Iowa Cornets: Iowa Time Machine May 2, 1979

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On May 2, 1979, the Iowa Cornets lost Game 5 of the first WBL championship series to the Houston Angels, 111 to 104, in the deciding contest of a best-of-five final. The close of the season marked a milestone in the short, scrappy life of women’s pro basketball, when Iowa briefly stood at the center of a new sports frontier. The Cornets helped prove that women’s basketball could draw attention, talent, and passion well before the modern WNBA era.

The team emerged from a larger shift in American sports during the post-Title IX years, when new opportunities were opening for women athletes but stable professional leagues were still hard to sustain. George Nissen, the Cedar Rapids gymnast and trampoline inventor, backed the Cornets as the first franchise in the league, and he helped give Iowa a place in that early experiment.

Molly Bolin, known as “Machine Gun” Molly, became the team’s face, drawing crowds with her scoring and giving the league a star people could remember. Her rise reflected a broader moment when women athletes had to become both competitors and ambassadors for a league still finding its footing.

Houston’s Paula Mayo scored 36 points to seal the league title, while Iowa finished its first season as the runner-up. The Cornets had already helped give the new league credibility, and their trip to the finals showed that a team from a state known more for cornfields than pro basketball could contend on a national stage. Even in defeat, the Cornets helped define the look and energy of the league’s first season. #Iowa #OTD #History #Basketball #WomensBasketball