American Basketball League (1996-1997)
Tombstone
Born: February 1996 – ABL founding franchise.
Moved: July 21, 1997 (Philadelphia Rage)
First Game: October 18, 1996 (L 100-73 @ New England Blizzard)
Last Game: March 11, 1997 (L 77-64 @ Columbus Quest)
ABL Championships: None
Arenas
Richmond Coliseum (11,992)
Opened: 1971
Closed: 2019
Robins Center (9,171)
Opened: 1972
Branding
Team Colors: Black, Red & Gold
Ownership
Owner: American Basketball League
Attendance
This chart includes the Richmond Rage for the 1996-97 season as well as later figures following the team’s move to Philadelphia for the ABL’s final two seasons.
Tilting your mobile device may offer better viewing.
Sources:
- 1997-98 American Basketball League Media Guide (1996-97 Figures)
- 1998-99 San Jose Lasers Media Guide (1997-98 Figures)
- Fun While It Lasted box score analysis of all 63 1998-99 ABL games from NewspapersArchives.com. (1998-99 Figures)
Background
The Richmond Rage were a women’s professional basketball team that lasted for just one season in the American Basketball League. The ABL was formed in 1995 with plans for a fall 1996 launch. League organizers hoped to draft off of the platform of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. They also wanted to get the jump on the WNBA, an NBA-backed rival poised to launch in the summer of 1997.
Stacked Roster
The Rage had a terrific roster, including former University of Virginia star and Olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley (guard), and forward Adrienne Goodson of Old Dominion. Staley and Goodson would both earn 1st Team All-ABL honors. 6′ 4″ center Taj McWilliams earned 2nd team All-League honors.
One curiosity on the Rage roster was the presence of U.S. Olympic track & field legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee. The 34-year old medaled in her fourth and final summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 just months before the ABL made its debut. Joyner-Kersee was an All-Pac 10 performer at UCLA in the early 1980’s. But she hadn’t played competitive basketball in over a decade when she signed with the Rage in 1996. Joyner-Kersee made 17 appearances off the bench during the 1996-97 season. She averaged 0.9 points per game at forward.
Despite the individual talent, the Rage didn’t really put it all together in the regular season. The team finished with a modest 21-19 record. But the Rage caught fire for the playoffs, and upset the Western Conference champion Colorado Xplosion. Next up was a championship series date with the ABL’s best team, the Columbus Quest. Richmond took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series, but was unable to close out the Quest. Columbus took Games 4 & 5 on back-to-back nights on March 9th and 10th, 1997 to win the ABL’s first championship title.
Move To Philadelphia & Demise
Off the court, the Rage averaged 3,139 fans per game for 20 home dates split between the Richmond Coliseum and the Robins Center at the University of Richmond. That ranked 6th out of the ABL’s 8 teams, but wasn’t far off the league average of 3,536 per game. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the ABL lost $500,000 – $600,000 operating the Rage during its first season.
The ABL was a single-entity organization, which meant that the league (rather than individual owners) owned all franchises and player contracts. In July 1997, with ticket sales for the second season lagging in Richmond and the league in dire need of more alluring media markets for sponsors and television partners, the ABL moved the Rage franchise to Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Rage never regained the form of their first season in Virginia, falling to last place in 1997-98 with a 13-31 record. The league’s third season in 1998-99 ended abruptly when the ABL shut down three days before Christmas in 1998. The league later declared bankruptcy.
Richmond Rage Shop
Links
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2 Responses
I have a signed basketball from the Richmond Rage, including Jackie Joyner-Kersee, think it has any value?
Hi Wendy,
Yes, but it depends on a few factors. These include whether it is an official ABL basketball versus a souvenir mini-ball or a generic ball purchased in a sporting goods store, for example. It depends how legible and well-preserved the signatures are, particularly Kersee and the team’s other top star, Dawn Staley. If you provided a genuine email address when you left this comment (some people don’t), I will email you and you can send a phone pic of the ball to me so I can give you a better idea.
There is a rather limited collector’s audience for historical women’s basketball memorabilia. So while a nice example of a Richmond Rage signed ball might ultimately fetch something (I’m guessing $50 – $100), it could take a while to find the right buyer.
Drew