[1][2] In 1912, 25-year-old teacher John Percy Page[3] had moved from Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta, where he was employed by local high schools to organize commercial classes.

[9] Teams were allowed to challenge the title holders to a match at any time during the year—with a three-month wait between rematches, if defeated—and the Grads successfully held on to their trophy for the next several years.

[9] On April 27, 1919, the University of Alberta Varsity team challenged the Grads, winning the match by two points and taking the trophy.

The Edmonton Grads faced off against the Cleveland Favorite-Knits and defeated them with a two-game score of 53–33, becoming the inaugural Underwood Trophy winners.

Page and two of his players — Winnie Martin and Daisy Johnson — returned to Paris for the third congress of the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale (International Women's Sports Federation).

However, the Fédération Sportive Féminine Internationale had organized a European women's basketball tour in cooperation with the Olympics, and the federation invited the Grads to travel to Amsterdam, Netherlands, to defend their world title.

[18] In addition to dominating their sport in North America, the Grads also took on the best teams in Europe, ultimately defeating challengers in Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

This achievement was unrecognized on the medal podium, however, as women's basketball did not become an official Olympic sport until the 1976 summer games in Montreal.

[7] In 1940, the Royal Canadian Air Force took over the Edmonton Arena for wartime use,[20] depriving the Grads of a local space in which to play against international teams.

The commencement of World War II disrupted regular basketball competition throughout Europe and beyond, causing the cancellation of tournaments and championships and making it increasingly difficult for sports teams to travel.

[21] Additionally, despite Page's continuous efforts to find suitable competition over the years,[22] no team had ever proven themselves consistently good enough to be a clear rival for the Grads.

[13] In 1961, the Grads decided to form an official organization to help them stay connected and answer public inquiries about the team.

They established the Edmonton Grads Club, beginning to collect and preserve archive material and memorabilia, and the group continued to hold official reunions until 1987.

[30] As the most successful women's basketball team of the early 20th century, the Edmonton Grads made news headlines across North America and as far away as Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Their success had a strong impact on public attitudes towards female athletes, making it more socially acceptable for women to play sports.

[31] When the Canadian Press polled sportscasters and sports editors across the country in 1950, the Grads were voted Canada's greatest basketball team of the first half of the 20th century.