Karen Logan

Last updated
Karen Logan
Personal information
Born1949 (age 75–76)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight120 lb (54 kg)
Career history
Playing
1971–1974 All-American Red Heads
1978–1979 Chicago Hustle
1979 New Jersey Gems
1980New Mexico Energee
Coaching
1978–1979Chicago Hustle (assistant)
1982–1984 Utah State
Stats at Basketball Reference   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Karen Logan (born 1949) is an American former basketball and volleyball player. [1] She is the inventor of what is now the standardized size women's basketball. [2] [3] In the 1970s she was often credited as the top women's basketball player in the United States. [4]

Contents

College career

Logan attended Pepperdine University from 1967 to 1971. Initially recruited for track and tennis, her basketball talent was discovered by coach Gary Colson and she regularly scrimmaged with the men's team. She was undefeated on Pepperdine's first women's tennis team her senior year and was inducted into the Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981. [5]

Basketball career

From 1971 to 1974, she toured with the All-American Red Heads, a professional barnstorming team that ofted played against men's teams. [2]

In 1975, CBS had Logan appear on Challenge of the Sexes, a nationally broadcast TV-show inspired by Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs' Battle of the Sexes. On the show Logan played and defeated Jerry West in a game of H-O-R-S-E. [2]

In June 1978, Logan became the first player to sign a contract with the newly created Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL). [6] [7]

While working with the WBL, Logan pitched an idea for a smaller ball for the women's game. The idea was accepted and the ball was first produced by Wilson Sporting Goods and adopted by the WBL, eventually becoming the standard for all levels of women's basketball. [2]

Logan played for the Chicago Hustle for the first half of the 1978–79 WBL season. She broke her foot three months before the season and was told by her doctor it would take 10 to 11 months to heal. Shortly before the start of the season, she played a preseason game where she scored 20 points but was unable to walk the following day due to the injury. She continued playing through the injury but wasn't able to play at the level that was expected, leading to her being traded to the New Jersey Gems in January 1979. While both parties were interested, she declined to return to the Gems after the season due to unpaid salary. [3]

Logan signed with the New Orleans Pride the following season but was cut before the seasons start after having being involved in an attempt to create the first labor union for professional women's athletes in cooperation with the NFL Players Association. [2]

In 1980, she signed as a player-coach for the Tucson Storm of the short lived Ladies Professional Basketball Association (LPBA). After the team folded before the start of the season, she signed with New Mexico Energee and played a few games with the team before it and the LPBA folded. [3]

She coached the Utah State University women's team from 1982 to 1984 before stepping away from basketball for good. [2]

Volleyball career

Logan played professional volleyball for two seasons in the International Volleyball Association. [3]

References

  1. ↑ Rod Kausen (2020-10-29). "Born Too Soon". North Coast Journal. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Payton Titus (2022-08-25). "How Karen Logan and her legacy of the WNBA's basketball shows how far women's pro hoops has come". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Natalie Heavren (2022-08-22). "The lasting impact of women's basketball trailblazer Karen Logan". The IX Basketball. Retrieved 2025-11-27.
  4. ↑ "Karen Logan, No.1 in Basketball, Seeks Top Superstar 'Identity' (Published 1975)". 1975-01-28. Retrieved 2025-11-27. Karen Logan is billed as the No. 1 women's basketball player in the country.
  5. ↑ "Karen Logan (1981)". pepperdinewaves.com. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
  6. ↑ "Karen Logan is first to sign with women's pro cage league". The Paducah Sun . Associated Press. 21 June 1978. p. 2D. Retrieved 16 October 2023– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ Bill Jauss (20 June 1978). "Skyline acquires two shooting stars". Chicago Tribune . p. 2. Retrieved 16 October 2023– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
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