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.
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. However, before the start of the season the franchise was sold to business men from Boston and rebranded as the New England Gulls. Struggling financially, the Gulls where disqualified after 12 games in January 1981 after refusing to play a game on January 15 and subsequently folded.
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.
Notable occurrences On June 16, 1980, Nancy Lieberman was selected with the first pick in the 1980 WBL draft. 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. She went on to lead the league in scoring, averaging 29.6 points per game. On February 7, 1981, Connie Kunzmann of the Nebraska Wranglers went missing. 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. 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".
Standings # Coastal Division Team 1z-Dallas Diamonds 27 9 .750 –2x-New Jersey Gems 23 13 .639 43New Orleans Pride 18 19 .486 9.54San Francisco Pioneers 14 22 .389 135New England Gulls 2 10 .167 ... # Midwest Division Team 1z-Nebraska Wranglers 27 9 .750 –2x-Chicago Hustle 18 18 .500 93St. Louis Streak 14 21 .400 12.54Minnesota Fillies 7 28 .200 19.5 Notes z – division champions x – clinched playoff spot
Playoffs
Statistics leaders + Category Player Team Stat Points per game Carol Blazejowski New Jersey Gems 29.6
WBL awards Most Valuable Player: Rosie Walker, Nebraska Wranglers Coach of the Year: Greg Williams, Dallas Diamonds Owner of the Year: Michael Stavers, Dallas Diamonds
All-Pro team First team Rosie Walker (Nebraska) Nancy Lieberman (Dallas) Carol Blazejowski (New Jersey) Althea Gwyn (Chicago) Inge Nissen (Chicago) Janice Thomas (New Jersey) 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:
References