Women's Basketball: #TBT Oldest Women's Sport At The U!

Women have been playing basketball at the University of Minnesota since about 1896.

In 1897 Dr. Louis Cooke, the men's basketball coach, one of the first paid coaches at the U of M, wrote an article in the school newspaper The Ariel, "Necessity of Girls Sports". Despite the foolish sounding title, to a modern reader, women's sports in the late 19th century was less organized than men's sports and many thought it was inappropriate for girls and women to play sports. While it was being debated in the papers the female students kept playing.

A 1901 article in the Minneapolis Tribune "Basket Ball As A Game For The Girls" discussed the value of exercise while playing sports.