Interested in the Trailblazers of the Game recipients?
Daedra Charles Furlow
- Became first player from the Southeastern Conference to win the Wade Trophy in 1991
- Two-time National Champion (1989, 1991) and two-time Kodak All-American (1990, 1991) at the University of Tennessee
- One of only five Lady Vols to have her number (32) retired, and was a member of the inaugural class of 2001 into the Tennessee Lady Vol Athletic Hall of Fame
- Better known as “The Train.”
- SEC Female Athlete of the Year in 1991
- Three-time member of USA Basketball’s Senior National Team, winning the bronze medal in the 1992 Olympics
- Played professionally in Japan , Italy and France from 1991-97
- Played for the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks in 1997
- Named one of ESPN’s Top 25 College Women’s Players in 2005
- Scored 1,495 points, grabbed 858 rebounds and blocked 95 shots in three seasons as a Lady Vol
- Color Analyst for Comcast Local (2004, 2005, 2006)
- Currently is an assistant coach for the Tennessee women’s basketball team
- Has held positions on various coaching staffs since 1998 – Texas Tech Operations and Director for Women’s Athletics, Florida Assistant Coach, University of Detroit Assistant Coach, Auburn Operations and Assistant Coach
- Finished career seventh on scoring list, sixth in rebounding and second in blocked shots in Tennessee ‘s record books
- Married to Anthony Furlow and is the mother of 7-year-old Anthonee
Daedra Charles Furlow
Became first player from the Southeastern Conference to win the...
Danielle Donehew
- Executive Director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 2014-present
- Established and launched WBCA Enterprises, LLC. to expand the nonprofit coaches’ association into a for-profit business space.
- WBCA recipient of the 2023 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Trailblazer Award for their contribution to women’s basketball
- Created “Naismith Starting 5” position player awards (2018) which are presented in partnership with the NMBHOF and WBCA to the top college women’s basketball players in the country.
- Founding partner in Coaches+Media with NABC (2022), media content was created to tell coaches’ stories.
- Built new WBCA game events, MTE in Orlando, and Invitational Class in Las Vegas.
- Advanced women’s basketball through her leadership at Georgia Tech, the University of Tennessee, the WNBA Atlanta Dream, the Big East Conference, the American Athletic Conference, and the WBCA.
- Named to Georgia Tech’s 70 Most Influential Women Graduates of all time.
- Established the Daniel M. Donehew Women’s Basketball Scholarship at Georgia Tech (2015)
- Recognized as an ACC Legend in 2013
- Board Member of the WBHOF, NMBHOF, Kay Yow Cancer Fund, Pat Summitt Foundation, and Pat Summitt Leadership Group.
- Represents the coaching community on various NCAA committees
- Leads a 3,800+ membership of the WBCA.
Danielle Donehew
Executive Director of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association 2014-present Established...
Darlene May
- Has been recognized internationally as one of women’s basketball’s all-time premier officials
- Became the first female to officiate an Olympic women’s basketball game when she refereed in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles
- Was the first woman to officiate a men’s international game when she officiated in the 1977 World University Games in Sofia, Bulgaria
- Also officiated the FIBA 50th Anniversary game in Geneva, Switzerland
- Was the winningest coach in NCAA Division II women’s basketball history until 1999
- Posted a career record of 519-119 (.813 winning percentage) in 20 years as head coach at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona
- Guided the Broncos to three NCAA Division II titles (1982, 1985, 1986) and 13 consecutive California Collegiate Athletic Association crowns
- Was twice selected as Division II National Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (1988, 1990)
Darlene May
Has been recognized internationally as one of women’s basketball’s all-time...
David Stern
- He was the National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner from 1984 to 2014 and was the main driving force in launching the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 1997.
- 2013 recipient of the W.E.B. Du Bois Medal, awarded by Harvard University in recognition of contributions to African and African-American culture.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2014, and the International Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
- He served on the boards of the Rutgers University Foundation, the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission, the NAACP, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Paley Center for Media and Jazz at the Lincoln Center as well as being the chair emeritus of the Trustees of Columbia University.
- Under him, seven new franchises were added to the NBA, including Miami Heat, the Charlotte Hornets and Bobcats, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies.
- He created a weekend around the All-Star game, including the implementation of the Slam Dunk contest in 1984, the 3-point contest in 1986, the Rookie Game in 1994 and the Skills Contest in 2003.
- In 1993, he implemented the Salary Cap in the NBA, allowing athletes partnership in the league and limiting the control of big market teams.
- He put together the 1992 Dream Team that won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Barcelona
David Stern
He was the National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner from 1984...
Dawn Staley
- During college, she led her team to three Final Fours, en route to being named the 1991 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- She was a two-time ACC Player of the Year, two-time National Player of the Year, and three-time Kodak All-American
- She is the only player in ACC history to finish her career with more than 2,000 points, 700 rebounds, 700 assists, and 400 steals
- Named the 1991 Sports Illustrated Player of the Year and the 1991 Honda-Broderick Cup Award for Collegiate Female Athlete of the Year
- In 2002, she was named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Women’s Basketball Team
- She was a five time WNBA All-Star and was named to the WNBA All-Decade Team
- Helped lead the USA Women’s Basketball Team to three gold medals in 1996, 2000, and 2004
- She was named the 1994 and 2004 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year
- In 2008, she was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
- Currently, she is the head women’s basketball coach at the University of South Carolina
Dawn Staley
During college, she led her team to three Final Fours,...
Trailblazers of the Game
2010 Recipient
The Edmonton Grads
The Edmonton Commercial Graduates Basketball Club was founded in 1915 by John Percy Page. The origins of the Club can be traced to the McDougall Commercial Girls High School Basketball team in Edmonton, Canada. When team members graduated high school, they convinced coach John Percy Page to continue the team as a Club sport. Membership with the Club was exclusive, only 38 women ever wore the Grad jersey. Winnie Martin (Tait) was the First Captain of the Edmonton Grads, playing from 1915-1924. The Grads played 522 games officially in Canada, the United States and Europe. The Club tallied a 502-20 record in 25 years of play The Edmonton Commercial Graduates are widely considered the greatest women’s team ever assembled. Financially restrained, members often chipped in to raise funds for national play. Their strong dedication to the game and will to persevere in a time when women’s basketball was largely ignored makes the Edmonton Grads praiseworthy John Percy Page coached the club to 18 Canadian Championships The Club attended four sets of Olympic Games: Paris in 1924, Amsterdam in 1928, Los Angeles in 1932, and Berlin in 1936 where they received 4 unofficial Olympic titles The Club played its last game on June 5, 1940, defeating a Chicago team 62-52 Dr. James A. Naismith was quoted to say, “There is no team that I mention more frequently in talking about the game. My admiration is not only for your remarkable record of games won (which itself would make you stand out in the history of basketball) but also for your record of clean play, versatility in meeting teams at their own style, and more especially for your unbroken record of good sportsmanship.”
2010 Recipient
The Former Helms/Citizens/Savings/Founders Bank
Based in Los Angeles, the Helms Foundation was created in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms The Helms Foundation was established to select national championship teams and All-American teams in a number of college sports, including women’s basketball The Panel met annually to vote on a National Champion and retroactively ranked basketball back to 1901 When Paul Helms died in 1957, United Savings and Loan became the Helms Foundation’s benefactor and eventually became known as the Citizens Savings Athletic Foundation The Foundation officially dissolved in 1982 13 Helms Foundation members are also Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees: Alline Banks (Sprouse), Joan Crawford, Lyrlyne Greer, Rita Horkey, Doris Rogers, Margaret Sexton, Hazel Walker, Katherine Washington, Nera White, John Head, Claude Hutcherson, Harley Redin, and Lometa Odom
2011 Recipient
All American Red Heads
The All American Red Heads played for 50 years from 1936-1986, which is still the longest running women’s professional team. The Red Heads were founded by Mr. & Mrs. C.M. Olson in Cassville, Missouri. C.M. Olson was the former coach/owner of a male exhibition basketball team called Olson’s Terrible Swedes. Known for their on-court antics, this inspired C.M. Olson’s wife, Doyle, and the women who worked in her beauty salons to form a women’s professional exhibition team. In 1954, Coach Orwell Moore and his wife Lorene “Butch” Moore bought the Red heads and moved the team to Caraway, Arkansas. Lorene Moore played on the team for eleven years, scoring 35,426 points during her career. The Red Heads were so popular that during the years 1964-1971 there may have been as many as three Red Head teams traveling the country. In 1972, the Red Heads won 500 out of 642 games played against men’s team. Throughout the years the All American Red Heads played in all 50 states as well as Mexico, Canada, and the Philippines. The team has been featured in national magazines such as Life, Look, Sports Illustrated and Women’s Sports, and they were widely considered as the greatest women’s basketball team in the world. Coach Moore retired and disbanded the Red Heads in 1986 after 50 years of play The All American Red Heads still have annual reunions today.
2013 Recipient
Wayland Baptist Flying Queens(1953-1958)
Hutcherson, a Wayland graduate and owner of Hutcherson Air Service, provided air transportation for the Queens to games in Mexico in 1948. That encounter blossomed into a full sponsorship of the team in 1950, a change that brought with it a new mascot – the Hutcherson Flying Queens. Five decades later, Wayland is still atop the world of women’s basketball for they still remain the only women’s team in history to win 1,300 games. Long before Connecticut became a dominant power in women’s basketball, the Flying Queens of Wayland Baptist thrived on innovation, talent and glamour, playing on athletic scholarships, traveling by private planes, warming up with ostentatious drills learned from the Harlem Globetrotters and winning every game for nearly five seasons. The Wayland Baptist University women’s team achieved a 131-game winning streak from November of 1953 to March of 1958 before losing 46-42 to Nashville Business School. During that time the Flying Queens captured four consecutive AAU national championships.
2014 Recipient
1976 USA Olympic Basketball Team
The 1976 USA Women’s Basketball team captured the United States’ first medal in Olympic women’s basketball history winning the silver medal. The USA’s silver medal finish served a notice to the rest of the world that the United States would be a force in Olympic women’s basketball. Since the 1976 Olympics, the USA Women’s Basketball Teams have compiled a record of 55 and 1 and captured 7 gold medals and 1 bronze in Olympic play. The 1976 USA Olympic Women’s Basketball Team paved the way for United States dominance. The 1976 team has produced 11 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees. Ann Meyers Drysdale (Class of 1999), Nancy Lieberman (Class of 1999), Billie Moore (Class of 1999), Pat Summitt (Class of 1999), Mary Anne O’Conner, Lusia Harris Stewart (Class of 1999), Gail Marquis, Nancy Dunkle (Class of 2000), Sue Gunter (Class of 2000), Patricia Roberts (Class of 2000), Sue Rojcewicz (Class of 2000), Charlotte Lewis, Juliene Simpson (Class of 2000), Cindy Brogdon (Class of 2002), Jeanne Rowlands, Gail Weldon
2015 Recipient
Immaculata Mighty Macs(1972-1974)
The 1972-74 Mighty Macs team captured the first three Assoication for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championships. Immaculata is considered the birthplace of modern college women’s basketball. In addition, to winning the first three college national championships, the Mighty Macs were the first women’s team along with the University of Maryland to appear on National television. They were also the first women’s team, along with Queen’s College, to play at Madison Square Garden. Their inspirational story was made into a feature-length theatrical movie called The Mighty Macs and released by Sony Pictures in 2011. The 1972-74 teams have produced 3 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees. Listed are the individuals associated with the three teams; Janet Ruch Boltz, Denise Conway Crawford, Janet Young Eline, Theresa Shank Grentz (Class of 2001), Barbara Deuble Kelly, Tina Krah, Patricia Mulhern Loughran, Judy Marra Martelli, Sue Forsyth O’Grady, Rene Muth Portland, Betty Ann Hoffman Quinn, Cathy Rush (Class of 2000), Mary Scharff, Marianne Crawford Stanley (Class of 2002), Maureen Stuhlman, and Marie Liguori Williams.
2016 Recipient
1996 USA Olympic Basketball Team
The 1996 USA Olympic Basketball Team dominated its competition to reclaim the Olympic gold medal in Atlanta. Rolling to an 8-0 Olympic mark, the USA, which began training on October 2, 1995, compiled a 52-0 record during its pre-Olympic competition to finish with an overall 60-0 record. More popular than any previous women’s basketball team, the USA drew a record 202,556 fans during the Olympics for an average of 25,320 a game. The 1996 Olympic Team includes 12 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees. Jennifer Azzi (Class of 2009), Ruthie Bolton (Class of 2011), Teresa Edwards (Class of 2010), Venus Lacey, Lisa Leslie (Class of 2015), Rebecca Lobo (Class of 2010), Katrina McClain (Class of 2006), Nikki McCray (Class of 2012), Carla McGhee, Dawn Staley (Class of 2012), Katy Steding, Sheryl Swoopes (Class of 2017), Tara VanDerveer (Class of 2002), Ceal Barry (Class of 2018), Nancy Darsch, Marian Washington (Class of 2004), Bruce Moseley, Gina Konin Larence
2017 Recipient
Delta State Women's Basketball Teams(1975-1977)
The 1975, 1976, 1977 Delta State teams captured three consecutive AIAW championships. After finishing 16-2 in the 1973-74 revival season following a 40-year layoff of the women’s basketball program, Delta State proceeded to end Immaculata College’s three-year AIAW national championship reign in season No. 2 by going undefeated at 28-0. Delta State followed its first AIAW national crown by also winning the next two as the Lady Statesmen defeated Immaculata (69-64) at Penn State and then LSU (68-55) at Minnesota. During their three championship years, Delta State compiled a 93-4 record (28-0, 33-1, 32-3), including a then-record 51 straight wins. The 1975-77 teams have produced 2 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees, Margaret Wade and Lusia Harris Stewart. The WBCA Wade Trophy, considered the Heisman of women’s basketball, is named in honor of Lily Margaret Wade. Listed are the individuals associated with the three teams: Angel Fortenberry, Ann Logue, Beth Trussell, Cornelia Ward, Debbie Brock, Jackie Caston, Janie Evans, Jill Rhodes, Judy Davis, Kathy Lewis, Key Crump, Laurie Ann Harper, Lusia Harris Stewart (Class of 1999), Lynn Adubato, Mandy Fortenberyy, Margaret Wade (Class of 1999), Mary Logue, Melissa Thames, Melissa Ward, Mimi Williams, Pam Piazza, Romona Von Boeckman, Sheri Haynes, Tish Fahey, Virginia Shackelford, and Wanda Hairston.
2018 Recipient
Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL)
The Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL) was the first professional women’s basketball league in the United States. The WBL lasted three seasons from 1978 to 1981. The league was created by sports promoter Bill Byrne and feature eight teams during its inaugural season. The original eight teams were the Chicago Hustle, Milwaukee Does, Iowa Cornets, Minnesota Fillies, Dayton Rockettes, Houston Angels, New Jersey Gems and New York Stars. The league played its first game on December 9, 1978, between the Chicago Hustle and the Milwaukee Does at the Milwaukee Arena in front of 7,824 fans. The Houston Angels were the league champions during the inaugural season in 1979, while the New York Stars and the Nebraska Wranglers won the next two league championships in 1980 and 1981 respectively. Rita Easterling won MVP honors during the first season (1978-79), Molly Bolin and Ann Meyers were co-MVPs the second year (1979-80), and Rosie Walker claimed the MVP honors during the final season (1980-81). Many notable Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were associated with the WBL including Carol Blazejowski, Cindy Brogdon, Nancy Dunkle, Peggie Gillom-Granderson, Lusia Harris Stewart, Tara Heiss, Nancy Lieberman, Muffet McGraw, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Pearl Moore, Inge Nissen, Patricia Roberts, Uljana Semjonova, Rosie Walker, and Holly Warlick.
2019 Recipient
Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women - AIAW
The AIAW was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women’s athletics in the United States and was one of the key contributors to the significant advancements of women’s athletics at the collegiate level. The AIAW membership started with 280 schools and at its peak had grown to almost 1,000 schools. Many notable Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductees were associated with the AIAW.
2021 Recipient
1980 USA Olympic Basketball Team
The 1980 U.S. Women’s Basketball team knew they would not be able to compete for the Olympic gold in Moscow because of the U.S. protest about the Olympic Games in Moscow. However, they still decided to compete in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament. In the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, the team went 6-1 and won the tournament. The team bettered their opponents by an average victory margin of 17.7 points per game. The 1980 Team has 10 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees, including all the coaches being members of the Hall of Fame.
Carol Blazejowski (Class of 1999), Denise Curry (Class of 1999), Anne Donovan (Class of 1999), Tara Heiss (Class of 2003), Kris Kirchner, Debra Miller, Cindy Noble (Class of 2000), LaTaunya Pollard (Class of 2001), Jill Rankin (Class of 2008), Rosie Walker (Class of 2001), Holly Warlick (Class of 2001), Lynette Woodard (Class of 2005), Sue Gunter (Class of 2000), Pat Head Summitt (Class of 1999), Lea Plarski.