303:
record of 11 wins and 24 losses. Their coach for the 1979–80 season was Larry
Costello, who had been the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks for eight seasons, starting in April 1968, and had coached the team to four division titles and an NBA championship in the 1970–71 season. Saying that he hadn't been paid any of his $ 45,000 salary since December, Costello left the team on February 6, 1980, and was replaced by
29:
291:. Milwaukee had trailed for most of the game, behind 13 points one minute into the fourth quarter, but defensive pressure by the Does led to a series of turnovers and Milwaukee tied the score at 81 with 5:28 left in the game. The Hustle's offense heated up in the last few minutes and held on for a 92–87 win in the league's first game.
302:
The team was rather unsuccessful on the court during its two seasons in the league. The team finished the 1978–79 season with a record of 11 wins and 23 losses, placing them in fourth and last place in the
Midwest Division. In the Midwestern Division for the 1979–80 season, the Does finished with a
497:
706:
490:
726:
483:
375:
721:
731:
716:
506:
216:
50:
736:
230:. The Does played in the first two of the WPBL's three seasons, 1978–1979 and 1979–1980, before disbanding. The team played its home games at the
711:
460:
443:
406:
701:
352:
224:
89:
597:
532:
398:
245:
at the
Milwaukee Arena, with the league's inaugural game attracting four minutes of coverage in the previous night's
435:
274:
602:
522:
282:
628:
623:
618:
680:
675:
670:
431:
296:
258:
567:
28:
592:
582:
220:
654:
325:
278:
475:
304:
292:
270:
266:
257:
issued a proclamation likening this first game to the first professional football game, played in
562:
465:
357:
577:
557:
439:
402:
394:
587:
537:
456:
371:
246:
572:
380:
287:
250:
238:, who had coached the Bucks from their inception, including an NBA championship in 1971.
231:
227:
241:
The league played its first game on
December 9, 1978, between the hometown Does and the
649:
644:
542:
527:
395:"Mad seasons: the story of the first Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978–1981"
242:
235:
142:
695:
547:
421:, The Association for Professional basketball Research. Accessed August 6, 2010.
330:
254:
262:
277:
scored the league's first basket on a perimeter jump shot and an assist from
326:"The Milwaukee Does breathed life into the future of pro women's basketball"
104:
418:
215:
were an
American professional basketball team that played in the
281:, with the game ball presumably earning a place of honor in the
479:
295:
and Joanne Smith led the Does with 22 points each, though
376:"Women pros: Does throttle Hustle in basketball debut"
461:"Costello, Coach of Does, Resigns Citing Pay Default"
419:
HISTORY OF THE WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL LEAGUE
234:
and were coached for part of the 1979–1980 season by
663:
637:
611:
515:
307:, the team's assistant coach, on an interim basis.
199:
187:
177:
156:
128:
110:
100:
84:
72:
64:
56:
46:
35:
21:
299:of the Hustle lead all scorers with 30 points.
384:, December 10, 1978. Accessed August 6, 2010.
353:"Female Pros Make History; Playing Game Alone"
727:Sports clubs and teams disestablished in 1980
491:
361:, December 10, 1978. Accessed August 6, 2010.
261:, and the first pro baseball game, played in
8:
707:Women's Professional Basketball League teams
469:, February 7, 1980. Accessed August 6, 2010.
498:
484:
476:
18:
432:"Basketball: a biographical dictionary"
316:
223:, their name was a play on that of the
508:Women's Professional Basketball League
217:Women's Professional Basketball League
51:Women's Professional Basketball League
7:
722:Basketball teams established in 1978
732:1980 disestablishments in Wisconsin
265:. The opening tip off was between
14:
717:1978 establishments in Wisconsin
324:Molly Snyder (9 December 2018).
27:
16:Basketball team in Milwaukee, WI
273:of Chicago, who won the toss.
1:
712:Basketball teams in Wisconsin
399:University of Nebraska Press
737:Women's sports in Wisconsin
114:Yellow-green, Purple, white
753:
446:. Accessed August 6, 2010.
436:Greenwood Publishing Group
409:. Accessed August 6, 2010.
26:
702:Basketball in Milwaukee
283:Smithsonian Institution
598:San Francisco Pioneers
285:, as surmised by the
259:Latrobe, Pennsylvania
221:Milwaukee, Wisconsin
563:Nebraska Wranglers
466:The New York Times
358:The New York Times
297:Debra Waddy-Rossow
253:. Milwaukee mayor
170:Dr. Arthur Howell
165:Herbert Schoeherr
689:
688:
603:Washington Metros
578:New Orleans Pride
568:New England Gulls
558:Minnesota Fillies
523:California Dreams
430:Porter, David L.
269:of Milwaukee and
209:
208:
189:Conference titles
132:Candace Klinzing
744:
593:St. Louis Streak
588:Philadelphia Fox
538:Dayton Rockettes
509:
500:
493:
486:
477:
470:
457:Associated press
453:
447:
428:
422:
416:
410:
391:
385:
372:Associated press
368:
362:
349:
343:
342:
340:
338:
321:
247:CBS Evening News
190:
173:
168:
163:
152:
147:
140:
135:
124:
121:
118:
96:
42:
31:
19:
752:
751:
747:
746:
745:
743:
742:
741:
692:
691:
690:
685:
659:
633:
607:
573:New Jersey Gems
533:Dallas Diamonds
511:
507:
504:
474:
473:
454:
450:
429:
425:
417:
413:
393:Porter, Karra.
392:
388:
381:The Modesto Bee
369:
365:
350:
346:
336:
334:
323:
322:
318:
313:
288:Chicago Tribune
251:Walter Cronkite
232:Milwaukee Arena
228:Milwaukee Bucks
200:Division titles
188:
171:
169:
166:
164:
161:
150:
148:
145:
141:
138:
136:
133:
122:
119:
116:
115:
94:
93:
79:
40:
17:
12:
11:
5:
750:
748:
740:
739:
734:
729:
724:
719:
714:
709:
704:
694:
693:
687:
686:
684:
683:
678:
673:
667:
665:
661:
660:
658:
657:
652:
647:
641:
639:
635:
634:
632:
631:
626:
621:
615:
613:
609:
608:
606:
605:
600:
595:
590:
585:
583:New York Stars
580:
575:
570:
565:
560:
555:
553:Milwaukee Does
550:
545:
543:Houston Angels
540:
535:
530:
528:Chicago Hustle
525:
519:
517:
513:
512:
505:
503:
502:
495:
488:
480:
472:
471:
448:
423:
411:
386:
363:
344:
315:
314:
312:
309:
243:Chicago Hustle
236:Larry Costello
213:Milwaukee Does
207:
206:
201:
197:
196:
191:
185:
184:
179:
175:
174:
160:Robert Peters
158:
154:
153:
143:Larry Costello
130:
126:
125:
112:
108:
107:
102:
98:
97:
86:
82:
81:
77:Milwaukee Does
74:
70:
69:
66:
62:
61:
58:
54:
53:
48:
44:
43:
37:
33:
32:
24:
23:
22:Milwaukee Does
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
749:
738:
735:
733:
730:
728:
725:
723:
720:
718:
715:
713:
710:
708:
705:
703:
700:
699:
697:
682:
679:
677:
674:
672:
669:
668:
666:
664:All-Star game
662:
656:
653:
651:
648:
646:
643:
642:
640:
636:
630:
627:
625:
622:
620:
617:
616:
614:
610:
604:
601:
599:
596:
594:
591:
589:
586:
584:
581:
579:
576:
574:
571:
569:
566:
564:
561:
559:
556:
554:
551:
549:
546:
544:
541:
539:
536:
534:
531:
529:
526:
524:
521:
520:
518:
514:
510:
501:
496:
494:
489:
487:
482:
481:
478:
468:
467:
462:
458:
452:
449:
445:
444:0-313-30952-3
441:
437:
433:
427:
424:
420:
415:
412:
408:
407:0-8032-8789-5
404:
400:
396:
390:
387:
383:
382:
377:
373:
367:
364:
360:
359:
354:
348:
345:
333:
332:
327:
320:
317:
310:
308:
306:
300:
298:
294:
290:
289:
284:
280:
279:Brenda Dennis
276:
272:
268:
264:
260:
256:
252:
248:
244:
239:
237:
233:
229:
226:
222:
218:
214:
205:
202:
198:
195:
192:
186:
183:
180:
178:Championships
176:
159:
155:
149:Julia Yeater
144:
137:Dylan Huggins
131:
127:
113:
109:
106:
105:Milwaukee, WI
103:
99:
92:
91:
87:
83:
78:
75:
71:
67:
63:
59:
55:
52:
49:
45:
38:
34:
30:
25:
20:
552:
548:Iowa Cornets
464:
451:
426:
414:
389:
379:
366:
356:
351:Harvin, Al.
347:
335:. Retrieved
329:
319:
305:Julia Yeater
301:
293:Kathy DeBoer
286:
275:Joanne Smith
271:Sue Digitale
267:Lynda Gehrke
240:
212:
210:
203:
193:
181:
88:
76:
612:WBL seasons
331:OnMilwaukee
255:Henry Maier
219:. Based in
167:(1979–1980)
162:(1978–1979)
146:(1979–1980)
139:(1978–1979)
111:Team colors
95:(1978–1980)
90:MECCA Arena
41:(1978–1980)
696:Categories
311:References
263:Cincinnati
129:Head coach
638:WBL draft
516:WBL teams
434:, p. 90,
397:, p. 21.
157:Ownership
80:1978–1980
438:, 2005.
401:, 2006.
337:17 March
101:Location
39:Midwest
36:Division
629:1980–81
624:1979–80
619:1978–79
73:History
57:Founded
442:
405:
172:(1980)
151:(1980)
134:(1978)
123:
120:
117:
65:Folded
47:League
249:with
85:Arena
681:1981
676:1980
671:1979
655:1980
650:1979
645:1978
455:via
440:ISBN
403:ISBN
370:via
339:2024
211:The
68:1980
60:1978
225:NBA
698::
463:,
459:.
378:,
374:.
355:,
328:.
499:e
492:t
485:v
341:.
204:0
194:0
182:0
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.