Kansas to retire Adrian Mitchell’s jersey

LAWRENCE, Kan. –Kansas women’s basketball great Adrian Mitchell will have her No. 21 jersey retired at halftime on Jan. 28, 2018, when the Jayhawks host Kansas State inside Allen Fieldhouse.

Mitchell’s jersey will be the fourth women’s basketball jersey to hang from the rafters in Allen Fieldhouse joining Lynette Woodard’s No. 31, Angela Aycock’s No. 12 and Tamecka Dixon’s No. 33.

“We are really excited and happy for Adrian to be honored with her jersey being hung in the rafters of Allen Fieldhouse,” said head coach Brandon Schneider. “She deserves this tremendous accomplishment and for us to be able to honor her, during the 50th year of women’s basketball at Kansas, is really special.”

This year Kansas Athletics is celebrating 50 years of women’s athletics, including women’s basketball which was one of the founding programs. The retirement of Mitchell’s jersey is one of several women’s basketball alumni events surrounding the weekend. Together, Kansas and Kansas State are also celebrating 50 years of women’s basketball competition between the two institutions.

“I am excited about participating in the upcoming Kansas Women’s Basketball Alumnae Weekend,” Mitchell said. “I am deeply honored to have my jersey retired at halftime of the women’s basketball game against Kansas State. I look forward to seeing my family and visiting with some of my former teammates.”

The first KU player and one of only two Jayhawks to score 2,000 career points and grab 1,000 career rebounds, Mitchell is second all-time in the record books in both scoring (2,124) and rebounds (1,288).

Mitchell earned two All-Big Eight honors and was twice named a Wade Trophy finalist during her Kansas career. She was invited to try out for the World University Games team in 1977 and was selected as a 1978 NWIT All-American. 

In 1979, Mitchell was drafted by the Chicago Hustle of the Women’s Basketball League (WBL), the precursor of the WNBA. Mitchell was named an All-Star in 1980 for the Saint Louis Streak.

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