 In 1997, Cheryl Soops was the first player to sign to the WNBA. Her career started in the Little Dribbler's League in Brownsville, Texas. After high school, she signed to the University of Texas but transferred to Salve Plans College before playing her first game. Soops played her last two college seasons at Texas Tech where she led the Lady Raiders to a championship win. Soops received a number of awards her senior year, including the 1993 Sports Women of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation. In 1997, Soops signed with the Houston Comets for the inaugural WNBA season and returned just six weeks after having a baby to lead the team to a championship victory over the New York Liberty. She was the first woman in history to have a Nike shoe named after her called the Air Soops. Celebrating Black History, I'm Megan Triplett.