History of Womens Basketball – All American Red Heads

Good day, 

My name is John Molina and I am a preservationist on the history of womens basketball. 

Over the past 14 years I have spent over 10,000 hours on this.   

During this time I have discovered a very special group of women.  These are the All American Red Heads. 

The All American Red Heads are pioneers of professional women’s basketball.  They started playing back in 1936, only 16 years after women got the right to vote. 

Yet their story is different.  They played up to 200 games a season, playing only men and by men’s rules. And they won over 75% of the time.  This while traveling up to 600 miles a day by car. 

This team disbanded in 1986. 

I know over 100 of them.  I pitched this idea to the CT Sun who are running the All Star game this year.  I wanted to bring them to the ASG so they could be recognized by the wonderful fans of today.  To pay honor and celebrate the women that would have been the WNBA had it begun decades ago. 

Cost for the Sun would have been virtually nothing.  the players were paying their own way, hotels, food, etc.  Fans around CT were offering to transport them. 

I have a large collection on this team and was going to do an exhibit on them for the fans.  I have dvd’s of vintage footage from film on them.  I was going to donate 40% of gross proceeds to breast cancer research.

 I was informed by the Sun that do to finances and tight event scheduling (I presented this in January before they even got the ASG), that I could not assume they could do this. 

Please, write to anyone you know that can help get this women recognized.  Many of them do not have much longer with us. I had players from the 1940s thru 70s willing to come. 

Mechelle Voepell has jumped on board and Mel Greenberg has asked me to call him about this.   

What we need is a ground swelling of support for these legendary women.

 thank you for your time and consideration

Kind Regards 

John Molina

Preservationist of the History of Women’s Basketball 

Co-Author on new book on the legendary All American Red Heads 1936-1986 

CT Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame – Inductee – Class of 2007 

Web Sites dedicated to the preservation of the History of Women’s Basketball

All American Red Heads

1st Team 1936

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