Saban and Funimation tried translating it first, and heavily censored it, but only got to the end of the first arc before scrapping it in favor of DBZ. I remember there being a lot of VHS tapes of that first dub at my local dollar store over a decade after it was made. Sometime after Funi took over dubbing the show themselves they started making a less censored dub and airing it on Toonami alongside DBZ. It wasn't as well received as DBZ, but it was still popular enough to complete it's run, unlike the original Gundam series.
In America, the first very effort to translate DB was done by Harmony Gold in the 80s and only consisted of the first few episodes and a couple of movies. My local library had a copy of Harmony Gold's Curse of the Blood Rubies (confused me and made me think this was the beginning of DB). Then came the original 13-episode failed attempt by Funi/Saban/Ocean, followed by the successful early 2000s in-house attempt.
For anyone not clear on Pop's last statement: After successfully airing Gundam Wing (and later 08th MS Team), Cartoon Network/Toonami ran the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but pulled it off the air before it completed. Good series, but it's expected: visually it could not compare to the pace and flashiness of Wing and the other animes on the channel at that time.
I much prefer DB's story and art to DBZ. The highs of of DBZ just don't compare to the best of DB, especially the art in some of the big fights. Both series have their dull moments. I understand a preference to Z over DB, but the guy above me who put GT above both is just wrong.
Widely airing Z first led to US audiences failing to grasp the monumental impact of the opening arc: the evil origins of Demon King Piccolo, Goku and Piccolo -- rivals who twice fought to the death and the world's strongest -- working together to fight someone far more powerful, childish Goku with a child of his own, the hero dying in the first few episodes and for the time first time ever. With Piccolo in particular, it isn't clear at all why everyone is freaking out at his sudden arrival after Gohan is kidnapped (and Chichi's panic when Piccolo takes him for training).
Regarding Yamcha, I don't think it's a debate at all. He was always something of a joke and loser. He actually fell behind tiny Kid Krillin before getting somewhat serious about his training. And he always lost in the opening round of the world martial arts tournaments in highly embarrassing ways. In Baba's tournament, he barely got past the Invisible Man and later got his ass kicked by Bandages the Mummy.
