Minnesota Fillies’ Brenda Chapman, 1978
On December 15, 1978, the Minnesota Fillies of the Women’s Professional Basketball League made their debut in game against the Iowa Cornet at the Metropolitan Sports Center. As you can see in this photo, the Fillies did not exactly pack the stands that night. The team played for three seasons until the league finally folded in 1981.
Photo via Minnesota Historical Society
Special Collections has some files on the Fillies if you are interested in doing some research on early professional women’s basketball in Minnesota.
