Cleveland Rockers
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The Cleveland Rockers were a Women's National Basketball Association team. The Rockers were one of the original eight franchises that started in 1997. The owner was Gordon Gund, who also owns the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers. In September 2003, Gund announced that his Gund Arena Company would no longer operate the Rockers. The team folded after the 2003 season as the league was not able to find new ownership for the team.
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Uniform
White with water blue lines over the shoulders, and black with water blue lines over the shoulders on the road, with a basketball-shaped guitar and the name Rockers.
Playoff history
Playoff Appearances: 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003
Conference Championships:
WNBA Championships:
History
The Rockers, who got their nickname to honor Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, have had little success historically. In 1997, they started with such players like Isabelle Fijalwoski and former Harlem Globetrotters member Lynette Woodard, who had been the first female player in Globetrotter history. The Rockers missed the playoffs in 1997, made them in 1998, going 20-10 and winning the Eastern Conference title, but lost to the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA finals. They made the conference finals again in 2000 but lost to the New York Liberty.
Retired numbers
Hall of Famers
Not to be forgotten
- Mary Andrade
- Helen Darling
- Lucienne Berthieu
- Isabelle Fijalwoski
- Jennifer Rizzotti, now coaches at the University of Hartford
- Suzie McConnell Serio, now coaches the Minnesota Lynx
- Penny Taylor
- Lynette Woodard
- Chastity Melvin
- Merlakia Jones
- Betty Lennox
- Deanna Jackson
- Pollyanna Johns-Kimbrough
- LaToya Thomas
- Tracy Henderson
- Rushia Brown
- Eva Nemcova
- Ann Wauters
Coaches and others
Head Coaches:
- Linda Hill-McDonald (1997-1999)
- Dan Hughes (2000-2003)