Canadian Sports Heritage - Athletes of National Historic Significance
Edmonton Grads (1915-1940)
Dream Girls
Edmonton Grads basketball team, 1923.
© Glenbow Archives
From humble beginnings as an Edmonton high school team, the Commercial Graduates Basketball Club (“Grads”), coached by Percy Page, developed into one of the most successful sports teams in Canadian history. Between 1915 and 1940, the Grads set one of the most outstanding win-loss records of any basketball team: 522 wins against 20 losses. They held the Alberta Provincial Crown for twenty-four years and the Canadian title from 1922-1940. Victorious over the reigning American and world champions, the Grads successfully defended the Canadian championship and the international Underwood Trophy every year until the team disbanded in 1940 -- an unparalleled winning streak by a Canadian team in any major competitive sport.
The Grads played six games in conjunction with the Women's Olympics in Paris and were declared World Champions. Four years later, at the time of the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics, they won the French and European championships. Between 1924 and 1936, the Grads claimed 27 consecutive victories, winning every Olympic game.
Their success was attributed to strict physical fitness, a remarkable focus, persistence, and above all, teamwork. Coach Page stated: “You must play basketball, think basketball, and dream basketball.” And dream they did! When the Grads disbanded they held 108 local, provincial, national and international championships and were the acknowledged world champions for 17 consecutive years. Only 38 women had played for the club in its 25-year history.
Displaying an unshakeable athletic prowess, the Edmonton Grads left an eternal impression on the world of women’s basketball. Canadian inventor of the game, Dr. James Naismith, called them the finest basketball team that ever stepped out on a floor.
The Edmonton Grads were declared a National Historic Event in 1977.