Women's Basketball Historical Timeline

The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame is an international museum dedicated to preserving the history of women's basketball.
Below are a few key historical facts throughout the history of women's basketball.

1891-1962

1891 Basketball invented by Dr. James Naismith
   
1892 Senda Berenson adapts the rules for women and introduces the game at Smith College
   
1892 First inter-institutional (extramural) contest between the University of California and Miss Head's School
   
1893 Clara Gregory Baer introduces basketball to girls at Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans
   
1895 First publicly played basketball game in the South (demonstration game at the Southern Athletic Club in New Orleans by Sophie Newcomb College students)
   
1895 Clara Gregory Baer publishes first basketball rules for women, called "Basquette"
   
1896 First intercollegiate game is played between Stanford University and University of California at Berkeley
   
1899 Formation of Women's Basketball Rules Committee. Senda Berenson's rules first published by Spalding
   
1901 First "Official" publication of Basket Ball for Women by Spalding Athletic Library with Senda Berenson as editor
   
1903 Halves shortened from 20 minutes to 15 minutes
   
1905 Executive Committee on Basketball Rules (National Women's Basketball Committee) is formed under auspices of the American Physical Education Association (APEA)
   
1906 Five to nine players on a side
   
1908 Placing one hand on a ball held by an opponent is a foul; double teaming a shooter is a foul
   
1910 Dribbling is outlawed
   
1913 Officiating first appears in guides; single dribble returns, but ball must bounce knee high
   
1916 No coaching is allowed from the sidelines during game (except halftime) No timeouts, no substitutions
   
1918 Basket with open bottom instead of closed basket with pull chain becomes official
   
1918 Bounce pass legalized. Substitutes may be used, but they cannot reenter the game
   
1922 There must be at least six players on a side, maximum of nine
   
1923 Formation of the Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation (NAAF)
   
1925 Goals scored by one-hand overhand throw, two-hand underhand throw, shot-put throw, and throw with back to basket count as one point
   
1926 Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) sponsors first-ever national women's basketball championship, using men's rules
   
1927 Players must wear numbers on the back of their jerseys
   
1928 Formation of first national women's officiating board: Women's National Officials Rating Committee
   
1929 First AAU All-American team selected
   
1931 Techniques for officiating included in rulebook
   
1931 Babe Didrikson leads Golden Cyclones to AAU national title
   
1932 All field goals count as two points
   
1932 Guarding on all planes permitted
   
1935 Tulsa Business College Stenos win the second of three consecutive AAU national titles
   
1936 Formation of the All American Red Heads
   
1938 Three-court game changed to two-court game with six players per team (three guards and three forwards)
   
1951 Hanes Hosiery wins the first of three consecutive AAU national titles
   
1953 Overtime period established - following one overtime, games are decided by sudden death
   
1953 USA wins gold in first World Championships
   
1955 USA women's basketball team plays in first Pan American Games basketball competition and wins the gold medal
   
1956 Ball can be tied with two hands held by opponent: three seconds in the lane is a violation
   
1958 The Wayland Baptist Flying Queens achieved a 131-game winning streak and captured 4 AAU national titles
   
1962 Each team is permitted two players to roam the court; player is allowed to snatch the ball from opponent
   
1962 Nashville Business College wins first of eight consecutive AAU National Titles
   
1965 Joint Committee AAU/DGWA Rules established

 

1962-Present

1966 Continuous unlimited dribble becomes official rule
   
1969 First National Invitational Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament is held at West Chester State College in Pennsylvania
   
1971 Five player, full-court game and 30 second shot clock become official
   
1971 The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) is formed, giving women an opportunity to compete in national championships
   
1972 Immaculata College wins first of three consecutive AIAW women's national collegiate basketball championships
   
1975 First Kodak All-American Team
   
1976 Team USA makes its Olympic debut
   
1977 Lusia Harris of Delta State University is awarded the first Broderick Cup as the most outstanding athlete in the AIAW
   
1978 Formation of Women's Professional Basketball League (eight teams)
   
1978 Carol Blazejowski is named the inaugural recipient of the Wade Trophy
   
1981 Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is formed
   
1981 Kentucky State University won the first championship sponsored by a major integrated intercollegiate governing organization in 1981. (NAIA)
   
1982 Rutgers defeats the University of Texas in the final AIAW championship. Louisiana Tech defeats Cheyney State in the first NCAA national championships
   
1984 USA captures its first Olympic gold medal in Los Angeles
   
1984 West Virginia's Georgeann Wells registers the first dunk in women's collegiate basketball
   
1986 Nancy Lieberman becomes the first woman to play in a men's professional basketball league when she joins the USBL's Springfield Fame
   
1986 Three-point field goals introduced to collegiate basketball
   
1988 USA wins gold medal at the Seoul Olympics
   
1991 The Liberty Basketball Association is launched, folds after one exhibition game
   
1992 USA finished with bronze medal at Barelona Olympics
   
1996 USA recaptures the gold medal at the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta
   
1996 American Basketball League (ABL) was form and lasted two full seasons before folding during the third season
   
1997 Inaugural WNBA season
   
1999 The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Knoxville, TN
   
2000 Houston Comets win fourth consecutive WNBA titles
   
2001 Jackie Stiles becomes the leading scorer in NCAA Division I women's basketball history with 3,133 points
   
2002 Lisa Leslie of the Los Angeles Sparks becomes the first woman to dunk during a professional game
   
2003 The WBL celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the first professional women's basketball game
   
2004 The University of Connecticut defeats Tennessee 70-61 in New Orleans to win its third straight national championship
   
2006 Epiphanny Prince sets a national girls' scoring record with 113 points in a single game
   
2008 The University of Tennessee women's basketball team defeats Stanford to win its eighth national championship
   
2008 USA wins fourth straight gold medal in the Beijing Olympics
   
2009 Pat Summitt becomes the first Division I coach, men's or women's to reach 1,000 wins
   
2010 The University of Connecticut records its second consecutive undefeated season and captures its seventh national championship
   
2010 The USA women's basketball team captured the 2010 gold medal at the FIBA World Championships with a win over Czech Republic (89-69)
   
2010 The University of Connecticut sets the longest win streak (men's or women's) in college basketball at 90 consecutive victories
   
2012 Baylor University records an undefeated season, winning the most games ever in a season 40
   
2013 Geno Auriemma ties Pat Summitt for the most national championships (8) as the University of Connecticut defeats Louisville
   
2016 Geno Auriemma passes John Wooden with 11 National Championship most by any college coach men's or women's
   
2017 Tara VanDerveer joined the late Pat Summitt, a dear friend who died last summer from early-onset Alzheimer's disease with 1,098 wins to her name, as the only other women's coach to reach 1,000 career victories
   
2017  Kelsey Plum makes NCAA women's basketball history by dropping 57 points to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Women's Basketball history

 

Congratulations Class of 2017

The Class of 2017 include Sally Bell, Christine Grant, Rick Insell, Louise O'Neal, Sheryl Swoopes and Kara Wolters

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