Edmonton Grads
Encyclopedia
The Edmonton Grads were a Canadian women's basketball
team. While long disbanded, the team continues to hold the North American record for the sports team with the best winning percentage of all time. The Grads won the first women's world title in basketball in 1924.
The 1914-15 senior girls basketball team of McDougall Commercial High School in Edmonton
, Alberta
won the Alberta High School Provincial championship. Upon graduation, the team asked their high school coach J. Percy Page (later the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta) if he would coach them if they continued to compete. Formally named Commercial Graduates Basketball Club the team soon became known informally as the Edmonton Grads.
The roster of this team included:
title in 1922 by defeating the Shamrocks from London, Ontario
. The next year the Grads competed for the Underwood Trophy (provided by the Underwood Typewriter Company), their first international competition. The Grads faced the Cleveland Favorite-Knits, who were the reigning American (and world) champions. The Grads defeated the Favorite-Knits in a two game combined score match, 55 to 33. The Grads never relinquished either the Canadian Championship or the Underwood Trophy until the team disbanded in 1940.
In addition to dominating their sport in North America, the Grads also took on the best teams in Europe, ultimately defeating challengers in Paris, London, Amsterdam and Berlin. The Grads swept four consecutive Olympic Games
from 1924 to 1936, winning all 27 Olympic matches they played and out scoring their opponents 1863 to 297. This achievement was unrecognized on the medal podium as women's basketball did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1976 summer games
in Montreal
.
Page's coaching philosophy emphasized the importance of physical conditioning and prohibited any performance-inhibiting activities such as smoking and drinking. As a result, his players often outlasted their exhausted opponents in particularly grueling matches. Page trained his girls to play as a unit and, above all, to take their sport seriously. "You must play basketball, think basketball and dream basketball," was his adage. Players were not allowed to marry. The reward for the unpaid players came through a chance to travel and see the world, a rare opportunity for single, unmarried women during the Depression. As a consequence the Grads were perennial provincial, national and continental champions.
.
The Grads disbanded in 1940 after the outbreak of the Second World War
. At that time, the team held 108 local, provincial, national and international titles and had been the undisputed world champions for 17 years in a row. Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, called the Grads the "finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor."
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team. While long disbanded, the team continues to hold the North American record for the sports team with the best winning percentage of all time. The Grads won the first women's world title in basketball in 1924.
Origin
In 1912, J. Percy Page moved from Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta. Page took charge of Commercial Classes at new McDougall High School. His teaching assistant Ernest Hyde coached the boys team, while Page coached the girls team. In their first year, the club won a local high school tournament. The following year, the team were provincial champions of Alberta.The 1914-15 senior girls basketball team of McDougall Commercial High School in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
won the Alberta High School Provincial championship. Upon graduation, the team asked their high school coach J. Percy Page (later the Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta) if he would coach them if they continued to compete. Formally named Commercial Graduates Basketball Club the team soon became known informally as the Edmonton Grads.
National championship
On May 12, 1922, the Grads played the London (Ontario) Shamrocks to determine the first Dominion of Canada’s women’s basketball championships. The first game was played with Canadian girls rules (six players on the courts), while the second game was played with Canadian boys rules (five players on the court). The Grads won the first game by a score of 41-8, while the Grads lost the second game by a score of 21-8. By a cumulative score, the Grads won 49-29, and were awarded the championship.The roster of this team included:
- Dorothy and Daisy Johnson
- Winnie Martin
- Eleanor Mountifield
- Nellie Perry
- Connie Smith
- J. Percy Page (Head coach)
Record
The team compiled a record of 502 wins and 20 losses between 1915 and 1940. The Grads won their first CanadianCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
title in 1922 by defeating the Shamrocks from London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
. The next year the Grads competed for the Underwood Trophy (provided by the Underwood Typewriter Company), their first international competition. The Grads faced the Cleveland Favorite-Knits, who were the reigning American (and world) champions. The Grads defeated the Favorite-Knits in a two game combined score match, 55 to 33. The Grads never relinquished either the Canadian Championship or the Underwood Trophy until the team disbanded in 1940.
In addition to dominating their sport in North America, the Grads also took on the best teams in Europe, ultimately defeating challengers in Paris, London, Amsterdam and Berlin. The Grads swept four consecutive Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
from 1924 to 1936, winning all 27 Olympic matches they played and out scoring their opponents 1863 to 297. This achievement was unrecognized on the medal podium as women's basketball did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1976 summer games
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Page's coaching philosophy emphasized the importance of physical conditioning and prohibited any performance-inhibiting activities such as smoking and drinking. As a result, his players often outlasted their exhausted opponents in particularly grueling matches. Page trained his girls to play as a unit and, above all, to take their sport seriously. "You must play basketball, think basketball and dream basketball," was his adage. Players were not allowed to marry. The reward for the unpaid players came through a chance to travel and see the world, a rare opportunity for single, unmarried women during the Depression. As a consequence the Grads were perennial provincial, national and continental champions.
Decline
Page tried to find suitable competition for the Grads but the problem was that women's clubs in different parts of the country played under different rules. By 1940, the Edmonton Arena, home of the Grads, was taken over by the Royal Canadian Air ForceRoyal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
.
The Grads disbanded in 1940 after the outbreak of the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. At that time, the team held 108 local, provincial, national and international titles and had been the undisputed world champions for 17 years in a row. Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, called the Grads the "finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor."
Legacy
- In 1976 the Grads' successes were declared a National Historic Event.
- Parks Canada dedicated a plaque in their honour in 1978.http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/lhn-nhs/det_E.asp?oqSID=0904&oqeName=Edmonton+Grads&oqfName=Edmonton+Grads
- The Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame inducted the entire team roster of players in 1980.http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080728.OBROBERTSON28//TPStory/Obituaries
- There was a film made in 1987 by the National Film Board of Canada called "Shooting Stars: The Amazing Story Of The Edmonton Grads."
- The Grads National Basketball Championship in 1932 was essential to the Edmonton RustlersEdmonton RustlersThe Edmonton Rustlers were a women's ice hockey team that competed during the Great Depression.-Monarchs rivalry:In 1933, the Edmonton Monarchs suffered their first loss in four years at the hands of the newly formed Rustlers team. The members of the Rustlers were aged 15 to 18 years...
women's hockey team to gain support to travel East and play the Preston RivulettesPreston RivulettesThe Preston Rivulettes were inducted into the Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame in 1996. Although there is no clear origin, speculation is that an incident occurred in 1930 at Lowther St. Arena. The Preston Rivulettes girls softball team were pondering their future and a member of the team suggested...
for the National Hockey title.