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The story of Hinchliffe cannot be told without the women who made history here. From athletes to artists to professional sports executives...
Effa Manley
Baseball Executive
Effa Manley is one of the most iconic women in baseball history. Born in Philadelphia in 1897, Effa found herself drawn to the sport from an early age.
She often visited Yankee Stadium on game day and was a fan of Babe Ruth. It was there that she met her husband, Abe Manley, in 1932. They were married the following year. The Manleys purchased the Brooklyn Eagles in 1935 and the Newark Dodgers in 1936, combining the two rosters to create the Newark Eagles. As co-owners, Effa found herself involved in the business aspect of managing the team, from scheduling games to sourcing the uniforms, whereas Abe focused his efforts on scouting and recruiting players.
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During her time with the team, Effa advocated for the improvements of the working conditions in the Negro National League. This included pay, scheduling, and accommodations. When Negro League players started joining the Major League Baseball, Manley also advocated for proper compensation and negotiated the sale of their contracts. She set a precedent for fair compensation of Negro League players and helped establish the credibility and respect from MLB executives.
Eleanor Egg
Track Star
Before Eleanor Egg was 1931’s “World’s Fastest Woman,” she was a young Paterson legend. Born in 1909, she grew up in a family of was a talented dancer and performed with her parents in their Vaudeville act. She quickly became a record-breaking track star after joining the Paterson Girl’s Recreation Program in 1923. There she and her team broke records in the 4x 100 relay(1925), broad jump (1927), 100-yard dash (1927), and shot put (WR- 1927).
Egg was set to compete in the 1928 Olympics until an ankle injury placed her on the sidelines.
Still, Eleanor Egg broke the world record for the 100 yard dash in 1931 against Stella Walsh, officially becoming the “World’s Fastest Woman”
Sculptor Gaetano Federici created a bronze bas relief plaque which hung on the walls of Hinchliffe Stadium upon its opening.
Mary "Lucky" Wiggins
Stunt Woman
Mary “Lucky” Wiggins was a pioneer and daredevil in all aspects of her life: a defining Hollywood actress and life-risking stuntwomen, heroic air force pilot, and wildly popular role model for many young Americans in the early twentieth-century. Wiggins was also a regular performer at Hinchliffe Stadium, leaving a lasting legacy on Paterson.
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Mary Wiggins established herself as a prolific stuntwoman throughout the 1940s, doing all types of stunts at the beginning of the talkies (sound films). The August 1, 1929 issue of the Auburn Journal said it best: “Miss Wiggins of late has been one of the most sought-after doubles in the movie colony of Hollywood. Sensational jumps from high cliffs, motorcycle spills, dives from ships at sea are all part of the day’s work for her while doubling for movie stars.” Wiggins’ stunts were also filled with parachuting, car crashes, and plane flying.
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While working as a Hollywood stunt double, Wiggins regularly barnstormed across America to do stunt “thrill shows” with her “Hollywood Dare Devils.” Many of these legendary stunt performances were popular events here at Hinchliffe Stadium; around September 1937, Wiggins wowed Patersonians by riding a motorcycle over 40 sticks of dynamite and turned an automobile over end to end as it leapt off an inclined platform.
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Mildred Burke
Professional Wrestler
Mildred Burke was an American professional wrestler who became one of the most dominant and influential figures in women’s sports during the mid-20th century. Born in Coffeyville, Kansas, she grew up during a time when women’s participation in competitive athletics, especially combat sports, was widely discouraged or outright banned. Despite these barriers, Burke developed a fascination with wrestling and pursued it with determination.
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Her career began in the 1930s under the guidance of promoter and wrestler Billy Wolfe, whom she later married. Burke quickly gained attention for her strength, endurance, and technical skill, reportedly even defeating male challengers in exhibition matches—an extraordinary feat for that era.
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Burke rose to prominence as the face of women’s professional wrestling and became the most recognized female wrestler in the world. She is best known for her long reign as NWA World Women’s Champion, a title she held (with some disputes) for nearly two decades. During the 1940s and 1950s, she toured extensively across North America, Latin America, and Asia, helping to popularize women’s wrestling internationally and drawing large crowds at a time when female athletes rarely headlined events.
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While touring in the United States, Burke solidified her place in Hinchliffe history in 1953, when she headlined a wrestling bout alongside Marvin "Atomic Kick" Mercer.
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Ticket to World's Championship Wrestling at Hinchliffe Stadium, August 26th, 1953 (Image courtesy of the Muth Museum collection)
Ann Marsten
Archery Champion and Beauty Queen
Ann Marston was an English born Archery Champion and notable Beauty Pageant Contestant. She moved to the United States with her family when she was 11 years old and immediately began competing with a bow and arrow. She won the American Junior Archery Championship and broke every junior record before she transitioned to the adult division.
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Ann continued to dominate the Archery scene, winning a total of 11 national archery titles. While competing as an archerer, Ann was also a frequent Beauty Pageant contestant. She was crowned "Miss Michigan" in 1959, and competed in the Miss America paegent shortly after
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She became a pop-culture icon, appearing on the cover of several magazines including Sports Illustrated.