1997 Women's Pro Fastpitch season
| 1997 WPF Season | |
|---|---|
| League | Women's Professional Fastpitch |
| Sport | softball |
| Duration | May 30, 1997 - August 1997 |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN2 |
| 1997 WPF Draft | |
| WPF Championship | |
| Champions | Orlando Wahoos |
| Runners-up | Virginia Roadsters |
| Finals MVP |
Debbie Doom Orlando Wahoos |
The 1997 Women's Pro Fastpitch season was the first season of women's professional softball for Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF). The season began on May 30, 1997 and finished in a championship series between the two highest finishers.
Launching the WPF
The WPF was the second attempt at an American professional women's fastpitch softball league. The previous league, the International Women's Professional Softball Association, lasted from 1976-1979.
In January 1989, former Utah State pitcher Jane Cowles, approached her parents, Sage and John, owners of Cowles Media Company, with a plan for a professional women's fastpitch league. They believed there was potential in the idea, and began a period of research. They raised funds to establish the National Fastpitch Association (NFA) in 1991 in Boulder, Colorado.
In June 1993, the NFA held an exhibition series of two teams of former collegiate fastpitch players around the country. After evaluating the success of the exhibitions, the NFA focused research on possible markets, investors and sponsors. NFA's moved their offices to Minneapolis/St. Paul where Jay Cowles, Jane's brother, become CEO.
On January 19, 1994, Jay Cowles officially announced the formation of the National Fastpitch Association. Plans to begin league play in 1996 with an exhibition tour scheduled for the summer of 1995 was announced.
Making the game's national debut on August 11, 1994, the Decatur Pride and the California Commotion faced off at Borg Warner Stadium in Decatur, Illinois, later broadcast by ESPN2. By late fall of 1994, planning for an exhibition Tour was underway, and NFA changed its name to Women's Professional Fastpitch (WPF). In February 1995, Mitzi Swentzell, former Executive Vice President of the Denver Nuggets, assumed the position of President and CEO.
From June 15 to July 13, the 1995 WPF Tour featured two All-Star teams, called the Blaze and the Storm, that played in 16 cities and eight states.
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