ASHWAUBENON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A half-century of girls high school basketball history is now on display in the Green Bay area.
Discover Green Bay and the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) unveiled Monday a new public exhibit celebrating 50 years of the WIAA Girls State Basketball Tournament. Located at the Discover Green Bay Visitor Center in Ashwaubenon, officials say the display honors “five decades of athletic excellence, community pride and Wisconsin sports tradition.”
It features carefully curated stories, pictures, statistics, historical tidbits and other visual displays and artifacts, such as a state championship trophy from each decade. The exhibit even includes the very first trophy ever handed out, all the way back in 1976.
“The legends that you see above, among many others; the dynasties that were able to lift the trophies before them; and the unforgettable moments that you can see back in the cases and in some of the screens that are on display,” said Jacob Servais, vice president of experience at Discover Green Bay. “We also highlight legends of the game… and tell various stories from teams and individuals around the state of Wisconsin.”
Many of the items spotlighted in the exhibit were donated by schools and former players.
“All of the women and the schools that have donated things to this have proudly done so. They kept these pieces of memorabilia — tickets, balls, pictures, their jerseys that they wore 30, 40 years ago — because it meant so much to them personally,” said Melissa Gehring, assistant director of the WIAA.
WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said the exhibit also serves as a reminder of how the landmark Title IX decision in 1972 reshaped women’s sports.
“I was too little to know that there was a time when girls couldn’t play high school sports. So, to preserve memories like this — to remind all of us that the reason we get to do what we do is because of all the pioneers that came before us… Those that had to fight and claw for what they loved and what they wanted to do, and they didn’t have that opportunity prior to that,” said Hauser.
The Resch Center in Ashwaubenon began hosting the WIAA Girls State Basketball Tournament in 2013. Discover Green Bay says the event boasts a $2.2 million local economic impact each year.
The 2026 event is scheduled for March 12-14.
