International Women’s Professional Softball Association (1976)
Tombstone
Born: 1976 – IWPSA founding franchise
Folded: Postseason 1976
First Game:
Last Game:
IWPSA Championships: None
Stadium
Memorial Park (4,000)
Marketing
Team Colors: Orange, Royal Blue & White
Ownership
Owner: Sally Johnson, et al.
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Background
The Michigan Travelers were a blink-and-you-missed them entry in the International Women’s Professional Softball Association (IWPSA) during the league’s inaugural season in the summer of 1976. The IWPSA was the brainstorm of the tennis star and women’s sports pioneer Billie Jean King, the dominant female softball pitcher of the era Joan Joyce, and the serial sports promoter Dennis Murphy. The league reportedly grew out of a casual conversation between King and Joyce at an ABC Superstars competition. King brought in Murphy, who had been an executive in the upstart American Basketball Association and World Hockey Association and who had helped King launch the co-ed World Team Tennis in 1973.
The IWPSA debuted on May 28th, 1976 with ten franchises scattered nationwide. Besides Michigan, the league included the Buffalo Breskis, Chicago Ravens, Connecticut Falcons, Pennsylvania Liberties, Phoenix Bird, San Diego Sandpipers, San Jose Sunbirds, Santa Ana Lionettes, and Southern California Gems. Each club played 60 doubleheaders for a total of 120 games between May and September.
IWPSA double-headers consisted on seven innings per game. Single games, when played, would be nine innings. Teams carried between 15 and 20 players on the active roster. Pitchers were not allowed to appear as pitchers in consecutive games.
The Travelers played their lone season at Memorial Park in East Detroit. They finished in 5th place (last) in the IWPSA’s Eastern Division with a 42-77 record.
The Connecticut Falcons defeated the San Jose Sunbirds for the first league championship. All ten franchises managed to complete the 1976 season, but several folded soon after and did not return for 1977, including the Michigan Travelers.
The IWPSA itself lasted four seasons, shutting down after the 1979 campaign.
Links
International Women’s Professional Softball Association Programs
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