management decided not to organize postseason games, since many players were going to join other teams for the start of the regular season of other leagues such as the NBA or the CBA. The first USBL champions were the Springfield Fame, that had ended the regular season leading the league with a 19–6 record. Hot Rod Williams and Tracy Jackson were named co-MVPs, while Manute Bol led the league both in rebounds per game (14.2) and blocks per game (11.2). In 1986 two teams, the Long Island Knights and the Rhode Island Gulls, left the league, and three new franchises joined the USBL: the Gold Coast Stingrays from West Palm Beach, Florida, the Staten Island Stallions from Staten Island, New York and the Tampa Bay Flash from Tampa, Florida. In the same year Nancy Lieberman joined the Springfield Fame and became the first female player to play in a professional league with men. Lieberman debuted in June 1986 in a game against the Staten Island Stallions, playing 3 minutes during which she did not score. In 1987 another woman joined the USBL: Lynette Richardson, who had played college basketball at Florida International, signed for the Miami Tropics. On June 13, 1987, Richardson and Lieberman played against each other during a game between the Miami Tropics and the Long Island Knights: Richardson scored 3 points while Lieberman scored 2. The top teams of the regular season advanced to the USBL Postseason Festival, a playoffs system that saw teams play single elimination games in order to advance to the final game. On three occasions (1985, 1986 and 1990) no postseason was held, and the team with the best regular season record won the championship. In 1989 the USBL ceased operations temporarily in order to improve its organization, and resumed the following season, in 1990. Complete team list USBL Champions Teams played a single championship game at the end of the playoffs to name the league champions 1985 Springfield Fame (19–6) won regular season, no playoffs 1986 Tampa Bay Flash (22–8) won regular season, no playoffs 1987 Miami Tropics 103 Rhode Island Gulls 99 1988 New Haven Skyhawks 134 Palm Beach Stingrays 126 1989 USBL suspended operations 1990 Jacksonville Hooters (15–1) won regular season, no playoffs 1991 Philadelphia Spirit 110 Miami Tropics 108 1992 Miami Tropics 116 Philadelphia Spirit 114 1993 Miami Tropics 139 Westchester Stallions 127 1994 Jacksonville Hooters 117 Atlanta Trojans