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Charlotte West
- West was an instrumental advocate for women’s sports and a pioneer for Title IX
- She was an all-state athlete in both volleyball and basketball and a nationally rated official in four sports
- Her 1969 Southern Illinois University (SIU) golf team won the National Golf Championship the same year her SIU basketball team placed fifth nationally
- West developed the SIU’s graduate program in sports management, which she directed until 1991
- From 1960 to 1986 she served as the Director of Athletics for women at SIU. She transformed the department into a nationally-recognized program with 11 sports
- West was the 1986 WBCA Administrator of the Year. She served as a consultant to and a member of the WBCA Board of Directors for over 12 years
- She was the first recipient of the Honda Award, a national honor given for outstanding achievement in women’s collegiate athletics and was also the first recipient of the Woman Administrator of the Year award from the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators
- West was the Chair of the NCAA Committee on Financial Aid and Amateurism and a member of the NCAA Athletic Certification Committee, the NCAA Gender Equity Committee, and numerous other NCAA Committees
- She was the 1975 Director of National Championships for the AIAW and the 1978 President of AIAW at which time she served on the US Olympic Committee
- West has been inducted into the NACDA Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame and she was among the initial class of women inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame
- The new softball facility at Southern Illinois University is named the Charlotte West Stadium
- A room at the new NCAA headquarters has been named the Charlotte West room in her honor
Charlotte West
West was an instrumental advocate for women’s sports and a...
Jasmina Perazic
- In college, she led the University of Maryland to the 1982 Women’s Final Four and a final ranking of #3, which was the Terps’ highest final ranking ever at that time.
- She was a 1983 Kodak All-American and the co-ACC Tournament MVP
- All four of her Maryland team made it at least to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament and finished eighth or higher in the final poll
- Perazic played on three ACC Championship teams, leading Maryland in scoring her junior and senior seasons.
- Her jersey is one of only three retired by the University of Maryland and she ranks 10th all-time in scoring for the Terps
- Perazic is a member of the ACC Silver Anniversary Team and the 50th ACC Anniversary Team
- She was inducted into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame in 2003
- Perazic was a two-time member of the Yugoslavian Olympic Team leading them to the bronze medal in 1980.
- Perazic also lead Yugoslavia to the 1987 World University Games gold medal
- She was named the 1983 MVP of the European Championships
- In 1983, She was the 2nd leading scorer at the World Championships in Sao Paolo, Brazil
Jasmina Perazic
In college, she led the University of Maryland to the 1982...
Lin Dunn
- In eleven seasons as a professional head coach, she has compiled a record of 181-160 capturing the 2012 WNBA Championship
- Dunn was the 1998 American Basketball League (ABL) Coach of the Year and was the runner-up for the 2009 WNBA Coach of the Year
- She was the 1992 assistant coach for the USA Olympic team that captured the bronze medal in Barcelona
- Dunn spent eight years on the USA Basketball Team Selection Committee
- In 25 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Dunn compiled a 447-257 record
- She has guided her teams to seven NCAA tournaments including four Sweet Sixteen appearances and one Final Four appearance in 1994
- Dunn led Purdue University to three Big Ten Conference titles, being named Big Ten Coach of the Year twice
- She has coached three Kodak All-American, three Big Ten Players of the Year, and two Big Ten Athletes of the Year
- Dunn was the 1984-85 President of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)
- She has been inducted into numerous halls of fame, including the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, Purdue Athletics Hall of Fame, UT-Martin Hall of Fame, Austin Peay Athletic Hall of Fame, and the University of Miami Athletic Hall of Fame.
Lin Dunn
In eleven seasons as a professional head coach, she has...
Michelle Edwards
- Edwards played for Cathedral High School in Boston, MA, being the first girl in Massachusetts history to score over 2000 points in high school
- She was named the Catholic League Division 3 High School Player of the Year twice leading Catherdal High School to two Eastern Massachusetts Division 3 Basketball Championships (1983, 1984)
- In College, Edwards led the University of Iowa to two Big Ten Conference titles and three NCAA tournament appearances.
- In her senior season at Iowa, she led the Hawkeyes to their first ever national #1 ranking
- Edwards was a 1988 Kodak All-American, Naismith All-American, USBWA All-American, Big Ten Conference Player of the Year, the University of Iowa Athlete of the Year, Iowa Athlete of the Decade, University of Iowa: Top 50 Athlete of the 20th Century, and she is the only Hawkeye women’s basketball player to have her jersey retired (#30)
- At Iowa, she ranks second in career assists (431), third in career scoring (1,821), and third in career steals (235).
- Edwards played five seasons in the WNBA, being one of only 16 players assigned to each team for Initial Player Allocation Draft.
- She was named the 1997 WNBA Sportsmanship Award runner-up, and was named to the 1997 WNBA All-Star European Travel Team
- Edwards played nine seasons in Europe, being named the 1997 MVP of Italian League All-Star Game
- She played on the USA Basketball Team that captured the bronze medal in the 1991 Pan American Games
Michelle Edwards
Edwards played for Cathedral High School in Boston, MA, being...
Mimi Griffin
- Griffin is considered to be the first broadcast expert for women’s basketball
- She served as the “face” for women’s basketball in its early television exposure and laid the foundation and groundwork for women’s basketball on television
- She was the National Director of Promotion for Women’s Athletics for Converse from 1983-85
- Griffin was the ESPN primary women’s basketball analyst from 1983-1999 and was the color analyst for the NCAA Women’s Final Four from 1985-1991
- In 1990, she was the first woman color analyst for a NCAA men’s tournament game on ESPN.
- In 1991, she became the first woman to broadcast the first two rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on CBS Sports
- Griffin was the Championship Director of the US Senior Open in 1992 and 2000, and was the Championship Director of the US Women’s Open in 1995 and 2009
- She was the Director of Marketing and Championship Administration for the US Open in 1995 and 1998
- She was the 1994 WBCA Mel Greenberg Media Award winner
- In 2009, Griffin was named one of the “Best 50 Women in Business” by Pennsylvania Governor and the Department of Community and Economic Development
Mimi Griffin
Griffin is considered to be the first broadcast expert for...
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.