Woodard Enshrined In Women's HOF
June 11, 2005
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Legendary University of Kansas four-time Kodak All-American and former assistant coach Lynette Woodard was enshrined in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 11, in Knoxville, Tenn. Woodard joined Joe Ciampi, Kelli Litsch, Hunter Low, Edna Tarbutton and Dixie Woodall in the class of 2005.
Woodard became the second Kansas representative in the Hall, joining former head coach Marian E. Washington who was inducted in June of 2004.
“Our sport has so many tremendous people who have contributed to its growth, profile and credibility,” said Jody Conradt, University of Texas women’s basketball coach, president of the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors, and a member of the Hall of Fame’s inaugural induction class in 1999. “Certainly, this class of inductees has done the same. There are so many ways that these individuals have contributed, with Joe Ciampi and Edna Tarbutton as successful coaches and Lynette Woodard, Dixie Woodall and Kelli Litsch as outstanding players. Without Hunter Low’s role as a great ambassador for women’s basketball, we wouldn’t have the Kodak All-America award, which is the highest profile All-America honor in our sport. This is truly a worthy class of inductees.”
With the addition of the Class of 2005, the seventh group of individuals to be recognized with induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the number of inductees in the Hall of Fame increased to 85.
The inductees were formally enshrined during a ceremony at the Knoxville Convention Center Lecture Hall on Saturday, June 11. The event capped a weekend of festivities for the inductees, which included a dinner and basketball storytelling session on Friday, as well as a brunch, autograph session, and gala reception on Saturday.
More information about the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame can be found at www.wbhof.com/2005.htm.
A native of Wichita, Kan., Woodard enjoyed a phenomenal basketball career at the scholastic, collegiate, professional and international level. She was a three-time all-state selection at Wichita North HS, and led her school to state championships in 1975 and 1977. A national high school All-America in 1977, Woodard went on to play at KU from 1978-81, and ended her career as a four-time Kodak All-America and the leading scorer in the history of women’s basketball with 3,649 points (26 ppg, 12 rpg). In fact, her career scoring total still ranks second only to Pete Maravich (3,667 points) for the most points ever scored by a college athlete, male or female.
A four-time All-Big Eight Conference selection, Woodard dominated the women’s game, leading the nation in scoring in 1979, rebounding in 1978 and steals in 1979, 1980 and 1981. Woodard was MVP of the Big Eight Tournament in 1979, 1980 and 1981, and was later named the conference Player of the Decade. She scored in double-figures in 138 of 139 career games at Kansas and became the first female member of KU’s athletics Hall of Fame.
On the international level, Woodard was a member of the 1980 Olympic Team and co-captained the Gold Medal Olympic team in 1984. She also earned a Gold Medal at the World University Games in 1979. Woodard played international basketball in the Italian League where she led the league in scoring in 1982 and 1989 and led Eni-Chem of Priolo to the Italian national championship in 1989. Woodard earned notoriety in 1985 when she became the first female ever to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. She played two professional seasons with the WNBA’s Cleveland Rockers and Detroit Shock.
Woodard also served as interim head coach for the Jayhawks at the end of the 2004 season after spending five years as assistant coach. She assumed the role on Jan. 29 and guided the team through the end of the season after the retirement of Washington.
The mission of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, which opened in June 1999, is to “honor the past, celebrate the present, and promote the future” of women’s basketball.
