Remember
the WBL

1972 –

Title IX signed into US law

1977 – 

Bill Byrne, Dave Almstead, L. Carew Smith solidify plans for the WBL

1978 – 

June 1978 – 8 teams pay $50,000 to be a part of history

July 18, 1978 – Draft of current & past college grads take place – Essex House, NYC

October 1978 – training camps begin, 100’s tryout hoping to fulfill their lifelong dreams.

December 9, 1978 – 1st WBL game in Milwaukee attracts 7,824 as Chicago wins 92-87.

1979-

January 1979 – Houston begins season with a 13-1 record and an 11-game win streak.

March 15, 1979 – 1st WBL All-Star Game held in Felt Forum of Madison Square Garden. 2,731 attended as the East defeats West 112-99. 

April 8, 1979 – 1st season ends. Playoffs: Houston (26-8) beats New York (19-15), 2-0. Iowa (21-13) beats Chicago (21-13), 2-1.

May 1, 1979 – Houston beats Iowa in 5th game, 111-104, in front of 5,978 fans.

May 1979 – 6 teams added.  The franchise fee was raised to $100,000.

June 12, 1979 – 2nd draft of is held at Roosevelt Hotel in NYC.

November 15, 1979 – 8,452 in New Orleans watch the Pride fall to the New York Stars 120-114.

December 1979 – The Philadelphia Fox and Washington Metros cease operations

1980 – 

January 1980 – news of the Houston Angels being sold for $1 million, does not pan out.

January 19, 1980 – New York Stars raise their record to 17-2 with their 14th win in a row.

January 30, 1980 – 2nd WBL All-Star game is held in Chicago in front of 2,473 fans as the Midwest defeats 115-112.

March 2, 1980 – Molly Bolin’s 55 points set a new WBL record.  She will end the season with 1,079 points, averaging 32.75.

March 16, 1980 – season ends 6 teams make playoffs.  SF beats Houston 2-1, Minnesota beats New Orleans 2-1.

March 27, 1980 – New York beats S.F 2-0, Iowa beats Minnesota 2-1.

April 9, 1980 – New York beats Iowa 3-1, and become 2nd WBL Champion.

June 16, 1980 – 3rd WBL Draft and college standout Nancy Lieberman is chosen 1st by Dallas.  The league is now nine teams deep.

1981 – 

November 1981 – the expansion Tampa Bay Sun are quickly relocated to New England and would be called the Gulls.

December 1981 – the WBL begins 3rd season loaded with former Olympians and college superstars.

April 1981 – season ends and playoffs begin with Dallas defeating New Jersey 2-1, and Nebraska defeating Chicago 2-0.  

April 14-20, 1981 – the Nebraska Wranglers become the 3rd WBL Champion defeating Dallas 3-2.  Dallas’ two home games attracted 8,117 and 7,886.

June nor July nor August 1981 – no draft of college players was held.

September 1981 – a formal announcement of the WBL’s demise is made