Sylvia Crawley remembers being the face of the Colorado Xplosion during its run from 1996-98. 

After executing a blindfolded dunk at the 1998 ABL All-Star Game, Crawley repped Colorado’s first women’s professional team on the national stage, from Jay Leno to Good Morning America. She had brand deals with Dunkin’ Donuts and was featured in Rolling Stone’s “Champions ’98: Sports Hall of Fame” issue. 

“It was an exciting time,” Crawley said. “Not just for me, but for women’s sports at the time. What a moment in my little life.”

The Denver-based Colorado Xplosion, one of the American Basketball League’s nine franchises, folded in 1998, but was an essential part of Crawley’s career before she went on to play in the WNBA until retiring in 2004. 

Denver Summit FC, Colorado’s first women’s professional soccer team, has its inaugural home match Saturday, and Crawley is thrilled to see the next chapter of women’s sports teams in the state.

“It says that women’s sports in general are on the rise,” Crawley said. “Everyone is watching women’s sports. They finally respect us for what we bring. We are not saying we are better than the men; it’s just a different style of game.”

Denver Summit FC’s home opener, named “The Kickoff,” is set for noon MT at Empower Field at Mile High. 

The Xplosion formed after the 1996 Olympics, along with another rival league: the WNBA. Despite offering better pay and signing marquee Olympic players like Debbie Black and Chrystal Robinson, the Xplosion filed for bankruptcy with the rest of the league in 1998, two months into its third season.

“The WNBA had a lot of money, and didn’t want the ABL around,” Tim Simmons, information coordinator for the Xplosion, said. “The Xplosion couldn’t compete because the local market was so flooded, and couldn’t get a T.V. contract. Too bad they don’t have the environment that is around (Denver Summit FC) now. It’s a different time.” 

Still, Crawley felt supported by both the ABL and the community, with games averaging 2,000 to 3,000 fans a game at the Denver Coliseum. The Xplosion had to move to McNichols Sports Arena during the National Western Stock Show and set a franchise attendance record in the 1998 season with 13,489 fans. 

“Everywhere we went, people knew who we were. We got the same treatment as the Broncos,” Crawley said. “We did it for the love of the sport. … We wanted to play in front of our crowd, our families, and that purity was seen in the game. I hope we keep that purity in the game.” 

Fans resonated with the Xplosion players because they were relatable, says Simmons. Black, for example, was a 5-foot-3 point guard and the first and only women’s professional basketball player to record a quadruple-double. 

“Debbie was one of the toughest players I ever saw,” Simmons said. “I remember little girls following Debbie around because they could relate to her. Every time she took the floor, it was a treat.” 

Hearing the news that Denver would have a women’s soccer team was exciting for Black, who says soccer was her first love. Before her basketball career, Black played soccer overseas on a German club team.

“Soccer was my best sport by far,” Black said. “I’m so excited that Denver has a team. Just like with basketball, Americans are starting to view women’s soccer in a different way. They’re paving the way for the next generation.”

In 2004, another Colorado women’s team emerged as part of the National Women’s Basketball League (NWBL): the Colorado Chill. The Chill won back-to-back league championships with players like Colorado State women’s basketball legend Becky Hammon at the helm. 

The Chill received a similar reaction from the Denver community as the Xplosion, according to Thornton native Jamie Carey, who played with the Chill during the 2005-06 season. Carey is currently the University of Nebraska-Omaha head women’s basketball coach.  

“Anytime you can put on a uniform and play in your home state is an incredible opportunity, and the state showed up for sure,” Carey said. “It was great to be part of the Chill and be a part of an ownership that cared about women’s sports.”

Carey guided Horizon High School to three state playoffs before a standout basketball career at Texas and Stanford and four seasons with the Connecticut Sun. She also coached Sand Creek High School in Colorado Springs to three Great 8 berths and two Pikes Peak Athletic Conference championships. 

Despite her short stint with the Chill, she found her time with the team invaluable. For one, it allowed her to complete her master’s degree through an internship at CSU. But it also allowed her to represent her home state while moving the game forward. 

“To do it in my hometown was a complete blessing, parents got to come to every game,” Carey said. “I’m proud to be from Colorado, and anything you can do to help forward a game you’ve invested in your entire life, you jump at the opportunity to do so, which is why I am still in the game now.”

To hear that her home state has another women’s sports team meant a lot to Carey. With the support Denver Summit FC is receiving, both her and Crawley feel optimistic about the return of a professional women’s basketball team in the Centennial State. 

The Xplosion served as an inspiration for future women’s basketball stars, and Denver Summit FC will do the same. With over 50,000 tickets sold for The Kickoff, the support for women’s sports in Colorado continues. 

“I think women’s sports are getting a lot of visibility right now, and people are starting to recognize the value of women’s pro sports and being appreciated,” Carey said. “It’s a great time to be invested in women’s sports. Proud that it’s happening all over the country, and being from Colorado, you want to see your home state do that as well.”