A timeline of a handful of modern key moments in the field of Minnesota women’s sports:
In 1999, Minnesota Lynx make their WNBA debut
In 2008, Wrestler Ali Bernard on her way to Beijing Olympics
In 2011, the Minnesota Lynx make it to the WNBA finals for the first time
In 2017, St. Paul’s Suni Lee sees her Olympic dream on the horizon
These and more that you can hear in this curated collection.
[This collection was curated by Shandi Burrows, Archival Assistant]
May 28, 1993 - MPR’s Perry Finelli interviews Association for Women in Sports Media organizers on their convention for women sports writers. The convention’s focus is on discussing the harassment that women sports writers face.
July 9, 1994 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews Kathleen Stauffer on here new book, Womansport: The Women's Sports Bible. She discusses how women belong in sports, the inequity in the field, and the changes to come.
November 18, 1995 - MPR Weekend Edition’s Jay Weiner joins Chris Roberts to celebrate and discuss the 20th anniversary of the Women’s Department at the University of Minnesota.
July 15, 1996 - MPR’s Martin Kaste interviews players on the first day of the USA Cup Girl’s Youth Soccer Invitational taking place at the National Sports Center in Blaine.
November 5, 1996 - St. Paul native Toni Stone, the first woman to play on a men's professional baseball team, died on November 2nd, 1996 at a nursing home near Oakland, California. She was 75 years old. In 1990, Stone came back to St. Paul to talk to a group of students during Women's History Month. MPR’s Bill Wareham was there and presents this audio from an original 1990 broadcast as a remembrance.
January 10, 1997 - MPR’s Gretchen Lehmann reports on the growing number of women involved in the sport of dog sled racing. Women are out in record numbers as mushers, braving sub-zero temperatures to experience the thrill of rushing through the woods on a sled pulled by a team of dogs.
February 23, 1998 - MPR's Amy Radil reports that Minnesota mushers are bringing dogsledding to a whole new audience…women seeking winter adventure. The Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon race in Duluth and Alaska's Iditarod have increased the sport's visibility. Now, mushing trips for novices are one way sled dog owners can educate people about the sport and pay their bills.
April 9, 1998 - MPR’s Hope Deutscher reports on eight wrestlers at the University of Minnesota-Morris that are gaining international recognition. They are not only overcoming an opponent, but also stereotypes as they train for the future…even a potential Olympics.
May 14, 1998 - Midday presents a broadcast of Donna Lopiano, executive director of the Women's Sports Foundation, speaking at College of St. Catherine Forum on Women in Leadership. Lopiano’s speech is titled The Changing World of Women and Sport.
August 17, 1998 - With a new Women's National Basketball Association team being formed in Minnesota for next season, MPR’s William Wilcoxen joins a crowd of women basketball fans near Detroit, Michigan to discuss their take on the WNBA. As the WNBA nears the end of their second season, it has plans to expand to Minnesota in a team that would develop into the Minnesota Lynx.