The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League began as the All-American Girls Softball League in 1943. Midway in its first season, the board of trustees changed its name to the All-American Girls Baseball League (AAGBBL) to make it distinctive from existing softball leagues and because the rules of play were those of Major League Baseball. At the end of the 1943 season, the name was again changed to the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). This name was retained until the end of the 1945 season, when the AAGBBL was again adopted and retained through 1950. At the end of the 1950 season, the name changed to the American Girls Baseball League (AGBL), but popularly it continued to be identified as the All-American League or All-American Girls Baseball League. Through the organization of the league's Players' Association in 1986, and through their efforts to gain recognition by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1988, the league has now come to be known conventionally as the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The League operated from 1943 to 1954.
From the description of Harold T. Dailey collection of All-American Girls Professional Baseball League records [microform], 1943-1954. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 449913070
