[Los Angeles Dandelions] [Pasadena Roses] [California Mustangs/Earthquakes] [Los Angeles Scandals]
1973
- Dandelions' 1973 home games were played at Long Beach Veterans Stadium.
- Head Coach: Bob Edwards
- The original ownership group for the Dandelions consisted of Bob Matthews, Jerry Patterson, Pat Hogan, Cecil Proulx and three others.
- It cost the owners $50,000 to start up the Los Angeles Dandelions women's football team.
- In three games during the 1973 season, The Dandelions played in front of an average crowd of less than 2000.
- The Dandelions' operating loss in 1973 totaled $12,000.
- The Dandelions opened the 1973 season on July 22 with a 16-12 loss to the Dallas Bluebonnets.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
Dallas 6 2 0 8 16
L.A. 6 0 0 6 12
Account of 1973 Game between the Los Angeles Dandelions and the Dallas Bluebonnets
Dallas scored first on a Shellie Wall 42-yard end run play at 5:28 of the first quarter. (79 yard, two play drive) Two-point conversion failed.
The Dandelions then got on the board when pat Smith caught a 10-yard pass from Vickie Garcia. The PAT kick failed.
In the second quarter, Dallas' Joyce Morgan tackled the Dandelions' Jennifer Krehm in the end zone for a safety. Dallas led 8-6 at half-time.
At 7:30 of the fourth quarter, the Dandelions' Jennifer Krehm scored on a 5-yard touchdown run. This capped a 42-yard, six-play drive featuring a 26-yard pass play from Vickie Garcia to Debbie DeSalliers. The two-point conversion failed. (Score: Dandelions 12, Dallas Bluebonnets 8)
At 11:30 of the fourth quarter, Dallas took the lead for good when Shellie Wall scored on a 17-yard end run. This ended a 67-yard, five play drive in which Ms. Wall gained 57 yards on four carries. The conversion was good.
(By Dallas coach Rich Benat's estimate, Shellie Wall could run the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds.
The Los Angeles Times added this note about the game: "Dallas operated from a wishbone T with a double option, while Los Angeles favored the pro set. (Los Angeles Times, July 23, 1973; Sports: 7.)
- On August 18, the Dandelions defeated the Detroit Demons.
- 1973 won-loss record:
2 wins and 1 loss.
Partial 1973 Los Angeles Dandelions Roster
No. Player Ht. Wt. Pos. Age
12 Vickie Garcia 5'5" 165 QB
Pat Smith 5'7" 122 WR
Jennifer Krehm
Deb. DeSalliers End
Barbara Patton 5'4" 130 LB
23 Rose Low QB/S
25 Charlotte Raff
Gayle Almaraz
Joan Dusenbury
Janet Grassly 5'11" 175 DT 19
Gail Werbin 5'8" 140 27
Sue Hoxie 5'6" 130 FL/DB
L. Blaneknship 5'8" 160 DE/TE
Ginger Ford 5'5" 125 HB
70 Linda Danner 5'5" 207 T
1974
Some additions to the Dandelions for 1974 included the following: Pat Bass; Pam Brown, a guard; Lupe Perciado, a 5'6", 200 pound guard; Kathy Greenwood, a linebacker and center (Said Bob Matthews of her, "the center. . .is faster than two of our five backs." [womenSports, Nov. 1974: 42]); Charlene Turner; Debbie Toms; and linebacker Carol Bird. (This married mother of four children worked as a medical technologist.)
1975
- Sixty-five women tried out for eight open spots on the Dandelions' 1975 roster. Some newer Dandelions in 1975 included Jeri Dipley, right guard Lyn Shoopman, and Debbie English, who at 5'1" and 105 pounds was described as "possibly the world's smallest professional halfback." (James M. Leavy, "Women began playing football on the beach." Long Beach Independent/Press-Telegram Sept. 28, 1975: L/S-1 and L/S-8)
- Owner Bob Matthews invested $22,000 in the Dandelions in 1975. It cost the Dandelions $6000 to play a local team and double that amount versus an out-of-town team. According to the Long Beach Independent/Press-Telegram, "To survive the team must draw 3000 to 6000 spectators. Attendance, however, has averaged little more than 1000 per game. Only 900 watched the San Diego Lobos beat the Dandelions on Sept. 7." (page L/S-8)
- In the opener versus the San Diego Lobos, Lupe Perciado was lost for the season with a compression fracture of the spine suffered when she was helmet speared in the back.
- The September 28, 1975 issue of the Long Beach Independent/Press-Telegram had an article about the Los Angeles Dandelions which described a game in these words: "No reporters in the press box, because somebody would call the score into Associated Press later and that is all most newspapers would want. No point spread, because no one bet on the game. No TV blackout in Los Angeles, because there was no TV coverage . . ."
- On Sept. 21, the Dandelions won 26-6 in a game played at East Los Angeles College Stadium. (Attendance: 200) In that game, Dandelions cornerback Juanita Byars intercepted a pass and ran it in for a touchdown; and halfback Sue Davidson had 17 carries for 37 yards.
- Debbie DeSalliers, who played for the Dandelions in the 1970s while attending UCLA, wrote a Master's thesis about her experience titled, "Personality Trait Assessment and Characteristics of a Women's Professional Football Team."
Late 1970s
- In the late 1970s, the Los Angeles Dandelions were taken over by one Mr. Russell Molzahn
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Based on the following article: "Here's the Story behind Faded Roses," by Steve Casey. San Diego Tribune, Sept. 17, 1975.
Here are a few facts about the Pasadena Roses.
- Owner:
Lorraine Kelly
- Team Attorney:
Leo McCulloch
- Head coach:
Dr. Duffy Lewis, who was a high school athletic director. He resigned after his team's 58-0 loss to the San Diego Lobos on Sept. 14, 1975.
- The Roses' quarterback and punter was Naomi Malauulu.
- The Roses played their home games at Azusa College.
- The 1975 Pasadena Roses played two games against the San Diego Lobos and lost them both: 58-0 on Sept. 15 and 38-0 on Sept. 28.
NOTE: If anyone has any additional information about the Pasadena Roses, PLEASE e-mail me at either david_j_6@hotmail.com or drjackso@suffolk.lib.ny.us. Thank you.
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California Mustangs/Earthquakes
Here are some facts about the California Mustangs/Earthquakes franchise.
- Head Coach:
John Orr
- Years of play:
1974 to 1976?
- This team, which was based in San Gabriel, CA, played its home games at Citrus Junior College in Glendora, CA, and held its practices at LaSalle High School in Pasadena. The marquee sign outside that school once said, "Home of the California Earthquakes--Women's Pro Football."
NOTE: If anyone has any additional information about the California Mustangs or the California Earthquakes, PLEASE e-mail me at either david_j_6@hotmail.com or drjackso@suffolk.lib.ny.us. Thank you.
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Los Angeles Scandals
The Los Angeles Scandals were formed in the mid-1980s in an attempt to revive women's professional tackle football in the Los Angeles area. Following are a few facts about this prospective entry in the National Women's Football League.
- Team President:
Jill Sturdivant
- General Manager:
Teresa Ray
- Head Coach:
Doug Thacker, a former Virginia Tech linebacker who was Jill Sturdivant's husband.
- Line Coach:
Tom Robinson
- Team Colors:
Orange and Black
- Scandals co-owner Jill Sturdivant, a Raleigh, North Carolina native, was a student at the University of Miami (Florida) in the late 1970s. She initially sought a career as a singer.
- While in New York doing recording sessions as a backup singer, Ms. Sturdivant met Teresa Ray, a Henderson, Kentucky native, who then became her manager.
- After watching the 1985 Pro Bowl, Ms. Sturdivant and Ms. Ray placed an advertisement in the Los Angeles newspapers calling for women who wanted to play tackle football. 120 women called in response to the ads, and 50 showed up for a practice/tryout session in February.
- By the end of the spring, the number of women who stuck with the nascent women's football team went down to just 12. Some quit because they discovered that they really weren't football material; others left because they didn't get uniforms right away. (To some, the uniform was some sort of trophy.) Other women were turned away once the co-owners started charging prospective players entry dues of $150.
- The Scandals got much needed financial support from a lawyer named John Adams. Ms. Sturdivant and Ms. Ray used some of the money to buy orange and black uniforms for the squad.
- The Scandals chose as their home field Los Angeles Valley College in Van Nuys, CA. Practices were held two to three times a week in that facility.
- Tryout drills for the 1985 team took place on September 7 and 8.
- As of November 1985, the Scandals roster consisted of twenty-five women ranging in age from 20 to 36, including defensive ends Jill Sturdivant and Teresa Ray, quarterback Kathy Clark, and defensive lineperson Jeannette Bender.
- The Scandals, upon incorporating, issued 5 million shares of stock, none of which had been sold as of November 1985.
- After talks with National Women's Football League officials, Ms. Sturdivant and Ms. Ray decided to align the Scandals with the proposed American Women's Football League. The AWFL team roster included the Dallas Darlings, the Houston Hustlers, the Miami Mermaids, and the Cleveland Curls, against whom the Scandals were to open play in 1986.
Sources for information about the Los Angeles Scandals were the following articles:
- "Scandals invite women to football tryout." Los Angeles Times, Valley Edition. Sept. 7, 1985; Sports (Part 3): 21.
- Smith, Doug. "Football barriers tough to tackle for women." Los Angeles Times, Valley Edition. Nov. 29, 1985; Metro (Part 2): 8.
- "Digest: Women hit the field for football tryouts." Los Angeles Times, Valley Edition. Sept. 8, 1985; Metro (Part 2): 12.
NOTE: I do not know whether or not the Los Angeles Scandals or the American Women's Football League ever actually played a game. Therefore, if anyone has ANY additional information about either the Los Angeles Scandals or the American Women's Football League, please e-mail me at either david_j_6@hotmail.com or drjackso@suffolk.lib.ny.us. Thank you very much.
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