Hall of Fame
Although they competed in a mere three games over the span of 10 days, the 1920-21 Varsity Blues women’s basketball team established an athletic legacy that has continued to grow for nearly 90 years.
U of T faced the Toronto’s Ladies Club in the first Varsity Blues women’s basketball game on January 27, 1921. Despite some initial confusion regarding the rules, the Blues won 34-9, led by a 23-point performance by team captain Margaret Burridge.
Varsity then headed to the Queen’s Gymnasium in the first week of February 1921, where they faced McGill and Queen’s in a round robin tournament. This tournament marked the first women’s intercollegiate championship awarded in Canada for any sport.
On the second day of the tournament, the Blues met McGill, who were fresh off a 33-14 victory over Queen’s the day before. McGill’s team included a young Zerada Slack (U of T Sports Hall of Fame, 1993) at right forward. The Martlets scored six unanswered points to start the game, before U of T came back to secure a 17-16 lead at halftime, and then held on in the second half to win the contest, 32-28.
The following day, Queen’s provided fierce competition for the Blues. Having the benefit of watching the Toronto-McGill game, Queen’s adapted to Varsity’s unorthodox formations and rallied to come within one point in the opening minutes of the second half. The score remained close, but Queen’s inability to capitalize on free throws proved a decisive factor in Varsity’s 29-24 victory. The winning tradition created by the 1920-21 team continued the following season, when Varsity again prevailed over McGill and Queen’s to become the first holders of the celebrated ‘Bronze Baby’ trophy in women’s intercollegiate basketball.
