Wikipedia

New Orleans Pride

The New Orleans Pride was a women's professional basketball team located in New Orleans, United States,[1] that competed in the Women's Professional Basketball League, the first women's pro league in the United States, from 1979[2] to the leagues folding following the 1980-81 WBL season.[3] For both seasons, the team was coached by former NBA player and coach Butch Van Breda Kolff.[4][5]

New Orleans Pride
LeagueWBL (1979–1981)
Founded1979
Dissolved1981
HistoryNew Orleans Pride (1979–1981)
ArenaLouisiana Superdome
UNO Field House
LocationNew Orleans (1979–1981)
Team colorsRed, White & Blue
     
OwnershipJohn W. Simpson and Claudette Simpson

Franchise history

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Background

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The Pride where founded by 32-year old stockbroker Steve Brown, John W. Simpson and his wife Claudette Simpson.[6]

1979–1980

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The Pride's 1979–80 season debut was on 15 November, 1979, where the New York Stars defeated the Pride, 120-112, before a record crowd of 8,452 in the Louisiana Superdome.[7] After starting the season in the Western Division, the team was moved to the Eastern Division following the folding of Washington Metros and the Philadelphia Fox.[8] The Pride finished the season with a 21–13 record, good for second place in the Eastern Division. It lost to the Minnesota Fillies in the first round of the playoffs, 1–2. Augusta Forest led the team in scoring and rebounding with averages of 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds. Bertha Hardy, who was named to the WBL All-Pro team, came next, averaging 17.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and league leading 2.7 per game.[9] The team finished in the upper half of the league in attendance, averaging around 2,000 spectators per game.[8]

1980–1981

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Prior to the season, general manager Steve Brown was replaced with Claudette Simpson.[8] In March 1981, during the 1980–81 season, with the team having a 17-14 record, Van Breda Kolff was suspended for the rest of the season by the team which cited the coaches unpaid fines to the league and the recent poor performance where the team had lost five games in a row. In his stead, assistant coach Ray Scott served as an interim head coach.[10] The Pride finished the season in third place in the Coastal Division, with a 18–19 record, and missed out of the playoffs. Cindy Brogdon of the Pride was named to the WBL All-Pro team after the season.[4]

Season-by-season record

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, W–L% = Winning percentage

Season GP W L W–L% Finish Playoffs
1979–80 34 21 13 .618 2nd, Eastern Lost in First Round, 1–2 (Fillies)
1980–81 37 18 19 .486 3rd, Coastal Did not qualify

Individual awards

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WBL All-Pro team

WBL All-Star

Head coaches

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References

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  1. ^ Ruth Laney (20 November 1979). "No Jazz, but lots of Razzmataz". The Town Talk. p. 10. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  2. ^ Caryl Edwards (5 August 1979). "Women's cage games 'saner'". Daily Press. p. D6. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  3. ^ "Women's league dying?". The State. Associated Press. 29 October 1981. p. 10D. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  4. ^ a b Porter, Karra (2006). Mad seasons : the story of the first Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978-1981. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press. p. 40. ISBN 0803287895. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ^ Jim McLain (10 October 1979). "Pride impresses Van Breda Kolff". The Times. p. 4C. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  6. ^ "New Orleans Pride". FunWhileItLasted.net. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  7. ^ "It was a Jazzy family reunion for VBK". The Memphis Press-Scimitar. Associated Press. p. 16. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  8. ^ a b c Ron Higgins (14 June 1980). "More organized Pride looks to draft". The Times. p. 5C. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  9. ^ "1979-80 New Orleans Pride Statistics". statscrew.com. Stats Crew. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Suspended van Breda Kolff is again winning coach without job security". The Sun. Associated Press. 18 March 1981. p. B2. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  11. ^ Ron Higgins (28 December 1980). "Brogdon better before a crowd". The Times. p. 3D. Retrieved 29 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
  12. ^ Gary Yunt (21 December 1980). "Hardy, Forest full of 'Pride'". Clarion-Ledger. p. D7. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via Newspapers.com. 
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