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Womens Basketball History
"John's been a tremendous supporter of women's basketball," said Nan Elrod, director of programs at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. Hartford Courant May 20, 2002
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Shown above is the first Rule book put out by Spalding in 1901. This rule book was edited by Senda Berenson and would continue to be so until 1917. There is an article by a female doctor that says she beleives a woman game should not allow the "grabbing of the ball" from an opponents hands. Senda places a great amount of effort on the victory. Not the victory of the game, but the victory of one's ability to play their best, regardless of outcome.
Some excerpts:
The actual rules mention that the size if the court may not exceed 3,500 sq feet.
Field shall be divided into 3 equal sections.
A team shall not number less than 5 or more then 10.
The referee shall put the ball into play by tossing the ball up at the opening og the game, beginning of the second half, AND after each goal.
When a ball is caught, the girl may not "Bound" (dribble) it more then 3 times before having to shoot or pass.
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While only a select few would go on to play for the All American Red Heads or the Edmonton Grads basketball moved across the country and was being played both indoors and outside. The above pictures are a nice example of an outside game when girls still wore bloomers. With what appears to be a tabacco type barn and the hills in the background, this game could have been played in Connecticut or Massachusettes.
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 The Amatuer Athletic Union (AAU) started in 1888 and incorporated womens sports in 1922. The AAU would sponsor a women's basketball tournament championship each year. Some of the best teams around the country would gather for this several day affair.
The first National Champion would be from Pasdena Ca in 1926. Shown above is the Breckenridge Texas AAU team coached by Clara Simmer in 1927. In 1929, The Schepp's Aces would repeat as National Champions of the AAU in Wichita Kansas. The team they beat was from Texas and beat a team called the Dallas Cyclones. This would be the last championship for the Ace's as the Cyclones would go on to sign a girl to play for their team that would become know world wide, the famouns Babe Didrickson.
Babe played for Beaumont High school in Texas. However, she dropped out in her junior year after being persuaded by Colonel Melvorne J McCombs of the Employee Casualty company to work for him and play basketball for his Dallas Golden Cyclones.
In 1929 the Cyclones would lose the championship game in the AAU national tournament. With Babe, they would win 3 years in a row and Babe would be named AAU All-American.
Shown above is a letter from the man that recruited Babe to play basketball, McCombs, informing that the uniforms the women wore were given to the players at the end of the year and were not available to be given away to fans.
Also is a picture that was used in a reunion program several years after Babe passed away from cancer.
 Shown above is a picture of Frances Stansberry who was asked to join a team just weeks before the tournament and help her team bring home the trophy by scoring 24 points in the championship game in the 1943 AAU National Championship when the Des Moines AIC's won the title.
  Here are some pictures and information from the 16th annual AAU tournament held in St Joseph Missouri for the 1943/44 season
This is the actual hand written bid from the Chamber of Commerce asking for the tournament to be held. This bid was submitted in October of 1943.
The hard work to sponsor a championship like this took many months. After all the teams would return back to their homes, the Chamber of Commerce would see a net $1,612 profit for that years tournament.
 Above is pictured the AAU All-Americans for the year 1944. This included hof inductee Hazel Walker (her fifth time as an All-American). Hazel was also a All American Red Head
The Nashville Consolidated Vultees beat the Des Moines A.I.B's 23-16 to win the national championship. The A.I.B.'s are also connected to the famous Edmonton Grads, as they had played the Grads a few years earlier for the Underwood trophy series.
One of the most famous teams to ever become AAU champion were the "Hutcherson Flying Queens" of Wayland Baptist College.
One of the greatest players of all time is Joan Crawford. She played for Nashville Business college where she was an AAU All-American 13 times and is in the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville Tennessee as well as the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield Massachusettes.
While the Uconn Huskies hold the record for NCAA consecutive wins at 70, the NCAA didnt incorporate women's basketball until 1982.
The all time record for wins by a college is held by the Flying Queens with 131 consecutive wins. This is one of the greatest teams to ever exist.
PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM ALWAYS LOOKING FOR ANY INFORMATION OR ITEMS THAT CAN BE ADDED TO MY EXHIBIT. PLEASE CONTACT ME
Contact the Author, John Molina
Please visit my other sites listed below dedicated to the history of women's basketball.
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