For nearly a century, the Globetrotters have exhibited Black excellence on and off the court, entertaining, inspiring, and uniting families. Following her 1984 Olympic triumph, Woodard had a chance to make a childhood dream come true. That's number one. 2023 . Woodard made history by becoming the first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters and who, at age 38, began playing as one of the oldest members in the newly formed American women's professional basketball league, the WNBA . Encyclopedia.com. READ MORE: 10 Things You May Not Know About the Harlem Globetrotters. In just 62 high school games she had scored 1,678 points and collected 1,030 rebounds. She played two more seasons in Italy, helping her team to the Italian league championships in 1989, then went to Japan, where she played for the Daina Securities team from 1990 to 1993, winning the division championship in 1992. She chose to attend the University of Kansas (KU), citing her admiration for Marian Washington, the women's basketball coach there. Woodard is an assistant coach for the Jayhawks, the women's basketball team of her alma mater, the University of Kansas (KU). 1936-1999 ." Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. The Women's National Basketball Association began play in June 1997, and Woodard was determined to be part of it. New York Times (October 13, 1985): 3. The USA team played and beat Cuba twice, the team that had defeated them at the Pan Am games. Peridot symbolizes strength. And I thought, Well, okay, if I can't really do it for myself at this particular time, then maybe I can help somebody else. And that's how I got interested in IOwn.me. Rebecca Lobo emerged as one of the biggest stars of the fledgling Women's National Basketball Association (WN, Lyndon State College: Narrative Description, Lyndon Johnson and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution (1964), Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, Lynd, Staughton 1929- (Staughton Craig Lynd), Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery 485 U.S. 439 (1988), Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Association, Lynn Andrews Center for Sacred Arts & Training, Lynn University: Distance Learning Programs, Lynn University: Distance Learning Programs In-Depth, https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/woodard-lynette, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/woodard-lynette, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/woodard-lynette, Dominates women's basketball, University of Kansas, Becomes women's university basketball's highest scorer, with 3,649 points, Plays professional women's basketball in Italy, Trains with U.S. Olympic women's basketball team, Plays professional women's basketball in Japan, Becomes assistant women's basketball coach at University of Kansas, Named All-American athlete, University of Kansas, As co-captain, led U.S. Olympic women's basketball team to gold medal victory, Inducted into National High School Hall of Fame, Named Big Eight Player of the Decade (1980s), Named best female player in Big Eight Conference history. The USA team earned the silver medal. http://www.kuathletics.com/womensbasketball/coaches/woodard.html (November 13, 2002). "The Newest Globetrotter." That's the beautiful part and technology is what's driving it. In 1982, a year after graduating, the NCAA presented her with their Top V Award, naming her one of the top five collegiate athletes. She was a strong and flexible player who could perform well in any position, but she usually played forward. On how the womens NCAA Basketball Tournament is helping. Lynette Woodard. But her roots with the Globetrotters which go back to her cousin Geese Ausbie, one of the teams longtime high-profile stars are what made her a household name. (April 27, 2023). Woodard will always be remembered as a trailblazer and one of the greatest players in women's basketball. She studied Italian, beginning with the basketball and food terms she needed for day-to-day life, and she reached out to make friends among her teammates. However, I think as people get more creative, that's definitely going to be the avenue that really drives the chance for women to get equal footing. By David Remnick. New York Times (July 27, 1984): A18. Woodard played professionally in Japan's basketball circuit for three seasons (1990-1993). Also in 1977 she was named an All-American high school athlete. Through being influencers, getting likes on Instagram posts. native languages: English. Lynette Woodard enjoyed a phenomenal basketball career at the scholastic, collegiate, professional, and international level. She was a four-time All-American at KU, and she averaged 26 points per game and scored 3,649 points in total during her four years there, and was the first KU woman to be honored by having her jersey retired. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Oh my goodness, I wanted to do something about it. ft. of basketball history. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. University of Kansas Athletics. READ MORE: The Lithuanian Immigrant Who Launched the First Womens College Basketball Game. Her combined uncanny ability to anticipate and her exceptional quickness allowed her to dominate play. She most recently worked at Wichita State, administering two federally funded education. Sports Illustrated for Women named her one of the one hundred greatest women athletes in 1999. Woodard took a job in the Italian women's professional basketball league. Register for a free SBJ account to unlock one extra article per month. In 1984, the USA sent its National team to the 1984 William Jones Cup competition in Taipei, Taiwan, for pre-Olympic practice. Join Facebook to connect with Lynette Woodard and others you may know. Woodard was a member of the USA National team at the 1990 World Championships, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. However, she took steps to improve her situation. The USA beat Canada easily to win the bronze. So now it's a chance for these athletes to maybe do some endorsements for these people. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame Museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." In a 14-year professional career studded with superla-tives, Wilt Chamberlain established the, Staley, Dawn https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/woodard-lynette, "Woodard, Lynette Their partnerships, investments and endorsements help fuel the space they have emerged as major stakeholders in the sports tech ecosystem. . (April 27, 2023). We've conducted research scouring millions of historical references to determine the importance of people in History. Vecsey, George. In 1997, she was signed by the Cleveland Rockers of the newly founded Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The USA team found itself behind at halftime to Canada in their next game, but came back to win easily 9570. Woodard graduated from college in 1981 with a B.S. Naming a child among most significant decisions of those expectant parents. Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images * * * * * Maestas, a member of Sports Business Journals Forty Under 40 class of 2015. Woodard was selected for the WNBA Detroit Shock expansion team coached by Nancy Lieberman-Cline in 1998. Her passion for the platform is tangible, especially since her own name, image and likeness have been tampered with. Lynette Woodard was born on 12 August 1959 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Cision Distribution 888-776-0942 Her magnetic personality and warm smile could not hide her intense desire to outdo her opponent and win basketball games. Former Kansas basketball All-American Lynette Woodard, left, announces her retirement from the WNBA at a news conference with Kansas basketball coach Marian Washington, right, Wednesday, May 26 . Discover Lynette Woodard's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. As the story goes, Woodard developed her basketball scoring abilities from her older brother, who taught her to shoot using a stuffed sock. But that didnt prevent the Cleveland Rockers and later the Detroit Shock from banging down her door to sign her. Retrieved April 27, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/woodard-lynette. Biography. The team finished with a record of 42, but managed to win the bronze medal. Woodard was selected as the Big Eight Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times. However, the date of retrieval is often important. You will be able to share this link with anyone and everyone, even on social media. In 1984 she captained the U.S. Olympic team that won a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics. http://www.kshs.org/people/woodard.htm (November 13, 2002). In 2006 Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius recognized Woodard's contribution to Kansas athletics when she appointed her to serve as cochair of her new Governor's Council on Fitness. Kansas State Historical Society. She retired from playing in 1999 and returned to KU serving as Assistant Coach of the women's basketball team. http://www.wnba.com/shock/stats/stats_1998.html (November 30, 2002). While still in college Woodard began playing in international tournaments, traveling to the Soviet Union in 1979, where she helped the U.S. women's team win a gold medal in the World University Games. Woodard averaged 11.6 points per game. Woodard averaged 11.6 points per game. Woodard toured with the Globetrotters for two years. Upgrade your subscription to get all the news you need: Adding SBJ weekly content will give you the comprehensive view of sports business with: Adding SBJ daily content will give you the comprehensive view of sports business with: Lynette Woodard is a two-time U.S. Olympian, a four-time All-American, the all-time Division I women's scoring leader, a Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and the first woman to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. The USA team won their next four games, setting up the gold medal game against USSR. A four-time Kodak All-America at the University of Kansas, Lynette Woodard is widely considered one of the greatest female players of all time. She played one more year of professional basketball, retiring for the second time in May of 1999, four months shy of her 40th birthday. I call it technology and sports they're getting married. Contemporary Black Biography. You know, that's huge. (b. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. In 2017, she was named the head coach of the Winthrop Eagles women's basketball team. //