| 1981 |
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The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) is formed on September 1. 100 coaches attend the first convention, held in 1982 at Virginia Beach in conjunction with the NCAA tournament. |
| 1981 |
Betty Jaynes is named as the Executive Director of the WBCA. |
| 1981 |
The WBCA Board of Directors is developed consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Past President and Representatives from eight regions. |
| 1981 |
Lynette Woodard of Kansas (1977-81) scores the most career points in the history of women’s collegiate basketball. She also earns her fourth Kodak All-America honor and the Wade Trophy. |
| 1981 |
AAU begins offering tournaments for children 12-and-under after having lost status as Olympic training ground. |
| 1981 |
The NAIA holds their first Women's National Championships. |
| 1981 |
The first logo for the WBCA is created in November. |
| 1981 |
The WBCA creates its first publication, Backboard Bulletin. |
| 1981 |
The AIAW files an antitrust suite against the NCAA after the NCAA decides to offer its own women’s basketball tournaments. They feel that the NCAA did not have women’s best interests at heart. (The NCAA publicly opposed the passage of Title IX). |
| 1982 |
The AIAW disbands and dismisses antitrust suit against the NCAA after hosting their final tournament. |
| 1982 |
CBS televises the first NCAA-sponsored Division I women’s basketball Final Four championship held at Old Dominion University. |
| 1982 |
The first NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III national championships are held. |
| 1982 |
Lorri Bauman of the Drake Bulldogs scores the most points scored (50) in an NCAA tournament. |
| 1982 |
The first 32-team field NCAA women’s basketball championship is held. |
| 1982 |
Cal. Polytechnic High School’s senior, Cheryl Miller, scores 105 points in a single game. |
| 1982 |
The NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four is played on Friday and Sunday through 1990. |
| 1982 |
Jill Hutchison becomes the first WBCA president serving her presidency while coaching in the WNIT. |
| 1982 |
The WBCA opens its office in Philadelphia, Penn. in April. |
| 1983 |
AAU adds 16-and-under and 14-and-under age groups. |
| 1983 |
Tennessee’s Pat Summitt is the first WBCA Coach of the Year and ODU’s Ann Donovan is the WBCA’s first Player of the Year for NCAA Division I. |
| 1983 |
NCAA Division II, Division III, NAIA and Junior Colleges are added for the Kodak/WBCA All-America teams. |
| 1984 |
Rule Book: The women’s basketball is changed to a smaller ball, which is about one inch less in circumference (28 ½ to 29 inches) and two ounces lighter (18 to 20 ounces.) |
| 1984 |
6’7” junior, Georgeann Wells of University of West Virginia becomes the first woman to dunk in a collegiate game on December 21, and repeated the feat a few games later. |
| 1984 |
Women’s professional league, WABA forms but folds after a short time. Teams include: Atlanta Comets, Chicago Spirit, Columbus Minks, Dallas Diamonds, Houston Shamrocks, and Virginia Wave. |
| 1984 |
The NCAA Division I Championships are expanded from 32 to 40 teams. |
| 1984 |
The first Olympic gold medal is captured in Los Angeles by the USA team coached by Pat Summit (Tenn.) |
| 1984 |
Darlene May becomes the first female official in an Olympic women’s basketball game. |
| 1984 |
The Women’s American Basketball Professional League is formed but most of the league’s teams fold during the first season. |
| 1985 |
The first three women are inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame: Senda Berenson Abbott, Bertha F. Teague and Margaret Wade. |
| 1985 |
A Rules Committee for NCAA Women’s Basketball is formed. Rule Book: Offensive fouls are given to only the player with the ball and not the entire team. The bottom space on the free throw lane must be filled and is no longer optional. |
| 1985 |
The first Women’s Junior World Championships is held in Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1985 |
NCAA Division II and NAIA athletes are given separate awards for the Kodak/WBCA All-America teams. |
| 1985 |
Iowa adds the option of five-player or six-player games to the state tournament. Until 1993, Iowa has six-player games. |
| 1985 |
First NCAA tournament games televised by ESPN-two regional finals and two national semifinal games. |
| 1985 |
Lynette Woodward and Jackie White become the first women to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. |
| 1985 |
Marianne Stanley is the first head coach to win a national championship both as a coach (NCAA) and a player (AIAW). |
| 1986 |
The USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25 poll debuts for NCAA Division I women’s basketball. |
| 1986 |
Rule Book: Coaches must stay in the coaching box and may not leave without the threat of a technical foul. Alternating possession arrow is introduced, with jump ball to start the game and overtimes. Only the head coach may stand during live ball. |
| 1986 |
The National Women's Basketball Association is formed, but does not make it to the first season. |
| 1986 |
University of Texas Head Coach, Jody Conradt, takes the first undefeated NCAA Division I team in regular season and post-season play to win a national championship. |
| 1986 |
The WBCA adds the High School and Assistant Coaches position on the Board of Directors. |
| 1986 |
The WBCA moves their office from Philadelphia, Penn., to Atlanta, Ga., in June. |
| 1987 |
Rule Book: The three-point field goal is introduced and set at 19 feet, 9 inches from center of the basket. Interrupted dribble is legal and no goal is allowed when a personal foul is committed by an airborne shooter. Only the four marked lane spaces on the free-throw lane may be occupied. |
| 1987 |
AAU begins the 13-and-under and 11-and-under programs. |
| 1987 |
The WBCA publishes it’s first issue of Coaching Women’s Basketball (CWB). |
| 1987 |
Teresa Edwards, Minnesota Lynx guard and former University of Georgia standout, becomes the first intern at the WBCA. |
| 1988 |
The Black Coaches Association (BCA) is founded. |
| 1988 |
AAU organizes leagues for girls 12 and up. |
| 1988 |
USA wins gold medal at the Seoul Olympics, coached by Kay Yow (N.C. State). |
| 1989 |
Rule Book: Time-outs are changed from 60 to 75 seconds, any kind of technical foul results in two shots and the distance of a closely guarded ball is six feet instead of three. |
| 1989 |
The NCAA Division I Championships are expanded from 40 to 48 teams. |
| 1989 |
The American Basketball Association, USA changes its name to USA Basketball, based in Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 1990 |
Pat Summitt becomes the first woman to receive the John Bunn Award, the most prestigious honor given by the Basketball Hall of Fame. |
| 1990 |
In March, the WBCA purchases it’s office in Lilburn, Ga. and moves in. |
| 1991 |
The NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four is played on Saturday and Sunday through 1995. |
| 1991 |
Rule Book: Contact technical fouls count toward a player’s five fouls for disqualification and toward the bonus. The shot clock will be reset when the ball hits the rim instead of when the ball leaves the shooter’s hand. |
| 1991 |
Surviving one game, the Liberty Basketball Association (LBA) begins, using 9’2” high baskets and a 25” circumference basketball while wearing skin-tight unitards. |
| 1991 |
Women’s basketball coach at Howard University, Sanya Tyler, charges the University with discrimination, claiming she was denied the athletic director position and was being paid less than the men’s basketball coach despite her team’s superior record. For the first time, a jury awards monetary damages for a lawsuit filed under Title IX. |
| 1991 |
For the first time, the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Final Four is televised live. |
| 1991 |
The second WBCA logo is in place in September. |
| 1992 |
WBCA adds the Black Coaches Association and Male Coaches positions to the Board of Directors. |
| 1992 |
The first WBCA High School All-America Game presented by Nike is held. |
| 1992 |
Women’s World Basketball Association (WWBA) is launched in the Midwest with six teams and quickly folds. |
| 1992 |
The US wins the bronze medal at the Barcelona Olympics. This is their lowest-placed finish in history. |
| 1993 |
Rule Book: The game clock will be stopped after a field goal in the last minute of the game and the last minute of any overtime period. |
| 1993 |
The WBCA fiscal year is changed from July 1 through June 30 to September 1 through August 31. |
| 1993 |
The Women’s Basketball Association (WBA) is founded and survives until 1995. |
| 1993 |
Marianne Stanley is fired from the University of Southern California after turning down an $89,000 a year contract because the men’s coach made $130,000. She then files a suit against the University of Southern California. |
| 1993 |
Sheryl Swoopes scores a record of 177 points throughout the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament at the highest-rated women’s championship since networks had began broadcasting it, which lead to an almost instant sellout for the 1994 Final Four prior to the season tip-off. |
| 1993 |
Iowa switches from six-player basketball to five-player. |
| 1993 |
Sheryl Swoopes signs a contract with Nike for personalized sneakers that sell for $115 a pair. |
| 1993 |
Nancy Lieberman becomes the first woman to be inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. |
| 1993 |
Jim Foster is named the first male WBCA President and becomes the first president to coach in the NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four during his tenure. |
| 1994 |
The WBCA adds the three Legislative positions as well as the Committee on Basketball Issues position to the Board of Directors. |
| 1994 |
The NCAA Division I women's basketball field is expanded from 48 to 64 teams. The Division III field is expanded to 40. |
| 1994 |
There are 300% more girls that play high school basketball than in 1972. |
| 1994 |
The inaugural 16-team women's preseason National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is held in November. |
| 1994 |
The WBCA begins awarding the Coaches’ Trophy to the top-ranked Division I team in the final USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25 poll. |
| 1995 |
The USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25 poll adds NCAA Division II women’s basketball. |
| 1995 |
Oklahoma is last state to switch from six-player to five-player basketball. |
| 1995 |
The American Basketball League (ABL) is founded by Anne Cribbs, Steve Hams and Gary Cavalli in September. They will play a 40 game season. |
| 1995 |
C. Vivian Stringer of Rutgers University (N.J.) is the first female coach to earn a base pay of $150,000. |
| 1995 |
The first United States Senior Women's National Team compiles an undefeated record of 52-0 against NCAA and international opponents. |
| 1995 |
Jody Conradt of the University of Texas is the first women’s basketball coach to win 600 games. |
| 1995 |
University of Connecticut completes an unbeaten season (35-0), capturing the NCAA Division I championship, and becomes the winningest basketball team for one season in NCAA Division I. |
| 1996 |
The NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four is played on Friday and Sunday through 2001. |
| 1996 |
The NCAA Division III polls are added to the USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25. |
| 1996 |
The American Basketball League begins its first season on October 18 with eight teams. Teams include: Atlanta Glory, Columbus Quest, New England Blizzard, Richmond Rage, Colorado Xplosion, Portland Power, San Jose Lasers and Seattle Reign. |
| 1996 |
The WNBA is established by the NBA on April 24th and will play a 28-game schedule. Teams include: Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs and Utah Starzz. |
| 1996 |
AAU adds a 10-and-under division. |
| 1996 |
US Women’s Olympic "Dream Team" captures the gold medal in Atlanta, Ga. |
| 1996 |
Betty Jaynes is named Chief Executive Officer on September 1. |
| 1996 |
Dawn Staley becomes the first woman to have her likeness painted on a building. |
| 1996 |
ESPN begins broadcasting live the NCAA Women’s National Championship. |
| 1996 |
The WBCA drops all of the district representatives and replaces them with four NCAA Division I positions, two NCAA Division II positions, two NCAA Division III positions, one NAIA position and one JC/CC position on the Board of Directors. |
| 1997 |
Beth Bass is named Executive Director of the WBCA on January 1st. |
| 1997 |
Cheryl Miller becomes the first WNBA coach hired. |
| 1997 |
The inaugural Women's National Basketball Association season begins on June 21st. |
| 1997 |
AAU adds a 17-and-under division. |
| 1997 |
Rule Book: Two free throws are awarded for each common foul, beginning with the 10th foul in each half. |
| 1997 |
The Houston Comets win the first WNBA Championship Game before a sellout crowd. |
| 1997 |
USA women’s Junior National Team wins gold at the FIBA world championship, a first medal for USA in the event. |
| 1998 |
The WBCA establishes their event management department. |
| 1998 |
The ABL suspends operations and files for bankruptcy in December. |
| 1998 |
The first WBCA All-Star Challenge Game is held. |
| 1998 |
The WBCA’s final logo is created and stands today. |
| 1998 |
The WBCA presidential term is changed from one year to two with Carol Alfano acting as the first dual term WBCA President. |
| 1998 |
Pat Summitt of the University of Tennessee is the first women’s basketball coach to win three championships in a row, as well as the first coach to win six national championships (‘87, ‘89, ‘91, ‘96, ‘97, and ‘98). |
| 1998 |
The WNBA adds the Washington Mystics and Detroit Shock. |
| 1998 |
The US National Women's Basketball Team wins the gold medal at the 1998 World Championships in Berlin. |
| 1998 |
The WBCA completes its office renovation in October. |
| 1998 |
ESPN jumps on board as a sponsor for the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 poll. |
| 1999 |
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame opens it doors on June 3rd in Knoxville, Tenn. becoming the first Hall of Fame dedicated to any woman's sport. Inductees: Senda Berenson Abbott, Lidia Alexevia, Carol Blazejowski, Joanne Bracker, Jody Conradt, Joan Crawford, Denise Curry, Anne Donovan, Carol Eckman, Betty Jo Graber, John Head, Lusia Harris Stewart, Nancy Lieberman-Cline, Darlene May, Ann Meyers-Drysdale, Cheryl Miller, Billie Moore, Shin-ja Park, Harley Redin, Uljana Semjonova, Jim Smiddy, Pat Summitt, Bertha Teague, Margaret Wade and Nera White. |
| 1999 |
WNBA adds Orlando Miracle and Minnesota Lynx. |
| 1999 |
The WNBA holds its inaugural All-Star Game. |
| 1999 |
July 23: Happy 27th Birthday Title IX! About 31,000 women were involved in college sports in 1972; that number has more than tripled. Spending on athletic scholarships for women has gone from less than $100,000 to almost $200 million. There was an average of 2.1 women's teams at colleges in 1972. That number is now at a record 7.7 per school. |
| 2000 |
The WBCA receives rights to the Wade Trophy with NAGWS on June 20th. |
| 2000 |
Rule Book: Uniforms may include a logo or mascot at the center or apex of the neckline on a game jersey. Only a team abbreviation was permitted in that space previously. The color, style and design of all teammates’ game jerseys and game pants must be alike. |
| 2000 |
Betty F. Jaynes announces retirement from the WBCA, but continues to serve as WBCA Consultant. |
| 2000 |
Michelle Snow, University of Tennessee, becomes the third woman to dunk in a collegiate game and the first to perform the feat on television on November 25th. |
| 2000 |
WNBA adds the Miami Sol, Indiana Fever, Portland Fire, and the Seattle Storm, doubling its original size to 16 clubs. |
| 2000 |
C. Vivian Stringer becomes the only coach to take three schools to the NCAA Women’s Final Four: Cheyney State (1982), University of Iowa (1993), and Rutgers (2000). |
| 2000 |
USA captures the gold medal at the Olympics in Sydney. Teresa Edwards becomes the first basketball player, male or female, to play on five consecutive Olympic teams. |
| 2000 |
The National Women’s Basketball Professional League (NWBL) is established. |
| 2000 |
Miami Edison’s (later Gulliver Prep) 6’5” freshman, Sylvia Fowles becomes the first female to dunk in a high school game. |
| 2000 |
The WBCA Conference Captains are established. |
| 2000 |
WIBIT is created to establish the WBCA website. |
| 2001 |
The Betty F. Jaynes Internship Program begins. |
| 2001 |
Beth Bass is named Chief Executive Officer of the WBCA on November 1st. |
| 2001 |
Rule Book: Officials shall be permitted to go to an official courtside monitor to determine if a try for goal is a three- or two-shot attempt, regardless of whether shot is made. |
| 2001 |
Jody Conradt, Texas Longhorn coach, become the first women’s basketball coach to work 1,000 games. |
| 2001 |
Jackie Stiles becomes the NCAA all-time Division I scoring leader with 3,393 career points and the first player in NCAA history to post more than 1,000 points in a single season. [Five players have scored more than Stiles in the years before women’s basketball came under the NCAA in 1982. Lynette Woodard is the leader in that era with 3,649 points at Kansas (1977-81).] |
| 2001 |
The United States wins the gold at the World University Games, defeating China 87-69. |
| 2001 |
The NCAA signed an 11-year agreement with ESPN granting television rights to broadcast all 63 games of the championship. |
| 2002 |
The NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four is played on Friday and Saturday. |
| 2002 |
State Farm begins their sponsorship of the coveted Wade Trophy. |
| 2002 |
The NCAA Championship game is the highest viewed college basketball game ever on ESPN and single largest crowd to watch a women’s college basketball game (29,619). UConn becomes the only team to go undefeated (39-0) twice through regular and post season play and win the National Championship. |
| 2002 |
Lisa Leslie of the WNBA Los Angeles Sparks becomes the first women to dunk during a professional game. |
| 2002 |
WNBA teams, the Miami Sol and Portland, Fire fold. The Utah Starzz move to San Antonio and become the Silver Stars. The Orlando Miracle move and become the Connecticut Sun. The Sun are the first professional team owned by an Indian Tribe (the Mohegan Tribe) and the first associated with a casino (Mohegan Sun Casino). |
| 2003 |
The NCAA Division I Women’s Final Four is played on Sunday and Tuesday (same as present). |
| 2003 |
The WBCA implements the “So You Want To Be A Coach” program. |
| 2003 |
Brittany Hunter, 6'3" senior from Brookhaven HS in Columbus, Ohio, becomes the first female to enter the McDonald's All-America Slam Dunk Contest. She fails, however, to complete any of her three attempts. |
| 2003 |
High school senior Candace Parker announces she will play for the University of Tennessee during a press conference broadcast live on ESPN News on November 11th. She's the first a female high school player to announce her signing in such a fashion. |
| 2003 |
Both Pat Summitt (University of Tennessee) and Jody Conradt (University of Texas) reach the 800-win milestone. Pat Summitt becomes the first coach in women's basketball to win 800 career games, is just the fourth coach in Division I to post 800 victories and is the first woman. |
| 2003 |
The WBCA holds their first Lessons of the Legends in Atlanta at the 2003 NCAA Women’s Final Four. |
| 2004 |
Candace Parker becomes the first woman to win the McDonald’s High School All-American Game Slam Dunk contest, beating out five male competitors. |
| 2004 |
The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team defeats Tennessee 70-61 and the University of Connecticut men's basketball team also won the Championship, marking the first time a Division I school has won both the men's and women's basketball trophy. |
| 2004 |
Seattle head coach Anne Donovan becomes the first female coach to win a WNBA title. |
| 2005 |
The WNBA announces the formation of a new franchise in Chicago, Illinois on February 8th. The team will play their home games on the Illinois-Chicago (UIC) campus, making them the first team to call a college campus "home." In May they hire NBA Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens as head coach. In September, they announce that the team will be called the "Sky." On November 12 the expansion draft is held. |
| 2005 |
Kim Mulkey-Robertson became the first woman to win an NCAA Championship both as a coach (Baylor - 2005) and a player (Louisiana Tech - 1982) at the NCAA Division I level. |
| 2005 |
Nike jumps on board as the sponsor for “Nike’s So You Want To Be A Coach” program. |
| 2005 |
Olympic Gold Medallist, Katie Smith of the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx becomes the first women's pro player to surpass 5,000 career points on July 13th. |
| 2005 |
It is announced the Sacramento Monarchs will appear on a Wheaties Box to commemorate their championship win on September 20th, being the first time that an entire championship team appears on the box. |
| 2005 |
The WNBA announces three major rule changes on December 6th: switch to a four-quarter format, shortening of the shot-clock to 24 seconds, and adjusting jump balls to begin each quarters. |
| 2005 |
High school girls’ basketball coach, Leta Andrews of the Granbury Lady Pirates (Tex.), gets her 1,218th win beating the 1993 record set by Jim Smiddy (retired with 1,217). |
| 2005 |
Tennessee Lady Vol's coach Pat Summitt, 52, earns her 880th win, becoming the winningest NCAA basketball coach of all time. In her honor, the university announced the court at Thompson-Boling Arena will be named "The Summitt." This victory puts Summitt ahead of former North Carolina men's coach Dean Smith for the most victories in NCAA history. |
| 2005 |
Seattle Storm coach Anne Donovan becomes the first female WNBA coach to reach 100 victories. |
| 2005 |
Sheryl Swoopes becomes the WNBA’s first three-time MVP. |
| 2005 |
Four at-large Division I members are added to the WBCA Board of Directors. |
| 2006 |
Coach Pat Summitt earns her 900th career win. Summitt's record is 900-172 in 32 seasons at Tennessee, leading all collegiate coaches. |
| 2006 |
Epiphanny Price sets a new girls' high school basketball scoring record with 113 points in a game where her Murry Bergtraum team defeats Brandeis High 137-32 in New York City. The previous record of 105 points was set by Hall of Fame member Cheryl Miller in 1982. |
| 2006 |
Army head coach Maggie Dixon and brother Jamie Dixon, head men's basketball coach at Pittsburgh, become the first brother-sister duo to take teams to the NCAA Tournament at the same time. They also made history at the beginning of the season becoming the first brother-sister pair to hold Division I basketball head coaching positions. |
| 2006 |
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Tennessee's Candace Parker becomes the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game (March 19, 2006). |
| 2006 |
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46-year-old Anat Draigor of Israel breaks the Guinness World Record for points scored in a basketball game by a female professional by scoring 136 points in a game. |
| 2006 |
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The NCAA Women’s Final Four sells out for the 15th time (14th consecutive). |
| 2007 |
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Drexel and Northeastern battled it out in the longest game in NCAA women's college basketball history. The Drexel Dragons needed five overtimes in 65 minutes of play to beat the Northeastern Huskies, 98-90. |
| 2007 |
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Sylvia Fowles of LSU becomes the sixth collegiate woman to dunk during a game. |
| 2008 |
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The New York Liberty and Indiana Fever meet in Arthur Ashe (Tennis) Stadium in Flushing, NY, for the WNBA's first outdoor game. The 23,000+ stadium hosted over 19,000 fans as visiting Fever beat the Liberty 71-55. |
| 2008 |
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Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman became the oldest player, at age 50 (breaking her previous record when she played for the Phoenix Mercury at age 39), to suit up for a WNBA team after signing a seven-day contract with the Detroit Shock - a team she previously coaches. |
| 2008 |
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USA wins fourth straight gold medal in the Beijing Olympics. |
| 2009 |
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Pat Summitt earns her 1,000th win in a game against Georgia, which the Lady Vols won by 30 points, 73-43. Summitt became the first Division I college coach, male or female, to win 1,000 games and only the second coach across all divisions. |
