Penny Ann Early
Encyclopedia
Penny Ann Early was an American athlete who achieved two notable firsts: she was the first female jockey, and the first woman to play in a professional basketball
league.
Early became the first licensed female jockey
in the United States in 1968. Male jockeys unanimously refused to ride in the first few races in which she was slated to compete at the Churchill Downs
in Louisville, Kentucky
.
In the midst of this controversy the Kentucky Colonels
of the American Basketball Association
signed Early to a contract to play basketball for the team. Early had not played basketball at any level. (At just 5'3" and 112 pounds, she was also the smallest pro basketball player ever.) Management, including Colonels owners Joseph and Mamie Gregory , ordered coach Gene Rhodes
to play Early in a game. Rhodes was not amused and protested to management.
Penny's moment came on Wednesday, November 27, 1968, against the Los Angeles Stars. Wearing a miniskirt
and a turtleneck sweater with a number 3 on the back (to represent the three boycotted races at Churchill Downs), Early warmed up with the players and sat on the bench with the team.
Early in the game, during a timeout, Rhodes reluctantly sent Early to the scorer's table, where she checked into the game. In the Kentucky backcourt she took the ball out of bounds and inbounded it to teammate Bobby Rascoe. He quickly called a timeout and the Colonels removed Early from the game to a standing ovation. Afterward, she signed hundreds of autographs.
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...
league.
Early became the first licensed female jockey
Jockey
A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...
in the United States in 1968. Male jockeys unanimously refused to ride in the first few races in which she was slated to compete at the Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs, located in Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, is a Thoroughbred racetrack most famous for hosting the Kentucky Derby annually. It officially opened in 1875, and held the first Kentucky Derby and the first Kentucky Oaks in the same year. Churchill Downs...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
.
In the midst of this controversy the Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Colonels
The Kentucky Colonels were a member of the American Basketball Association for all of the league's nine years. The name is derived from the historic Kentucky colonels. The Colonels won the most games and had the highest winning percentage of any franchise in the league's history, but the team did...
of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
signed Early to a contract to play basketball for the team. Early had not played basketball at any level. (At just 5'3" and 112 pounds, she was also the smallest pro basketball player ever.) Management, including Colonels owners Joseph and Mamie Gregory , ordered coach Gene Rhodes
Gene Rhodes
Eugene Stephen Rhodes is a retired American basketball player and coach.Rhodes played college basketball at Western Kentucky University...
to play Early in a game. Rhodes was not amused and protested to management.
Penny's moment came on Wednesday, November 27, 1968, against the Los Angeles Stars. Wearing a miniskirt
Miniskirt
A miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than below the buttocks; and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning...
and a turtleneck sweater with a number 3 on the back (to represent the three boycotted races at Churchill Downs), Early warmed up with the players and sat on the bench with the team.
Early in the game, during a timeout, Rhodes reluctantly sent Early to the scorer's table, where she checked into the game. In the Kentucky backcourt she took the ball out of bounds and inbounded it to teammate Bobby Rascoe. He quickly called a timeout and the Colonels removed Early from the game to a standing ovation. Afterward, she signed hundreds of autographs.