1974 Golden Gaters Program from World Team Tennis

World Team Tennis (1974-1978)

Tombstone

Announced: May 22, 19731ASSOCIATED PRESS. “Pro Tennis League Formed”. The Democrat & Chronicle (Rochester, NY). May 23, 1973
Disbanded: March 1979

First Match: May 6, 1974
Last Match: September 21, 1978

Seasons: 5
States & Provinces:
(AZ, CA, CO, FL, HI, IN, LA, MA, MI, MN, IL, MD, NY, OH, Ontario, OR, TX, WA)

Leadership

Commissioners:

  • May 1973 – September 1974: George MacCall (Commissioner)
  • November 1974 – September 1976: Larry King (President)
  • September 1976- January 1979: Butch Buchholz (Commissioner)

Attendance

Trophy Case

WTT Wear

World Team Tennis
Logo T-Shirt

World Team Tennis has been around in one form or another for nearly fifty years now, but this chill logo tee from our partners at Old School Shirts pays tribute to the original league and its mid-70’s glory days when Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Bjorn Borg and Ilie Nastase suited up for their WTT clubs in between Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and Flushing Meadows.
Also available in women’s scoop neck and women’s racerback tank styles!

 

When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

Background

Billie Jean King was a co-founder and the face of the original World Team Tennis league (1974-1978), which launched just months after her historic exhibition win over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973.  King’s husband at the time, Larry King, was a co-founder and team owner (Golden Gaters), alongside Dennis Murphy who was involved in the launch of the American Basketball Association and the World Hockey Association.

The league attracted many of the top international touring pros of the 1970’s, including:

  • Bjorn Borg (Cleveland Nets)
  • Jimmy Connors (Baltimore Banners)
  • Chris Evert (Phoenix Racquets & Los Angeles Strings)
  • Vitas Gerulaitis (Pittsburgh Triangles)
  • Evonne Goolagong (Pittsburgh Triangles)
  • Billie Jean King (Philadelphia Freedoms & New York Sets/Apples)
  • Rod Laver (San Diego Friars)
  • Ilie Nastase (Hawaii Leis & Los Angeles Strings)
  • Martina Navratilova (Boston Lobsters)
  • John Newcombe (Houston E-Z Riders)
  • Virginia Wade (New York Apples)

World Team Tennis also provided the first entry into professional sports ownership for future Los Angeles Lakers and Kings owner Dr. Jerry Buss (Los Angeles Strings) and future New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (Boston Lobsters).

 

World Team Tennis Franchise List

Franchise Years Active Bancroft Cup Champions
Anaheim Oranges 1978 None
Baltimore Banners 1974 None
Boston Lobsters 1974-1978 None
Chicago Aces 1974 None
Cleveland Nets 1974-1977 None
Denver Racquets 1974 1974
Detroit Loves 1974 None
Florida Flamingos 1974 None
The Golden Gaters 1974-1978 None
Hawaii Leis 1974-1976 None
Houston E-Z Riders 1974 None
Indiana Loves 1975-1978 None
Los Angeles Strings 1974-1978 1978
Minnesota Buckskins 1974 None
New Orleans Nets 1978 None
New York Apples 1977-1978 1977
New York Sets 1974-1976 1976
Philadelphia Freedoms 1974 None
Phoenix Racquets 1975-1978 None
Pittsburgh Triangles 1974-1976 1975
San Diego Friars 1975-1978 None
Seattle Cascades 1978 None
Sea-Port Cascades 1977 None
The Soviets 1977 None
Sunbelt Nets 1978 None
Toronto-Buffalo Royals 1974 None

 

World Team Tennis Shop

Editor's Pick

Bustin' Balls

World Team Tennis 1974-1978, Pro Sports, Pop Culture & Progressive Politics

by Steven Blush

Bustin’ Balls tells the strange but true story of World Team Tennis (1974-1978) that attempted to transform the prim and proper individual sport of tennis into a rowdy blue-collar league. Billie Jean King and her partners merged feminism and civil rights with queer lifestyle, pop culture and a progressive political agenda to create a dazzling platform for the finest tennis players of the day to become overnight stars.

 

When you make a purchase through an affiliate link like this one, Fun While It Lasted earns a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

 

 

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Comments

3 Responses

  1. YOU SAID: “her historic exhibition win over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973.”
    Sorry, that was Battle of the Dezes II, the first one featured Riggs vs Margaret Court in the San Diego County community of Ramona to promote a new housing development, San Diego Country Estates.

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