1980–81 WBL season explained
The 1980–81 WBL season was the 3rd and final season of the Women's Professional Basketball League. The season ended with the Nebraska Wranglers winning the WBL Championship, beating the Dallas Diamonds 3 games to 2 in the WBL Finals.[1]
The league was divided into two divisions, with the Dallas Diamonds, New Jersey Gems, New Orleans Pride, San Francisco Pioneers and the New England Gulls in the Coastal Division and the Nebraska Wranglers, Chicago Hustle, St. Louis Streak and the Minnesota Fillies in the Central.
Prior to the season, Tampa Bay Sun was announced as a planned expansion team.[2] However, before the start of the season the franchise was sold to business men from Boston[3] and rebranded as the New England Gulls.[4] Struggling financially, the Gulls where disqualified after 12 games in January 1981 after refusing to play a game on January 15 and subsequently folded.[5]
Rosie Walker of the Nebraska Wranglers was named the league's MVP while Greg Williams and Michael Stavers of the Dallas Diamonds where named the Coach of the Year and the Owner of the Year.[6]
Notable occurrences
- On June 16, 1980, Nancy Lieberman was selected with the first pick in the 1980 WBL draft.[7]
- After sitting out the previous two seasons to keep her amateur status, Carol Blazejowski finally joined the league following the United States boycott of the 1980 Olympics, signing with the team that drafted her in 1978, the New Jersey Gems.[8] [9] She went on to lead the league in scoring, averaging 29.6 points per game.[10]
- On February 7, 1981, Connie Kunzmann of the Nebraska Wranglers went missing.[11] [12] Three days later, Lance Tibke, at the urging of his father, confessed to her murder. Seven weeks later, her body was found in the Missouri river.[13] [14]
- On March 21, 1981, players of the Minnesota Fillies walked off the court before the starting lineups were announced in an away game against the Chicago Hustle in a protest over unpaid salaries. Referees and team coach Terry Kunze tried to convince the players to return and play their game, but at no avail. As a result, the Fillies, which had been averaging 1,000 to 1,500 in attendance per game, were suspended from the WBL by commissioner Sherwin Fischer, who called the walkout as "very detrimental to the league".[15]
Standings
| Coastal Division |
|---|
| Team | | | | |
|---|
| 1 | | 27 | 9 | .750 | – |
|---|
| 2 | | 23 | 13 | .639 | 4 |
|---|
| 3 | | 18 | 19 | .486 | 9.5 |
|---|
| 4 | | 14 | 22 | .389 | 13 |
|---|
| 5 | | 2 | 10 | .167 | ... |
|---|
|
| Midwest Division |
|---|
| Team | | | | |
|---|
| 1 | | 27 | 9 | .750 | – |
|---|
| 2 | | 18 | 18 | .500 | 9 |
|---|
| 3 | | 14 | 21 | .400 | 12.5 |
|---|
| 4 | | 7 | 28 | .200 | 19.5 |
|---|
|
Notes- z – division champions
- x – clinched playoff spot
Statistics leaders
| Category | Player | Team | Stat |
|---|
| Points per game | | | 29.6 |
|
WBL awards
All-Pro team
First team
Second team
- Cindy Haugejorde (San Francisco)
- Molly Bolin (San Francisco)
- Carol Chason (Nebraska)
- Rosalind Jennings (Dallas)
- Cindy Brogdon (New Orleans)
- Paula Mayo (Chicago)
- Trish Roberts (St. Louis)
Source:[6]
Notes and References
- News: Nebraska tops Dallas to clinch WPBL title . 19 October 2023 . . . 21 April 1981 . 5 (Section 4) . Newspapers.com.
- News: Dave Renbarger . Sun rises on Tampa Bay horizon; WBL team has ball rolling . 28 October 2023 . . 15 August 1980 . 2C . Newspapers.com.
- News: Tampa Bay Sun sold . 28 October 2023 . . 4 November 1980 . 2C . Newspapers.com.
- News: Patty LaDuca . Gems trade pair; Meyers unhappy . 28 October 2023 . . 15 November 1980 . 35 . Newspapers.com.
- News: Gulls out of WBL . 19 October 2023 . . . 22 January 1981 . D6 . Newspapers.com.
- News: WPBL picks Rosie Walker best player . 16 October 2023 . . 9 May 1981 . 24 . Newspapers.com.
- News: WBL draft no surprise; Nancy Lieberman first . 21 October 2023 . . . 17 June 1980 . B4 . Newspapers.com.
- News: Phil Pepe . Carol, the Blaze, big loser in games boycott . 19 October 2023 . . 24 January 1980 . 23C.
- News: The Blaze signs with Gems . 19 October 2023 . . . 29 October 1980 . B1 . Newspapers.com.
- News: Blaze vs. Lieberman highlights of playoffs . 19 October 2023 . . 3 April 1981 . C4 . Newspapers.com.
- News: Bruce Brothers . WBL, Women's Professional Basketball League, Connie Kunzmann . 21 October 2023 . . 12 February 1981 . 1D, 5D . Newspapers.com.
- News: Ron Rosen . A Death Stuns the WBL . 21 October 2023 . . 11 February 1981.
- News: Guard pleads guilty to killing former Cornet . 23 June 2021 . The Gazette . . 3C . Newspapers.com.
- News: . You Really Should Know Connie Kunzmann . 21 October 2023 . . 24 February 2022.
- News: Fillies Walk Out And Draw a Suspension . 21 October 2023 . . . 22 March 1981.
