Who Were the Edmonton Grads?

The Edmonton Grads was a women’s basketball team from right here in Edmonton. They played from 1915 to 1940, winning the Underwood International Trophy 17 years straight. 

This team is not only remarkable for paving the way in women’s basketball (the sport was still heavily dominated by men, and women's teams were fairly uncommon at this time) but they also held an amazing winning record for 25 years. They played 522 games over the years and only lost 20 times. That means they won about 96% of their games! They even won seven of the nine games they played against men. These weren’t close games either. In 1928, the Grads beat a team from Paris 109-20. It was not uncommon for the Edmonton Grads to win by such a large margin. 

The combination of the Grads’ undeniable talent and athleticism, as well as their good sportsmanship, opened the door for so many other women's teams to follow.   

-Grace Tunski, The Victoria Voice School Newspaper