History

IMPORTANT MILESTONES:

First SF Open Gym (October, 1986) – Immediately following the second Gay Games Tony Jasinski was motivated to look for some court time only to find that there were limited facilities for the less talented players in the San Francisco. Two months later, Jasinski started a weekly ‘walk-in’ program at the church-related Earl Paltenghi gymnasium in the Haight.  Ten people showed up for that first open gym.

Battle of the Sexes (July, 1987) - In the summer of 1987, San Francisco Gay Basketball hosted its first event, which was titled ‘The Battle of the Sexes’. We played against a lesbian team at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center and raised $800 for the AIDS Emergency Fund.

<< Tony featured on cover of Guardian (August 1989) – San Francisco Gay Basketball and Castro League founder Tony Jasinski was featured on the August 30, 1989 cover of the the San Francisco Bay Guardian as a representation of the Castro’s comeback from the AIDs crisis in the early and mid-1980s.  ON THE COVER: HOPE IN HARD TIMES: The AIDS epidemic has wiped out 5 percent of its population and changed the culture forever,  But after a few tough years, SF’s Castro District is on the rebound.

Golden Gayte Classic (2000)
The Rockdogs took first place in the 2000 Golden Gayte Tournament, the first San Francisco tournament in years. The Rockdogs defeated Above the Pacific Rim 58-51, with players Rhea, Martin, Francis, Mark Johnson, Alex Herrera and Sean Trapp. The tournament also featured a game in which many of the participants played in drag. Alex Herrera was named MVP of the tournament.

Submission of San Francisco Gay Basketball History (2005) – In 2005, Tony submitted a Gay Basketball Historical document and donated several items to the Gay Historical Society.  Today, the San Francisco Gay Historical Society has both these items on disply.  Click here to read the original submission (Microsoft Word required).

* See the SFGBA’s collection of Gay Basketball Tournament Champions.