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WILLARD CHOCOLATE V122 SPORTS CHAMPIONS #42 EDMONTON GRADS (CANADA)
The sports champions V122 cards were released with Willard Chocolate Bars and the set consisted of 56 cards of various sports, including 1 basketball card. The card featured the "Edmonton Grads", a famous Canadian women's basketball team that dominated the sport in the 1920s & 1930s.
About the Edmonton Grads: The Edmonton Grads were a Canadian women's basketball team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada active from 1912 – 1940. The team continues to hold the North American record for the women's sports team with the best winning percentage. In the 522 games the Grads competed in between 1915 and 1940, they won 502 of them, giving them a winning percentage over 96%
The Grads won the first women's world title in basketball in 1924 and continued winning titles in North America in Europe throughout the 1920s & 1930s. They retained their amateur status to make sure they would be eligible for the Olympics if basketball was made an official Olympic sport. They never got to play in official games but won all 24 matches they played in the during Olympic exhibition games between 1924 and 1936. Women's basketball wasn't included in the Olympics until 1976.
As the most successful women's basketball team of the early 20th century, the Edmonton Grads made news headlines across North America and as far away as Hong Kong and the Philippines. Their success had a strong impact on public attitudes towards female athletes, making it more socially acceptable for women to play sports. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, considered the Edmonton Grads to be "the finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor".
Measurements: 1.375" x 3.375"
1924
