Tribune Girls
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Manager: Inez Patterson
Established: Late 1920s
Sponsor: Philadelphia Tribune
Originally known as the Philadelphia Quick Steppers, the Tribune Girls were organized in the late 1920s and got their name when team manager Inez Patterson proposed a sponsorship arrangement with the Philadelphia Tribune, one of the country’s leading African American newspapers.
The deal allowed Tribune Girls free advertising and promotion in return for the name change.
After adding future Basketball Hall of Fame member Ora Washington to the roster, they dominated all competition, winning eleven straight Women’s Colored Basketball World’s Championship during the 1930s and early 1940s.
Their trademark was “snappy playing and sharp shooting.”
During the 1937-38 season, the Tribune Girls traveled over 5,000 miles to fill their schedule during a tour that included several Southern states.
Though the team began to fade with the onset of World War II, their pioneering efforts helped shatter many of the barriers to African American female involvement in the business of sports.
Tribune Girls™ is a trademark of the Black Fives Foundation. All rights reserved.
