Indiana Fever Franchise History
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1999
June 7, 1999 Indianapolis, Miami, Portland and Seattle awarded WNBA expansion franchises, to begin play in 2000.
June 25, 1999 Sold 1,000th season ticket to Dorothy Mengering, the mother of late-night talk show host David Letterman.
July 22, 1999 Hired Kelly Krauskopf as the team’s first Chief Operating Officer. Krauskopf becomes the highest-ranking female front office executive at any of the city’s professional sports franchises.
July 30, 1999 Sold 2,000th season ticket to Indianapolis 500 veteran racecar driver Lyn St. James. “When the WNBA was initially launched in 1997, I was actually surprised that Indianapolis, with its tremendous basketball tradition and the support that surrounds basketball here, was not one of the cities on the list,” St. James said. “I am certainly pleased to see that Indianapolis has now been awarded a franchise and I am confident that the team will be embraced by the loyal basketball fans in Indiana.”
August 13, 1999 Sold 3,000th season ticket to San Diego Padres’ All-Star outfielder Tony Gwynn, just days after he became the 22nd player in Major League Baseball history to reach the 3,000-hit plateau. “I was glad to hear that Indiana was awarded a franchise,” Gwynn said, who has a home in Indianapolis. “I have seen first hand how kids look up to professional athletes. My wife and I are looking forward to the opportunity for our kids to watch these WNBA players, who are not only great athletes, but great role models.”
August 17, 1999 Named Nell Fortner as the team’s first head coach and general manager. Already committed to the U.S. women’s national team through the 2000 Olympic Games, Fortner is scheduled to join the team in 2001, following her Olympic commitment.
August 27, 1999 Sold 4,500th season ticket to Grammy Award-winning recording artist and Anderson, Ind. native Sandi Patty. “I have come to love and respect women’s sports, and I think this is a wonderful opportunity for Indianapolis and the State of Indiana,” Patty said. The team also announces its 2000 individual game ticket prices at a press conference at Market Square Arena. The average ticket price to attend a WNBA game at Conseco Fieldhouse will be $13, with prices ranging from $5 to $85.
September 23, 1999 Sold 5,000th season ticket to Indiana Pacers Head Coach Larry Bird. “I think Indiana’s WNBA franchise will be a huge success and I’m happy to be a part of helping to ensure that success,” Bird said. “Indiana fans love their basketball and I think they will embrace the WNBA team and the high quality of play it will bring to Indiana,” Bird said.
October 1, 1999 Sold 5,500th season ticket to former U.S. Senator Birch Bayh, enabling the franchise to meet the league’s minimum goal two weeks ahead of schedule. Said Bayh, “I have long believed that both our daughters and our sons need to experience the benefits that come with participating in sporting activities.” Bayh introduced the 1972 Title IX law, which provided equal opportunities for female participation in athletics.
October 12, 1999 WNBA President Val Ackerman visits Indianapolis as the guest speaker at a WNBA Corporate Luncheon. Ackerman speaks to 220 corporate representatives at The Columbia Club on Monument Circle.
October 20, 1999 Named Hall-of-Famer Anne Donovan as the team’s head coach for the 2000 season. Donovan will coach the team in the absence of Fortner, and become the team’s lead assistant coach upon Fortner’s return.
November 15, 1999 Awarded the first pick in the 2000 WNBA Expansion Draft in a random drawing at the WNBA League Meetings when the team’s designated ping-pong ball was the first out of the selection receptacle.
December 15, 1999 Selected Gordana Grubin (Los Angeles) with the first pick, Sandy Brondello (Detroit) with the 8th pick, Nyree Roberts (Washington) with the 9th pick, Kara Wolters (Houston) with the 16th pick, Rita Williams (Washington) with the 17th pick and Chantel Tremitiere (Utah) with the 24th pick in the 2000 WNBA Expansion Draft. Acquired Stephanie White from Miami, in exchange for Sandy Brondello and a first-round pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft. Acquired Monica Maxwell from Washington, in exchange for selecting Nyree Roberts and a fourth-round pick in the 2000 WNBA Draft.
December 17, 1999 Team name and logo unveiled before 300 in attendance at the Arts Garden in Circle Centre Mall. Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Donnie Walsh, Fever Chief Operating Officer Kelly Krauskopf, Head Coach Anne Donovan, Indianapolis Mayor Stephen Goldsmith and Stephanie White speak at the unveiling.
2000
January 19, 2000 Hired Shelley Patterson as assistant coach.
April 25, 2000 Selected Jurgita Streimikyte (Lithuania) with the 26th pick, Usha Gilmore (Rutgers) with the 42nd pick, Latina Davis (Tennessee) with the 50th pick and Renee Robinson (Virginia) with the 58th pick in the WNBA Draft. Davis and Robinson are traded to Houston for Latavia Coleman (Florida State).
April 28, 2000 Chris Denari was named the team’s first radio and television play-by-play announcer.
April 29, 2000 Local tryouts conducted at Butler University’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, with over 200 women competing with hopes of landing a spot on the 11-player Fever roster. After two days of basketball, one player, Texlin Quinney from Buffalo, N.Y., made the final cut and found herself on the Fever’s opening day roster.
May 1, 2000 Members of the media get their first glimpse of the new WNBA franchise as the morning begins with media day. Later that day, the team opens training camp and holds its first practice on Emmis Court in Conseco Fieldhouse. Karen Wilkins, Shantel Hardison, Monick Foote, Stacey Lovelace, Katasha Artis, Donna Harrington, Alicia Thompson and Texlin Quinney are assigned to the Fever by the WNBA.
May 9, 2000 Hired Julie Plank as assistant coach.
May 10, 2000 First public practice conducted on the main floor of Conseco Fieldhouse. Following the 40-minute practice session, fans remained to watch the Indiana Pacers at Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals. The game was broadcast live on the Conseco Fieldhouse scoreboard.
May 20, 2000 First preseason game features a Purdue University reunion at Mackey Arena, as the Fever host the Orlando Miracle at West Lafayette. Orlando is coached by Carolyn Peck, who had been the head coach of the 1999 National Champion Purdue women’s team that included current Fever player Stephanie White.
May 26, 2000 The Fever concludes its four-game preseason schedule with a win at Orlando. Indiana finishes the preseason with a 1-3 mark after dropping its first three games - two to Sacramento and one to Orlando.
May 28, 2000 Opening day roster is finalized The Fever’s inaugural season roster includes: Usha Gilmore, Donna Harrington, Monica Maxwell, Stephanie White, Texlin Quinney, Jurgita Streimikyte, Alicia Thompson, Chantel Tremitiere, Beverly Williams, Rita Williams and Kara Wolters.
June 1, 2000 First regular season game in franchise history takes place at Miami. The nationally televised game takes place on Lifetime Television for Women. The Fever trailed most of the game until a Rita Williams’ 3-pt FG with 2:48 remaining gives the franchise its first lead and its first victory, 57-54.
June 3, 2000 Orlando visits Indianapolis for the first WNBA regular season game ever played at Conseco Fieldhouse. Indiana relinquishes a nine-point halftime lead and Orlando wins the game, 88-82.
June 5, 2000 Indiana beats Miami for the second time in three games to opening its inaugural season, recording its first win at Conseco Fieldhouse, 80-59.
July 24, 2000 Charlotte defeats Indiana 82-78 in the first overtime game in franchise history.
August 9, 2000 First WNBA season concludes with a 67-51 win over Charlotte as 11,701 fans visit Conseco Fieldhouse on Fan Appreciation Night.
2001
April 20, 2001 Selected Tamika Catchings (Tennessee) with the 3rd pick; Kelly Schumacher (Connecticut) with the 14th pick; Niele Ivey (Notre Dame) with the 19th pick; Marlena Williams (Missouri) with the 35th pick; and April Brown (Louisiana State) with the 51st pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft.
2002
April 19, 2002 Selected Tawana McDonald (Georgia) with the 13th pick; Zuzi Klimesova (Vanderbilt) with the 17th pick; Kelly Komora (Purdue) with the 34th pick; LaKeisha Taylor (Arizona) with the 49th pick; and Jillian Danker (Vanderbilt) with the 52nd pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft.
August 13, 2002 Clinched the first playoff berth in franchise history with a 60-56 win at Cleveland, on the final day of the regular season.
August 16, 2002 Defeated New York 73-55 in the first playoff game in Fever history. Tamika Catchings scores 29 points in the historic game at Conseco Fieldhouse. The Liberty later would win the series, 2-1.
2003
April 24, 2003 Selected Sylvia Crawley (Portland) with the 7th pick in the first round of the WNBA Dispersal Draft.
April 25, 2003 Selected Gwen Jackson (Tennessee) with the 6th pick; DeTrina White (Louisiana State) with the 20th pick; and Ashley McElhiney (Vanderbilt) with the 35th pick in the 2003 WNBA Draft.
May 29, 2003 Sold franchise-record 18,345 tickets for the 2003 home opener against the Washington Mystics. Indiana wins 71-60 before a national TV audience on ABC-TV and the first sellout in franchise history.
June 26, 2003 Defeated Connecticut, 94-90, in the first double-overtime game in franchise history. Indiana defeats the Sun during the Fever’s first visit to Mohegan Sun Arena, and registers a single-game scoring record.
July 10, 2003 Defeated New York, 76-69, to stay undefeated (8-0) at home, and run its home court win streak to a franchise-record 13 games dating to 2002.
July 23, 2003 Defeated San Antonio, 81-47, at Conseco Fieldhouse to record the largest margin of victory, 34 points, in franchise history.
September 26, 2003 Nell Fortner resigned as head coach and general manager. Kelly Krauskopf assumed general manager duties.
December 3, 2003 Participating in the WNBA Draft Lottery, Indiana improved its draft position in the 2004 WNBA Draft by moving from the No. 5 selection to the No. 3 pick.
December 11, 2003 Brian Winters named as the Fever’s third head coach.
2004
January 6, 2004 Selected Deanna Jackson with the fifth pick of the WNBA Dispersal Draft, to disperse remaining players from the Cleveland Rockers franchise.
April 17, 2004 Selected Ebony Hoffman (USC) with the ninth pick, and Ieva Kublina (Virginia Tech) with the 31st pick in the 2004 WNBA Draft.
April 25, 2004 Fever began its fifth training camp.
June 7, 2004 Tamika Catchings was named the WNBA’s Player of the Week after leading the Fever to wins over San Antonio and Charlotte. Catchings combined for 39 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists, five blocks and four steals in the two games.
June 21, 2004 Tamika Catchings earned her second player of the week award in three weeks after leading Indiana to wins over Sacramento and New York. Her eight points, five rebounds and seven assists against the Monarchs were followed by a 25-point, 12-rebound performance against the Liberty.
June 25, 2004 Defeated the Los Angeles Sparks for the first time in franchise history, posting a 71-67 win at Conseco Fieldhouse.
July 14, 2004 Kelly Miller scored 18 points to lead the Fever to a 70-62 win against the Houston Comets. The win was Indiana's first against the Houston franchise.
July 16, 2004 Claimed first place in the Eastern Conference after an 85-73 victory over Detroit. It was the first time in franchise history that Indiana sat atop the Eastern Conference.
August 28, 2004 Tamika Catchings collected her first Olympic medal while helping lead the United States to a 74-63 victory over Australia in the gold medal game of the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. A starter in every game, Catchings led the team in minutes (24.8) and steals (2.8), while averaging 6.9 ppg and 5.4 rpg.
September 4, 2004 Routed Washington, Minnesota and Washington again by a combined 52 points – the largest three-game victory margin in franchise history – to claim a share of first place in the Eastern Conference. This after returning from the month-long WNBA hiatus due to the summer Olympics.
September 19, 2004 Fell to Eastern Conference champion Connecticut, losing its fourth straight game to finish the season with a 15-19 record. Tamika Catchings scored a season-high 30 points, including 21 in the second half.
September 27, 2004 Kelly Miller and Connecticut's Wendy Palmer named co-recipients of the WNBA’s Most Improved Player Award.
October 8, 2004 Tamika Catchings received All-WNBA honors for a third consecutive season. Catchings was named to the All-WNBA Second Team.
December 1, 2004 Moved to the No. 2 pick of the 2005 WNBA Draft after entering the WNBA Draft Lottery in the No. 3 position, marking the second consecutive year the team moved up in the draft lottery.
2005
April 16, 2005 Selected Tan White (Mississippi State) with the second pick, [[Yolanda Paige ([[West Virginia Mountaineers|West Virginia) with the 16th pick and Ashley Earley (Vanderbilt) with the 29th pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft.
April 21, 2005 Announced the retirement of Stephanie White, the lone remaining player from the Fever’s inaugural season roster.
June 4, 2005 Kelly Miller’s three-point play with 0.9 seconds to play lifted the Fever past the New York Liberty, 62-59, in one of the most dramatic finishes in franchise history. Miller’s running right-hander through the lane broke a tie score as Indiana stayed unbeaten at home (4-0).
June 20, 2005 Tamika Catchings earned her sixth WNBA Player of the Week award by leading the Fever with three strong outings against Detroit, Charlotte and Washington. After scoring 20 points with a career-high 16 rebounds, plus eight assists and six steals against the Shock, her steal helped secure a win against Charlotte one night later. She scored 12 points with four assists and four rebounds against the Sting, and in a loss to Washington, she scored 20 points with 15 rebounds.
July 9, 2005 The leading vote-getter in the Eastern Conference, Tamika Catchings started her third WNBA All-Star game, and finished with 18 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Were it not for a West victory, Catchings was a candidate for game MVP honors.
July 18, 2005 For the second time in 2005, Catchings was named the WNBA’s Player of the Week. In leading the Fever to three straight wins, she posted 18 points, nine rebounds and eight steals in a win over rival Connecticut. Two nights later, she posted her third double-double of the season with 20 points and 14 boards against Detroit. She capped the week with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists – and helped preserve a 59-58 road win at Detroit.
August 14, 2005 A 62-56 road win at Phoenix was the Fever’s 17th win in 2005, breaking the club record for wins in a season.
August 18, 2005 Indiana downed Washington, 67-57, to secure the team’s second playoff berth in franchise history.
August 22, 2005 For the third time in 2005 and the eighth time in her career, Catchings earned the WNBA’s Player of the Week award. She shot 9-of-11 with 23 points in a win over Washington, and followed with 18 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Charlotte.
August 23, 2005 In what would be a preview to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Fever won its fourth straight game and secured the No. 2 seed in the WNBA Playoffs while downing Connecticut on the road, 69-63. The win put Indiana eight games above .500 for the first time in its history.
August 30, 2005 Indiana won the first road playoff game in franchise history, downing the New York Liberty, 63-51, at Madison Square Garden.
September 1, 2005 The Fever swept its opening-round playoff series and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 58-50 home win over the Liberty. Tamika Catchings and Natalie Williams both had double-doubles in the win. Before the game, Catchings was honored as the WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. She was joined on the WNBA’s All-Defense First Team by teammate Tully Bevilaqua.
September 8, 2005 Connecticut took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 73-68.
September 10, 2005 Indiana fell short in its bid to reach the WNBA Finals, falling on the road to Connecticut, 77-67. The Sun won the series, 2-0. In what was the final game of her career, Fever center Natalie Williams fittingly capped her pro career with a double-double – combining 11 rebounds with a season-high 17 points.
November 16, 2005 Deanna Jackson selected among 13 players in the Chicago Sky’s expansion draft for the 2006 season.
2006
April 5, 2006 Selected La’Tangela Atkinson (North Carolina) with the ninth pick, Kasha Terry (Georgia Tech) with the 26th pick, Jessica Foley (Duke) with the 38th pick and Marina Kuzina (Russia) with the 40th pick in the 2006 WNBA Draft.
