With the onset of World War II, the team found themselves in the Philippines. Just prior to the country being invaded, the team was evacuated at night out of the country. The team went on a hiatus during World War II due to rationing of items such as tires and gas. After World War II, two teams were on the road at the same time—the second was called The Famous Red Heads. It was during this time that 11-time All American Hazel Walker joined the team for three years prior to starting her own barnstorming team, The Arkansas Travelers.
During the next decade, the teams signed their greatest players. Names like Willa “Red” Mason and Johnny Farley would appear in newspapers around the country. The most successful player in the Red Heads’ history from a scoring perspective was owner Orwell Moore’s wife, Lorene “Butch” Moore. She was an outstanding player, scoring 35, 426 points in 11 seasons.
Becoming a Red Head
There was no draft, like in the WNBA today. Many times, a coach would hear that the Red Heads would be playing at a nearby town in the future. They would contact the owner of the team. The player would meet the coach at the game and be given a tryout on the spot. Such was the case for Cheryl Clark. Clark played for two and a half years with the The Texas Cowgirls. When the team came to a town near her, she traveled to the game and tried out. She was hired on the spot. She put her luggage in the stretch limousine and left with a team that day. Clark went on to play for twelve seasons and coached the team as well. During this career, she scored more than 26,000 points.
When a person was offered to become an All American Red Head, they must have been willing to become just that. They must have red hair, either naturally or dyed. In the early days, this was accomplished by using henna. The later years, they used Miss Clairol “Flame 33.” Along with the playing of games, travel, practices, and other daily duties, an occasional adjustment to the hair color was also needed.
