Class of 2000 – Page 3 – Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

E. Wayne Cooley

Has become virtually synonymous with girls’ high school basketball in the state of Iowa
Has served as the Executive Secretary of the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union since 1954
During his tenure, IGHSAU has been the nation’s trailblazer in the development of girls’ interscholastic athletic programs with Iowa high schools being 12 years ahead of Title IX mandates
Has turned the Iowa Girls’ State Basketball Tournament into one of Iowa’s most beloved annual events
The six-day March tournament has been televised since 1951 and was seen in as many as nine states by 1968

Built one of the nation’s top high school programs during 24 seasons at Western High School in Baltimore
Compiled an overall record of 424-40, winning back-to-back Maryland State Championships in 1994 and 1995 and 17 Baltimore City Championships with her teams consistently ranked among the nation’s best by USA TODAY
Was selected as the WBCA National High School Coach of the Year in 1995 as well as a head coach for the WBCA Girls’ High School All-America Game
Served as an assistant coach at the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival, helping her team earn a silver medal
Also coached collegiately at Coppin State University, Johns Hopkins University, and Towson State University
Served as an assistant coach at North Carolina State University during the 1997-98 season as the Wolfpack reached the NCAA Women’s Final Four for the first time in school history
Returned to the Baltimore area during the summer of 1998 and now heads up a basketball academy for middle school children

Served as chair of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball Committee in 1974-76 after serving on the committee in 1965-72
Served as head coach for United States women’s basketball team that competed in the inaugural Jones Cup Tournament in Taiwan in 1977
Also served as Chief of Mission for U.S. women’s basketball team that participated in the 1975 World Championships and was manager of the team that represented the USA in the 1975 Pan American Games
Was coordinator of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Basketball Trials and Training that were held at Central Missouri State University
Collegiate coaching experience includes three years (1966-69) at the University of Iowa, where her 1969 team placed fourth in the first intercollegiate national tournament, and nine seasons (1971-80) at Central Missouri State University, where she compiled a record of 156-63
Served on a variety of Division for Girls and Women in Sport (DGWS) basketball committees, including serving as the editor of the DGWS Basketball Guide in 1965-66 and rules interpreter in 1966-69
Served as President of the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport in 1973-74

Garnered AAU All-America honors 11 consecutive years (1940-1950) and was tabbed as the Most Valuable Player at the AAU National Tournament nine times
Earned national acclaim as an honorable mention All-American in 1939, playing in her first AAU national tournament as a 16-year old high schooler
Played with four different teams during her basketball career including Nashville Business College (1939-42, 1949-50), Vultee Aircraft (1943-45), Nashville Goldblumes (1946), and Atlanta Sports Arena Blues (1947-48)
Played on five AAU national championship teams (1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, and 1950)
Turned in a legendary performance with a 56-point showing in a single game, shooting left-handed due to an injured right shoulder