The New England Gulls were a train wreck of a women’s basketball franchise that operated for two months in December 1980 and January 1981. It was no fault of the players, of course. And the Gulls had a couple of pretty good ones, including 6′ 3″ center Althea Gwynn and Canadian National Teamer Chris Critelli. Former Boston Celtics star “Jungle” Jim Loscutoff was the Head Coach (briefly).
The New Jersey Gems were one of eight founding franchises in the Women’s Professional Basketball League in the winter of 1978-79. The WPBL was the first professional basketball league for women in the United States. Of the eight original clubs, the Gems were one of only three to survive for all three of the league’s seasons. The Gems featured two of the highest paid and best known players in the early years of the women’s game – Ann Meyers and Carol Blazejowski – but never seriously contended for a league championship.
The aptly named San Francisco Pioneers were members of the Women’s Basketball League, the first nationwide professional basketball league for women, from 1979 to 1981. The Pioneers had a small buy loyal following at the Civic Auditorium, the former home of the NBA’s San Francisco Warriors during the 1960’s.
The Houston Angels were the first ever championship club in American women’s professional basketball. Paced by top stars Belinda Candler and Paula Mayo, the Angels captured the inaugural championship of the Women’s Basketball League in the spring of 1979. One year later, however, the team found itself out of business.
The New York Stars were one of the earliest women’s professional basketball teams in the United States, formed in 1978 at the inception of the Women’s Professional Basketball League (1978-1981). Although the Stars would exist for just two years, the team enjoyed a number of highlights. These included a league championship, doubleheaders with the New York Knicks in the Madison Square Garden, and a pair of identical twins who were cast in national advertising campaigns.
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