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The WBL, the final season 1980-1981
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The second seasons extensive expansion efforts seemed to be more then the league could handle. Both of the former WBL champion teams suspended operation. Along with Houston and New York, original league teams, Iowa and Milwalkee also disbanded. The Washington Metro's and Philidelphia Fox never even finished their first season.
Season 3 would have 2 new teams enter the league. The New England Gulls (owned by a liquor store owner) and the Nebraska Wranglers would now help fill a 9 team, 2 division league.
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The New England Gulls would get a late start and never even make it to the all star game.
The All-Star game was scheduled to be played in Albuquerque New Mexico, where no womens basketball team ever existed. One of the people involved is Norman Ellenberger. It was his hopes to show how well New Mexico could draw and then get a WBL franchise.
The All-Star rosters were named with names such as Holly Warlick, Rosie Walker and Paula Mayo on the East squad, with Nancy Lieberman, Carol Blazejowski and Molly Bolin on the West team.
Molly Bolin would end up leading all scorer's including Nancy and Carol with 29 points. Nancy Lieberman would be named MVP of the game. The winning coach was Greg Williams of the Dallas Diamonds (now coach of the wnba Detroit Shock).
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Highlights and records:
The Nebraska Wranglers would go on to win the last championship of the league, beating the Dallas Diamonds 3 games to 2. Rosie Walker (now in the Women's Basktball Hall of Fame) would be named MVP of the league. She would score 171 in the final series, second to another Hall of Famer, Nancy Lieberman (177pts).
Molly Bolin would go on to score 2469 points over 3 seasons in the league. Molly also had the record for most points in a game (55) and most points in a playoff game (50).
At the time of the all star game in its third season, Nancy Lieberman (shown above) was 2nd in the league in scoring with a 25.7 average and was voted woman athlete of the year.
Other leagues would go on to try and establish themselves. No league until the American Basketball League 96-99 would last as long as the pioneer league of the WBL. Since then, the WNBA has gone on to surpass the longevity the WBL set by completing its fifth season.
Several of the WBL players ended up playing and coaching in the WNBA.
Page 1 of this site - The first season 1978-1979
Page 2 of this site - The second season 1979-80
Contact the Author
Please visit my other Womens Basketball Sites:
Machine Gun Molly: WBL Legend - This is a new site added February 2002
The History of Women's Basketball
The All American Red Heads 1936-1986
The Edmonton Grads 1915-1940
October 2005 - Article on The All American Red Heads done for the Women's Sports Foundation.
Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Women's Sports Foundation is a charitable educational organization dedicated to advancing the lives of girls and women through sports and physical activity.
Other related sites:
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