Women of
the Halls of Fame
USA Field Hockey
Hall of Fame
Commemorating Exceptional Female Athletes
In 1901, Constance Applebee presented the game of field hockey to members of the Harvard University community. This game was popular in Applebee’s country of origin (England) but was not played in the United States.
Shortly after introducing the sport, Applebee and a fellow colleague formed the American Field Hockey Association. The game’s popularity took flight and continued to grow over the next century. Despite the fact that field hockey is now predominantly played by women in the United States, females did not play the game professionally until 1927, when the International Federation of Women’s Field Hockey was founded.
To commemorate the great American players, the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame was established at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. The first class of inductees, which included 23 American female players and coaches, was accepted into the hall in 1988. Since then, another 18 American women have been inducted into the museum.