the United States 1944 establishments in Illinois History of Chicago Baseball in Chicago Sports leagues disestablished in 1954 Baseball leagues in Illinois Defunct women's baseball leagues