Thelma “Tiby” Eisen: The Glittering Journey And Enduring Legacy In Women’s Athletics

If you’re a baseball fan, you’re likely familiar with the name “Thelma ‘Tiby’ Eisen.” She made history as one of the first women to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), where she played in 966 games and stole 674 bases.

The remarkable woman joined the league and played as an outfielder for several teams. She gained recognition for her exceptional skills on the field and became a beloved figure in women’s baseball.

Thelma Eisen’s Multi-Sport Journey To Professional Athletics In Early Days

Thelma Eisen, born in Los Angeles, California, was raised in a family of four children. Her parents, David Eisen, an immigrant from Austria, and Dorothy Eisen, from New York City, ínpired her love for sports from a young age. By age 14, she was already competing at the semi-professional level, showcasing her skills on the field.

During her teenage years, Eisen went out to work and became one of the first Harvey Girls, a prestigious role that required exceptional service skills. At age 18, she played as a fullback in a short-lived professional football league for women in California. However, when the Los Angeles city council prohibited tackle football for women, her team relocated to Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Eisen later sought employment at the Bank of America in Los Angeles, where she found an opportunity to continue her passion for sports. The bank sponsored a softball team, providing Eisen with a platform to showcase her athletic abilities. It was during this time that she caught the attention of Bill Allington, a former ballplayer and scout for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.

Rise To Stardom

Tiby Eisen got her start in baseball when she attended a tryout organized by a manager of the Rockford team named Allington. She was one of six girls from Los Angeles who headed to Peru, Indiana, for the tryout in 1944. They impressed the scouts and were offered contracts to play in the league.

In Eisen’s first season, her team won the league championship. The next year, the team moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan. “When we walked down the street people would ask for our autographs, ask us where we were from. They wanted to know all about us,” she said. “It was a big time in these small towns.”

At first, Eisen’s passion for baseball received a mixed reaction from her family members. “We played a charity game in Chicago for a Jewish hospital,” she said. “My name and picture were in every Jewish paper. My uncle, who had said, ‘You shouldn’t be playing baseball—you’ll get a bad reputation, a bad name,’ was in the stands, and he was just bursting with pride that I was there.”

Thelma “Tiby” Eisen was known for her speed and skills as an outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Her standout season came in 1946, where she earned a spot on the all-star team and led the league in triples while stealing an impressive 128 bases for Peoria. Recognized for her talent, Eisen was selected for an all-star team that toured Latin America in 1949. In 1995, the respected Total Baseball encyclopedia honored her as one of the league’s top twenty players.

In 1947, Eisen was traded for Faye Dancer, who later inspired Madonna’s character in the popular film “A League of Their Own.” The movie, released in 1992, brought newfound attention to the AAGPBL, sparking interest in books, documentaries, and baseball cards. Its success led to a television series adaptation called A League of Their Own in 2022.

When it comes to her time in the league, Eisen shared that she earned $400 a month, considered “good money” compared to the $60 monthly wages offered to women by banks at the time. “You’d work for the bank, then play for the team. I had my interview, but I never heard from them,” Eisen recalled. “My girlfriend, who played on the team, told me they didn’t hire me because I was Jewish—but she only told me that twenty years later because she didn’t want to hurt my feelings.”

Eisen’s experience in the AAGPBL was not marred by antisemitism, and she was joined by other Jewish players like Anita Foxx, Blanche Schachter, and Margaret Wigiser. She did recall one anecdote: “Once when I was playing for Fort Wayne, I was out in the outfield and I thought there were three out. There were only two, but I was coming in from the outfield. The manager Bill Wambsganss was waving, ‘Go back, go back.’ And he turned to one of the players sitting at the bench and said, ‘I never heard of a Jew that couldn’t count.’”

Thelma “Tiby” Eisen’s Legacy In Women’s Baseball

After her time with the AAGPBL ended in 1952, Thelma “Tiby” Eisen made her mark in softball, playing for the world champion Orange Lionettes until 1957 in Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades area.

In 1993, Eisen took on a new role as she joined the board of directors of the AAGPBL’s Players Association. She played a pivotal role in organizing reunions, preserving the league’s history, and advocating for women’s baseball. One of her significant achievements was helping to establish an AAGPBL exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. Eisen believed deeply in the importance of this project.

“We’re trying to record this so we’ll have our place in history. It’s important to keep our baseball league in the limelight . It gets pushed into the background, so people almost don’t know it happened. Women have been pushed into the background forever. If they know about our league, perhaps in the future some women will say, ‘Hey, maybe we can do it again.’”

Thelma “Tiby” Eisen passed away on May 11, 2014, at the age of 92. In recognition of her contributions to sports, she was posthumously inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2022.