Current Events The Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame is gearing up for a new school year. In conjunction with the NCAA, the Hall of Fame will be introducing eight new counties to the Fast Break Education Program. This program focuses on healthy eating, physical activity, and, of course, basketball. Come to the Hall and participate in Hoops for the Cure from September 19 through October 16 to benefit breast cancer research. Purchase a pink basketball for $2 and be entered into prize drawings and a free throw contest. 100% of the proceeds go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Looking for a unique way to advertise? The Hall of Fame will be selling ad space for basketball-related events and organizations in the upcoming newsletters. Call (865) 633-9000 for more details. Hours of Operation Labor Day - April 30 Monday - Closed Tuesday - Friday 11 am - 5 pm Saturday 10 am - 6 pm Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm Closed New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame 700 Hall of Fame Drive Knoxville, TN 37915 P. (865) 633-9000 F. (865) 633-9000 www.wbhof.com Honor the Past Volume 7 Issue 1 Celebrate the Present Promote the Future Off the Backboard September 2005 the official newsletter of the women’s basketball hall of fame Catching Up Itís been a while since weíve been in contact with you via Off the Backboard. During that time, a lot has happened in womenís basketball as well as around the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame. Our annual induction has come and gone. Weíve had some notable visitors. Several Hall of Famers have added even more accolades to their already impressive lists of accomplishments. And the world of womenís basketball has lost three pioneers who helped to make the sport what it is today. Thereís a whole new slate of national champions as well as gold medalists from a couple of international competitions. And now, weíre looking ahead. . .to the upcoming collegiate season with the State Farm Womenís Tip-Off Classic, and some new basketball books hitting the bookstores. Past, present, and future. . .kind of sounds like what the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame is all about. . .honoring the past, celebrating the present, and promoting the future. So, without any further ado. . . . Hall Welcomes Class of 2005 Inductees There are six new names and faces in the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fameís Hall of Honor. Remember the old song Monday, Monday by the Mamas and Papas? The Hall of Fame officially welcomed six new members with the induction of the Class of 2005 during a weekend of festivities, June 10-11, in Knoxville. The six newest Hall of Famers are former Auburn head coach Joe Ciampi, four-time NAIA All-American Kelli Litsch, Kodak All-American founder Hunter Low, recordsetting high school coach Edna Tarbutton, AAU All-American/NJCAA championship coach Dixie Woodall, and Kansas/Olympic/Harlem Globetrotter legend Lynette Woodard. Well, let it be a reminder that beginning on Labor Day, September 5, the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame will be closed on Mondays, from September through the month of April. The Class of 2005óJoe Ciampi, Kelli Litsch, Hunter Low, Edna Tarbutton, Dixie Woodall, and Lynette Woodardótakes center stage at the Knoxville Convention Center at the conclusion of the induction ceremony. The weekendís activities for the inductees included a dinner, brunch, and reception as well as storytelling and autograph sessions at the Hall and culminated with the actual induction ceremony at the Knoxville Convention Center. With the addition of the Class of 2005, the list of individuals who have been inducted into the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame now stands at 85. Monday, Monday The Class of 2005óKelli Litsch, Lynette Woodard, Dixie Woodall, Edna Tarbutton, Joe Ciampi and Hunter Lowóaccept commemorative basketballs at the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame. The lyrics of the song go on to say that ìEvery other day, every other day, every other day of the week is fine. . .î Well, hereís another reminder: Every other day of the weekóthe business week, that isóthe Hall of Fame will be opening one hour later with winter hours of 11:00 a.m. ñ 5:00 p.m. Hours for Saturday (10:00 a.m. ñ 5:00 p.m.) and Sunday (1:00 p.m. ñ 5:00 p.m.) stay the same year round. And if you want to come to the Hall of Fame on a Monday, Monday, just give us a heads upówith a little advance notice, weíll be more than happy to accommodate you. A Hoopful of Information at www.wbhof.com Worth Noting Sue Gunter (Class of 2000) and ^ Hortencia Marcari (Class of 2002) will be honored with enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on September 9. Gunter, who will be recognized posthumously, and Marcari join a list of 20 other basketball legends who have been inducted in both Naismith and the Womenís Basketball Halls of Fame. George E. Killian (Class of 2000) was tabbed for induction into the NJCAA Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame. Killian, who served as Executive Director of the National Junior College Athletic Association from 1969 until retiring last summer, had previously been selected for induction into the NJCAA Baseball Hall of Fame and the NJCAA Bowling Hall of Fame. Sue Gunter stands next to her plaque in the Hall of Honor during her induction to the Hall of Fame in 2000. Gunter was also inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame earlier this summer. In addition, she was recognized by Louisiana Public Broadcasting as a ìLouisiana Legendî. LaTaunya Pollard (Class of 2001) added a couple of Hall of Fame citations to her resume this summer. A native of the Hoosier state, Pollard was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the National High School Hall of Fame. Pollard joins 10 others who have been inducted into both the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame and the National High School Hall of Fame. The list includes Denise Curry (í99), Sandra Meadows (í02), Ann Meyers (Drysdale) (í99), Cheryl Miller (í99), Kim Mulkey (Robertson) (í00), Cindy Noble (Hauserman) (í00), Jim Smiddy (í99), Edna Tarbutton (í05), Bertha Frank Teague (í99) and Lynette Woodard (í05). Looking Back...at the World University Games Artifacts from Pat Summittís record-setting 880th career win are on display in the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame. Kim Mulkey-Robertsonís Baylor squad earned a trip to the White House and a visit with President George W. Bush by winning a national championship. C. Vivian Stringer (Class of 2001) will be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey on October 1. Pat Summitt (Class of 1999) collected her 880th career victory with Tennesseeís 75-54 win over Purdue in the second round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament to move past former North Carolina menís coach Dean Smith to become the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history. Summittís career record entering her 32nd season at T ennessee now stands at 882-172. Following the record-setting win, university officials announced that the court at ThompsonBoling Arena on the UT campus will now be known as ìThe Summittî. Kim Mulkey-Robertson (Class of 2000) guided Baylor to an NCAA Championship as the Lady Bears beat Michigan State, 84-62, in the 2005 NCAA Womenís Final Four in Indianapolis. Mulkey-Robertson became the first ever in the womenís game to win NCAA titles both as a player (at Louisiana Tech in 1982) and as a coach, and she accomplished the feat in just her fifth year as the Baylor head coach. In Memory Of... The Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the world of womenís basketball in general was saddened by the recent loss of three women who definitely made their respective marks in the sport of basketball. Sue Gunter died on August 4 at her home in Baton Rouge, La. She was 66. During her 40-year coaching career, which included stints at Middle Tennessee State, Stephen F. Austin, and 22 years at LSU, Gunter compiled a 708-308 record. She was the assistant coach for the 1976 U.S. Olympic Team, which claimed a silver medal in the first Olympics to include womenís basketball, and was head coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team, which did not compete in the Moscow Games because of President Jimmy Carterís call for a boycott. Gunter played for Nashville Business College When you think of international sporting competitions, what comes to mind? Olympics? World Championships? Pan American Games? While most sports fans probably arenít as familiar with the World University Games, the event, held every two years in odd-number years, definitely has its place in womenís basketball history. The first ìWorld Student Gamesî were held in Paris in 1923. While competitions continued through the years, the first ìUniversiadeî was held in 1959, but womenís basketball was not included in the event until the eighth Universiade in 1973. The USA squad, which claimed the silver medal that year, included four future Hall of FamersóJuliene Brazinski (Simpson), Nancy Dunkle, Pat Head (Summitt), and Theresa Shank (Grentz). Altogether, 14 Womenís Basketball Hall of Famers have played in the World University Games while six Hall of Famers have served as the head coach of USA squads that competed in the World University Games. There have been 39 athletes to represent the USA in both the Olympics and the World University Games. In August, the USA captured its sixth World University Games gold medal. The USAís first gold medal in the World University Games came in 1979 when the squad coached by Fran Garmon beat the Soviet Union for the first time in a major international competition since 1957. In the 15 Universiades that have included womenís basketball, the USA has come home with six gold medals and has medalled 13 times overall. USA Basketball did not send a team to the World University Games in 2003, but the USA was represented in Daegu, Korea by an All-Star squad from the Big 12 Conference. George E. Killian, a 2000 Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, serves as president of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), the organization that supervises the World University Games. Hereís a look at how the United States has fared in the World University Games: YEAR SITE GOLD MEDALIST USA RECORD/ FINISH USA HEAD COACH 1973 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 Moscow, Soviet Union Sofia, Bulgaria Mexico City, Mexico Bucharest, Romania Edmonton, Canada Kobe, Japan Zagreb, Yugoslavia Sheffield, England Buffalo, New York Fukuoka, Japan Marsala, Sicily, Italy Palma de Mallorca, Spain Beijing, China Daegu, Korea Izmir, Turkey Soviet Union Soviet Union USA Soviet Union USA Soviet Union Yugoslavia USA China Italy USA Spain USA China USA 5-3/Silver 6-2/Silver 7-0/Gold 6-1/Silver 5-1/Gold 5-1/Silver 4-1/5th 8-0/Gold 6-2/Bronze 6-1/Silver 6-0/Gold 4-2/Silver 7-1/Gold 3-4/6th 7-0/Gold Jill Upton Lucille Kyvallos Fran Garmon Kay Yow Jill Hutchinson C. Vivian Stringer Linda Sharp Tara VanDerveer Joan Bonvicini Sylvia Hatchell Jim Foster Rene Portland Debbie Ryan Bill Fennelly Kathy Delaney-Smith 2005 World University Games Team from 1958-62 and earned AAU All-America honors in 1960. She was inducted into the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame in 2000. We are the Champions Winning a national championship is quite an achievement. Flags in the Hall of Fameís courtyard flew at halfmast in honor of Sue Gunter. Eunies Futch passed away on June 18 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Futch was a three-time AAU All-American and helped lead Hanes Hosiery to three consecutive AAU National Championship titles in 1951, 1952, and 1953. Ruth Cannon Nichols died on May 6 in Littlefield, Texas. She was 71. Nichols played at Wayland Baptist from 1952-55 where she was a two-time AAU All-American and a member of the Flying Queensí first two national championship squads in 1954 and 1955. Eunies Futch (middle row, third from right) and Ruth Cannon Nichols (middle row, far right) were teammates on the USAís 1955 Pan American team. 1973 World University Games Team Futch and Nichols were teammates on the USAís first Pan American Games team in 1955, which captured a gold medal in Mexico City. At the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame, we recognize those teams who have claimed a national title by displaying their team photos in the Hall of Fame for a year in an exhibit that we call the ìWinnersí Wallî. The Hall of Fame congratulates to the teams who have captured national championships in 2005. D In addition, a pair of USA Basketball squads claimed gold medals this summer at the World University Games and the FIBA Womenís U19 World Championship, respectively. Just one more championship to go for the yearóthe WNBA will crown its champion in mid-September with the leagueís playoff finals set for September 14-22. USA TODAY NCAA Division I NCAA Division II NCAA Division III NAIA Division I NAIA Division II NJCAA Division I NJCAA Division II NJCAA Division II Junior Pro Co-Ed Instructional Junior Pro Bobby Lippert Girlsí Training League Junior Pro Girlsí Junior Varsity AAU 9-under AAU 10-under AAU 11-under AAU 12-under AAU 13-under AAU 14-under AAU 15-under AAU 16-under AAU 17-under AAU 19-under AAU Junior Olympics Christ the King (N.Y.) High School Baylor University Washburn University Millikin University Union University Morningside College Cenral Arizona College Monroe Community College Anoka Ramsey Community College Knoxville (Tenn.) Boys & Girls Club Showtyme/Lansing, Michigan Cedar Bluff-Farragut (Tenn.) Organization Arizona Warriors GBL Lady Rebels Beyond the Rim Beyond the Rim Fort Worth Frogs Indianaís Finest Black Cats Fencor Georgia Metros Elite Air Oklahoma Stars Kansas Belles Oklahoma Pride Tip-Off Classic Field set, Heading to Lubbock Around the Hall Mac Davis must not have been a basketball fan. Unlike Davis, who sang that ìHappiness was Lubbock, Texas in my rearview mirror. . . .î, weíre eagerly looking forward to heading to Lubbock, Texas, for the 2005 State Farm Womenís Tip-Off Classic. This yearís Tip-Off Classic is set for Sunday, November 13, and will feature a pair of Big 12-SEC showdowns with defending national champion Baylor taking on Georgia and Texas Tech hosting LSU. Both games will be played at United Spirit Arena on the Texas Tech campus in Lubbock and will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST (12 noon CST). This marks the 13th year for the early-season event, which directly benefits the Womenís Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, the Hall of Fameís eighth group of inductees, the Class of 2006, will be announced during the Tip-Off Classic. All four teams have previous Tip-Off Classic experience. Texas Tech played in the very first Tip-Off Classic in 1993, beating Vanderbilt, 74-67 in Jackson, Tenn. The Lady Raiders also played in the 2001 (lost to Duke, 85-69, in Durham) and 2002 (lost to Louisiana Tech, 85-76, in Knoxville) Tip-Off Classics. Georgiaís previous Tip-Off Classic apperance came in 2000 with the Lady Bulldogs falling, 99-70, to the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies in Hartford. LSU and Baylor made their first-ever showings in the event last year with the Lady Tigers nipping the Lady Bears, 71-70, in Austin. And as for Mac Davis? He changed his tune later in the song and sang, ìNow happiness is Lubbock, Texas, growiní nearer and dearer, and the vision is gettingí clearer in my dreams. . .î Just as it is for us. Hereís a closer look at the four teams participating in this yearís Tip-Off Classic: TEAM COACH 2004-2005 RECORD 2004-2005 NATIONAL RANKING* 2004-2005 NATIONAL FINISH Baylor Kim Mulkey-Robertson (6th season, 131-38) 33-3 1 National Champion Georgia Andy Landers (31st season, 716-220 overall, 634-199 in 26 seasons at UGA) 24-10 13 Sweet 16 LSU Pokey Chatman (2nd season, 33-3) 33-3 3 Final Four Texas Tech Marsha Sharp (24th season, 557-175) 24-8 12 Sweet 16 * USA TODAY/ESPN Top 25 poll Around the Hall D Players and coaches from Team Texas Express, which won the 2004 AAU 13-under national championship, stand in front of their team photo that has been on display for the past year on the Hallís ìWinnersí Wallî. The Express players and coaches stopped in Knoxville on their way to Roanoke, Va., for the 2005 AAU 14-under National Championship. Olympic gold medalist and WNBA all-star Tamika Catchings was on hand at the Hall of Fame for the opening ceremony of the Junior Pro National Championships. She also spoke to a group on sportsmanship during her visit to the Hall. D Martha Vance Burns stands next to a display that includes a photo of Nashville Business Collegeís 1950 AAU National Championship squad during her visit to the Hall of Fame. Mrs. Burns was a guard on that team that won the first of NBCís 11 AAU national titles. When the LSU Lady Tigers visited the Hall of Fame, they came bearing giftsóbobbleheads of Seimone Augustus, Coach Pokey Chatman, and Temeka Johnsonóthat are now part of a display at the Hall of Fame. Margaret Sexton Gleaves made her first visit to the Hall of Fame since her induction in 2002. Her daughter, Ann Ferrell, accompanied her on the visit. Hitting the Books Itís back to school time, and that means hitting the books. Right now is also a good time for womenís basketball fans to be hitting the books with several new publications now available in bookstores. From historical perspectives to coaching philosophies to Xs and Osóthere are lots of different books to choose from. A couple of the booksóShattering the Glass: The Dazzling History of Womenís Basketball from the Turn of the Century to the Present by Pamela Grundy and Susan Shackelford, and Coaching Girlsí Basketball Successfully by Jill Pruddenóare literally hot off the press and have just been released. As can be expected from the title of Grundy and Shackelfordís book, Shattering the Glass examines the game of womenís basketball from its earliest origins to is current status. Readers can learn from Prudden, who has won 700+ games as the girlsí basketball coach at Oak Ridge (Tenn.) High School, on strategies that have helped to make her team so successful. Other books of interest to hoops fans that have been released in the past few months include Just for Fun: The Story of AAU Womenís Basketball by Robert W. Ikard; The Only Dance in Iowa: A History of Six-Player Girlsí Basketball by Max McElwain; and The Complete Guide to Girlsí Basketball by Michael D. Mullaney. Hall of Famer Marsha Sharp has written a book with her sister-in-law, Emily Sharp, called Tall Enough to Coach: Elements of Leadership for Coaching and Life, which offers an inside look into the success of the Texas Tech womenís basketball program as well as applying lessons from the basketball court to life. Words of wisdom from four other Hall of FamersóDorothy Gaters (Class of 2000), Lorene Ramsey (Class of 2000), Amy Ruley (Class of 2004), and Pat Summitt (Class of 1999)óplus 2000 U.S. Olympic Coach Nell Fortner are included in She Can Coach! by Cecile Reynaud. The book is a compilation of the experiences of 20 of the most successful female coaches in 13 different sports. And there are even more books on their way in the months to come. Globe Pequot Press is publishing a ìHoop Talesî series, which includes Hoop Tales: Tennessee Lady Volunteers by Randy Moore, and Hoop Tales: UConn Huskies Womenís Basketball by Terese Karmel, scheduled to be released in October. Also due out in October is Coaching Girlsí Basketball: A Baffled Parentís Guide, written by 2004 WBHOF inductee Sylvia Hatchell with Jeff Thomas. Another book to look forward to is Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Womenís Professional Basketball League, 1978-1981 by Karra Porter, which will be available in early 2006.