Inductees
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C. Vivian Stringer
- The master builder of basketball programs
- Is the only collegiate coach (men’s or women’s) to have directed three different schools to berths in the NCAA Final Four
- Ranks as the third all-time winningest coach in collegiate women’s basketball history with an overall record of 644-199 compiled during a total of 29 seasons at Cheyney, Iowa, and Rutgers
- Became the third women’s collegiate coach to reach the 600-win plateau
- Collected 500 wins in the fewest games (613) of any women’s collegiate coach and was the second youngest coach to reach that mark
- Tabbed for National Coach of the Year accolades three different years, receiving the honor in 1982 (Wade Trophy), 1988 (Converse), and 1993 (Naismith, Converse, Sports Illustrated, USA TODAY, Black Coaches Association, and Los Angeles Times)
- Has led her teams to 15 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and has posted 20+ wins in a season 22 times
- Has also garnered conference coach of the year recognition twice (1991 and 1993) from the Big Ten during her tenure at Iowa and once (1998) from the Big East as the coach at Rutgers
- Led the United States to a bronze medal at the 1991 Pan American Games
- International experience also includes coaching in Mexico in 1979 and touring China in 1981 as head coach of the U.S. Select Team as well as coaching the USA’s entry in the 1985 World University Games and the 1989 World Championship Zone Qualification tournament
C. Vivian Stringer
The master builder of basketball programs Is the only collegiate...
Hazel Walker
- A 7-time AAU All-American
- Played for five different teams during her 14-year amateur career, winning four AAU national championships with the Tulsa Business College Stenos (1934) and Little Rock’s Lewis and Norwood Flyers (1937, 1940, 1941) as well as posting four runner-up finishes and advancing to the Final Four three more times
- Named Most Valuable Player of the 1942 AAU National Tournament and proclaimed National Free Throw Champion six times (1938, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945, 1946)
- Also won a pair of International Free Throw titles (1944, 1945)
- Selected as the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1940
- Involved in professional basketball for 19 years, including three seasons with Olson’s All American Red Heads (1946-49) before beginning her own barnstorming squad, Hazel Walker’s Arkansas Travelers (1949-65), which played only men’s teams using men’s rules
- Playing career spanned 37 years (1928-1965), from high school until her retirement as a professional player at the age of 51
Hazel Walker
A 7-time AAU All-American Played for five different teams during...
Holly Warlick
- A backcourt whiz whose playmaking prowess earned her recognition as “the best player in the South” during her career as a Tennessee Lady Vol
- Joined the Lady Vol basketball squad as a walk-on as a scholarship 400-meter track athlete and became the first player in the history of University of Tennessee athletics (men or women) to have her jersey retired at the end of her career in 1980
- Helped the Lady Vols reach the Final Four three times altogether, including their first appearance in 1977 as well as a national runner-up finish in 1980
- Earned Kodak All-America honors as a senior in 1980
- Previously held UT records for most assists (14) and steals (9) in a game, most assists in a season (225), and most games in a career (141)
- A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team
- International experience also included berths on U.S. teams that participated in the Jones Cup, Pan American Games, and World Championships
- Played professionally with the Nebraska Wranglers in the Women’s Professional Basketball League in 1981 and was a WPBL All-Star as the Wranglers captured a league title
Holly Warlick
A backcourt whiz whose playmaking prowess earned her recognition as...
LaTaunya Pollard
- A prolific scorer at Long Beach State University
- Tallied 3,001 points during her collegiate career, scoring at a 23.5 ppg clip
- Selected as the best collegiate player in the nation in 1983 as the Wade Trophy winner
- Was a three-time Kodak All-American (1981, 1982, 1983)
- Established numerous school scoring records, including points in a game (48), which still stand as marks at the school
- Came to Long Beach State following a distinguished high school career at Roosevelt High School in East Chicago, Indiana, which included a pair of state championships (1977, 1979) as well as recognition as Miss Basketball in Indiana
- Was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic women’s basketball team, which boycotted the Moscow Games
- Played professionally in Europe for eight years, setting a single game scoring record of 99 points in the Italian Championship League
LaTaunya Pollard
A prolific scorer at Long Beach State University Tallied 3,001...
Linda K. Sharp
- Coaching career spans 31 seasons with stints on all levels from elementary, junior high and high school to the collegiate and professional ranks
- Served as the head coach at the University of Southern California for 12 years, compiling a 271-99 worksheet
- Guided the Women of Troy to back-to-back NCAA national championships in 1983 and 1984 and a total of three appearances in the Final Four
- Earned WCAA Coach of the Year honors, the Wade Coach of the Year, and Sporting News Coach of the Year in 1984
- Selected as the Pac-10 conference coach of the year three times
- Was 138-85 in eight seasons at Southwest Texas State University
- Served on NCAA Basketball Rules Committee for seven years
- Involvement with USA Basketball includes coaching in the 1979 Olympic Festival (silver medal), the 1981 Jones Cup (silver medal) and the 1987 World University Games
Linda K. Sharp
Coaching career spans 31 seasons with stints on all levels...