Minnesota Fillies
The Minnesota Fillies were an American women's professional basketball team based in Minnesota that competed in the Women's Professional Basketball League from 1978 to 1981. The Fillies were one of three teams to play in all three of the league's seasons. The Met Center served as the team's home court during their first two seasons. In the team's last season, they played home games at the Minneapolis Auditorium.
| Minnesota Fillies | |
|---|---|
| Division | Eastern (1978–1979) Midwest (1979–1980) Central (1980–1981) |
| League | Women's Professional Basketball League |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Folded | 1981 |
| History | Minnesota Fillies 1978–1981 |
| Arena | Met Center (1978–1980) Williams Arena (1980) Minneapolis Auditorium (1980-1981) |
| Location | Minneapolis, MN |
| Team colors | Royal blue, golden yellow, white |
| Team manager | J. Gordon Nevers |
| Head coach | Julia Yeater (1978–1979) Terry Kunze (1979–1981) Lynnette Sjoquist (1981) |
| Ownership | J. Gordon Nevers |
| Championships | 0 |
| Conference titles | 0 |
| Division titles | 0 |
The Women's Professional Basketball League disbanded in 1981 due to financial problems. Most of these problems were attributed to owners defaulting on creditors and outstanding payroll entitlements to players and other employees. In 1981, Commissioner Sherwin Fischer promised that the Minnesota Fillies players would receive their entitlements. When the Commissioner failed to deliver on this promise, the Fillies walked off the court in Chicago ten minutes before a scheduled game against the Chicago Hustle. Despite a full house at De Paul Alumni Hall, the game was forfeited. The Fillies finished out the final games of the 1980–1981 season with replacement players.