What do Jean Faut, a self-described housewife, and Sandy Koufax, the Hall of Fame Dodgers' pitcher, have in common? They both played professional baseball and are considered the best pitchers of their respective playing days.
Jean “Ace of Diamonds” Faut, along with more than 600 other women, played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which lasted from 1943-1954. It was founded by Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley during World War II; and while the men were away, the women did play. The AAGPBL started with four teams and, at its height, attracted over 900,000 fans during the season. Although the league folded after 12 years, it showed the country that women could break out of traditional roles and succeed in any profession. Click on the links below to read about each talented athlete and her contribution to the first women's professional sports league.
Articles written by Jim Sargent and submitted by him to the AAGPBL Web site. Mr. Sargent has a Ph.D. in U.S. History at Michigan State University, has been a professor of American History since 1970, and is currently a teacher and chair of the Social Sciences Division at Virginia Western Community College.
Feature photo reprinted by permission of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, www.aagpbl.org