Inductees

Interested in the Trailblazers of the Game recipients?

A black and white photo of an older man wearing a vest.

Brad Smith

Categories: Class of 2015
  • In 27 seasons at Oregon City High School, Smith compile a record of 629-87 including 26 league championships
  • Smith guided Oregon City to 10 state titles including being named the USA Today National Champions three times (1995, 1996, 1997)
  • He was a six-time Oregon Coach of the Year and was named Oregon City Citizen of the Year in 2007
  • Smith was also a ten-time Metro Coach of the Year and two-time District 7 National Coach of the Year while at Oregon City
  • Oregon City High School named the gym floor in his honor in 2009
  • Smith was named the USA Today Coach of the Year (1995, 1996, 1997) and WBCA Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 2004) three times
  • He was also named the Converse National Coach of the Year and National High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year
  • Smith has served on the WBCA High School All-America Committee as a member and chair.
  • He also served as a representative for the WBCA Board of Directors
  • In 2012, Smith received the Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School from Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
  • Smith was the 2004 Youth Development Festival Head Coach for USA Basketball leading them to the gold medal

Brad Smith

In 27 seasons at Oregon City High School, Smith compile...

A black and white photo of a woman smiling.

Gail Goestenkors

Categories: Class of 2015
  • As a collegiate head coach, Goestenkors has compile a 498-163 (.753) record
  • She ranked 9th among all-time Division I coaches in winning percentage
  • Goestenkors guided her teams to 18 consecutive NCAA tournament bids (13 at Duke, 5 at Texas) including four Final Four berths and two National Championship game appearances
  • She compiled seven consecutive 30-win seasons from 2000 to 2007
  • Goestenkors was a seven-time ACC coach of the Year, the 2007 WBCA Coach of the Year and Naismith Coach of the Year
  • She was the recipient of the 2006 WBCA Carol Eckman Award
  • As an assistant coach for the USA National team, she guided the United States to two gold medals in 2004 and 2008
  • As an head coach, Goestenkors guided the USA U19 team to the gold medal at the 2005 World Championship
  • Goestenkors was named the 2005 USA Basketball Coach of the Year
  • She played collegiate basketball for Saginaw Valley State leading them to a team record of 114-13
  • Goestenkors was an NAIA All-American and was inducted into the Saginaw Valley State Hall of Fame in 2010

Gail Goestenkors

As a collegiate head coach, Goestenkors has compile a 498-163...

A black and white photo of a woman smiling.

Janet Harris

Categories: Class of 2015
  • Harris was the first player in NCAA women’s basketball history to record 2,500 points and 1,250 rebounds
  • She was the 1982 National Freshman of the Year
  • Harris is the University of Georgia’s only four-time All-American and she was a Kodak All-American three times (1982, 1984, 1985)
  • Harris was only the 3rd Freshman to be named a Kodak All-American
  • She finished her college career with 2,641 points and 1,398 rebounds, which still ranks #23 and #13 all-time in NCAA history
  • She is the University of Georgia’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder earning All-SEC honors four times
  • She average a double-double throughout her career at Georgia
  • In 1982, she led Georgia to a bid to the first-ever NCAA tournament, and she also guided them to the Final Four in 1983 and 1985
  • Harris received the University of Georgia’s Circle of Honor in 2002, and was named an SEC Great in 2003
  • With USA Basketball, she earned three gold medals winning the 1986 Goodwill Games, 1986 World Championships, and 1987 Pan American Games
  • Harris played professionally in Italy, Japan, Spain, Israel, Turkey, and Greece
  • In 1993, Harris was the first female player inducted into the Chicago Public League Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
  • Harris was also an 2011 inaugural inductee in the Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame

Janet Harris

Harris was the first player in NCAA women’s basketball history...

A black and white photo of a woman in a polo shirt.

Janeth Arcain

Categories: Class of 2015
  • Arcain is a four-time Olympian guiding the Brazil National team to the silver medal in 1996 and bronze in 2000
  • She also led the Brazilian National team to the gold medal in the FIBA World Championship in 1994 and three medals in the Pan American Game (Silver-1987, Gold-1991, Silver-2007)
  • Arcain led three different teams to the Brazilian National Championships of Basketball.
  • She was named MVP of the Brazilian National Championship of Basketball three times (1999, 2001, 2002)
  • She was named MVP of the Brazilian League every year she played professionall.
  • In 1995-1996 she led all scorers of the Brazilian League
  • She also won two Brazilian League Championships in 1990 and 1997
  • Arcain spent eight seasons in the WNBA with the Houston Comets, helping them to four WNBA Championships 1997-2000
  • In 2001, she average 18.5 ppg for the Comets en route to earning the league’s Most Improved Player awards and a first team All-WNBA honors
  • Arcain was a 2001 WNBA All-Star Game starter
  • She ranks fourth in Comets’ history in scoring average, second in steals, third in total assists and third in total rebounds

Janeth Arcain

Arcain is a four-time Olympian guiding the Brazil National team...

A black and white photo of a man in a suit.

Kurt Budke

Categories: Class of 2015
  • Budke lead Trinity Valley Community College to a 226-16 record in seven years
  • In the seven years at Trinity Valley, his teams won the conference title all seven years, appeared in six consecutive national championships games finishing runner-up twice and capturing four National Championships
  • Budke’s NCJAA record is 273-31 (.898), which is the highest winning percentage in NJCAA history
  • He was named the NJCAA Coach of the Year twice in 1995, 1998
  • Budke was also named the Texas Coaches Association Coach of the Year 4 times (1994, 1996, 1997, 1998)
  • He is the youngest coach ever to be inducted into the NCJAA Hall of Fame
  • From 2002-2005, Budke lead Louisiana Tech to a 80-16 record, leading them to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances
  • He was named the WAC Coach of the Year in 2003 while at Louisiana Tech
  • He also led Louisiana Tech to the WAC regular season and postseason tournament titles in 2003-04
  • In six seasons at Oklahoma State University, Budke guided the Cowgirls to a 112-83 record with three NCAA tournament appearance including a Sweet 16 berth in 2008

Kurt Budke

Budke lead Trinity Valley Community College to a 226-16 record...

Ready to see how big your dreams can be?

Come experience the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and let’s bring the story of women’s basketball to life.

Ready to see how big your dreams can be?

Come experience the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and let’s bring the story of women’s basketball to life.

Trailblazers of the Game

2010 Recipient

A black and white photo of a women's basketball team, featuring women's basketball hall of fame members.

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

A black and white photo of a group of women, who are all women's basketball hall of fame members, posing for a picture.

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

A car filled with women's basketball hall of fame members.

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 College is renowned for its historic basketball program, particularly the Hutcherson Flying Queens who have left an indelible mark on women's basketball. These pioneers of the sport have been

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

A black and white photo of women's basketball hall of fame members.

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

A group of women, women's basketball hall of fame members, in blue basketball uniforms posing for a photo.

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

A group of women's basketball hall of fame members posing for a photo.

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

A black and white photo of hall of fame women's basketball team.

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

Wbl pro basketball league logo featuring women's basketball hall of fame members.

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

A black and white logo featuring women's basketball hall of fame members printed on a piece of paper.

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

        Description: A women's basketball team posing in front of a mountain.

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.