Sitting in my recliner in Lawrence, Kansas, I watched a lot of the games leading up to the WNBA championship. It’s not only an exciting time to play in the league; it’s an exciting time to be a fan. The league is full of outstanding veterans, rookies and coaches. As a coach myself, I remember how different the playoffs feel. Everything means more – every possession, every turnover, every game. This is what you play for. This is what you coach for. I’m also reminded that it wasn’t always this way. We’ve heard a lot about WNBA history this season, and how far the game has come. My appreciation for professional women’s basketball dates further back than the WNBA. I want to make sure we don’t forget those who blazed a trail for A’ja and Diana, Arike and Caitlin. History is important to me. I had to do a little bit of research myself, so I didn’t overlook those

leagues that laid the foundation for today’s WNBA. I don’t know if I got them all as many folded before they got off the ground.

The All American Red Heads were among the pioneers who played as many as 220 games a year. The team enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame dates back to 1936 and was reminiscent of the Harlem Globetrotters. They played until 1986, often against men’s teams, making as much as $250 a month in the 1970s. Their top players were AAU stars, names such as Peggy Lawson and Kay Kirkpatrick. The Red Heads are considered the longest-running women’s professional franchise in basketball history.

The Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL) founded by Bill Byrne started in 1978 with teams in Iowa, Houston, Milwaukee, Chicago, Minnesota, New York, New Jersey and Dayton. Ann Meyers was the top pick in the inaugural draft. The Houston Angels defeated the Iowa Comets for the first championship, a best of five series. In its second year, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Dallas, San Francisco and St. Louis were added. My first All-American, Adrian Mitchell, played in the league. Drafted by the Chicago Hustle in 1979, Adrian was named an all-star the next season.

Byrne founded the six-team Women’s American Basketball Association (WBA) in 1984 following the Olympics and attracted some of the top players, including Pam and Paula McGee. The Dallas Diamonds won the league championship, though several teams folded during the short season.

The National Women’s Basketball Association (NWBA) formed in 1986 but none of the eight teams ever played a regular-season game. The league suffered from financial problems and could not draw top players with starting salaries at $18,000.

Then we had a summer league, the Women’s Basketball Association (WBA), which operated for three years starting in 1992. Lightning Ned Mitchell founded that league out of Kansas City. The WBA placed teams throughout the Midwest – the Nebraska Express, the Oklahoma Cougars and the Indiana Stars to name a few. Evette Ott, Stacy Truitt, Lisa Braddy and Kay-Kay Hart, all KU graduates, played for the Kansas City team (Crusaders and Mustangs). Evette was twice co- MVP.

My former players Charisse Sampson and Angie Aycock played in the American Basketball League (ABL0), created at the same time as the WNBA in 1996. That was right on the heels of the U.S. starting its gold-medal string of Olympic victories (a chapter in my book called “Gold” talks about my experience as an assistant coach on the Olympic staff). The ABL lasted two seasons before declaring bankruptcy.

Whoever you’re choosing in the WNBA finals – New York Liberty or Minnesota Lynx – remember who paved the way. Keep the Past in our Present!