International Women’s Professional Softball Association (1976)
Tombstone
Born: January 1976 – IWPSA founding franchise
Folded: Postseason 1976
First Game: May 29, 1976 (L 4-0 @ Pennsylvania Liberties)
Last Game: September 12, 1976 (L 6-4 vs. Connecticut Falcons)
IWPSA Championships: None
Stadium
Windy City Softball Complex (4,000)
Marketing
Team Colors:
Ownership
Owner: Fred Huebner
Editor's Pick
Fastpitch
The Untold History of Softball and the Women Who Made the Game
By Erica Westly
“Fastpitch is A League of Their Own for the softball set.”
-Lily Koppel, bestselling author of The Astronaut Wives Club
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
This cool-looking fast-pitch softball program (above) comes from deep inside our One-Year Wonders file …
The Chicago Ravens were founding members in the International Women’s Professional Softball Association (WPS, for short) in the bicentennial summer of 1976. WPS was yet another concoction of Dennis Murphy, the prolific promoter who helped launch countless pro leagues from the 1960’s through the 1990’s, including the American Basketball Association, World Hockey Association and World Team Tennis. The Ravens played at the Windy City Softball Complex, a facility with temporary seating for 4,000 fans in suburban Bridgeview, Illinois.
Weekend Warrior Donna Lopiano
The Ravens’ top player was Donna Lopiano. The 28-year old was a former star with the Raybestos Brakettes, a legendary amateur team in her native state of Connecticut. Lopiano played for the Brakettes from 1963 until 1972 before retiring to pursue a career in collegiate sports administration at the dawn of the Title IX era. The Brakettes entered WPS in 1976 also, becoming the Connecticut Falcons franchise. Lopiano reportedly agreed to play for Chicago rather than re-join her former teammates in the interests of creating more parity for the league. She appeared only in weekend games for the Ravens, while holding down her job as Director of Women’s Athletics at the University of Texas during the week.
Demise
The Chicago Ravens finished their only season with a 57-63 record. They lost to the eventual champion Connecticut Falcons in the first round of the playoffs. Following the 1976 season, six of the ten original WPS franchises went out of business, including the Ravens. The shrunken league managed to hang on for three more summers before folding in the spring of 1980.
Donna Lopiano went on to become one of the most influential voices in women’s sports. She served as CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation from 1992 to 2007.
Links
International Women’s Professional Softball Association Programs
###
