Lily Margaret Wade (December 30, 1912 – February 16, 1995) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and coach. Wade was inducted in the inaugural class at the

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honors those who have contributed to the sport of women's basketball. The Hall of Fame opened in 1999 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It is the only facility of its kind dedicated to all levels of women's bask ...

in 1999.

Early years

Margaret Wade was the youngest of eight children born to Robert and Bittie Wade in Cleveland, Mississippi. She grew up in Cleveland, playing forward for the Cleveland High School girls basketball team. She made the All-Conference team in 1928 and 1929.

College

Wade played college basketball for

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi Cleveland is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,199 as of the 2020 United States Census. Cleveland has a large commercia ...

in 1930-1932. In her second season, she was named captain of the team and earned All-Conference honors. In her junior year, she continued as captain, and was named the team's most valuable player. Over the three years, the team's record was 28–5–2. In her junior year, the school decided the game was "too strenuous for women" and dropped the program. Wade was very upset; she and her teammates decided to burn their uniforms.

AAU

Wade played for two years for the Mississippi Tupelo Redwings, a nearby AAU team. She was the team captain and helped her team reach the Southern Championship. Her playing career was cut short by a knee injury.

Coaching career

Wade started her coaching career at Marietta High School in

Marietta, Mississippi Marietta is a town in Prentiss County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 248 at the 2000 census. Geography Marietta is located at (34.500990, -88.471146). The town is situated at the intersection of Mississippi Highway 366 and Mis ...

in 1933. Her first year, the team had a record of 12–2. She then moved on to coach at Belden High school, where her team had a record of 11–3. After that, she coached

Cleveland High School (Cleveland, Mississippi) Cleveland High School was a public high school that served students in grades 912, located in Cleveland, Mississippi. It was a part of the Cleveland School District. In 2016 a federal court ordered it to consolidate with East Side High School.G ...

's girls basketball team from 1935 to 1954 with a 453-89-6 record. Her teams won the Bolivar County Championships and entered the North Mississippi tournament fourteen out of her last fifteen years, and came in second in the state championships three consecutive years. Wade also coached the girls' track team to consecutive state championships in 1958 and 1959. When Delta State restarted the women's basketball team in 1973, Wade became the coach for them. They won three consecutive national championships at the

AIAW women's basketball tournament The AIAW women's basketball tournament was a national tournament for women's collegiate basketball teams in the United States, held annually from 1972 to 1982. The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national c ...

in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Those seasons included a 51-game winning streak. She also coached a future Basketball Hall of Fame inductee

Lusia Harris-Stewart Lusia Mae Harris (February 10, 1955 – January 18, 2022) was an American professional basketball player. Harris is considered to be one of the pioneers of women's basketball. She played for Delta State University and won three consecutive Ass ...

. Cleveland High School's Margaret Wade Gymnasium, on the campus of Margaret Green Junior High School, was named in her honor in 1977. The top women's collegiate player is now awarded the

Wade Trophy The Wade Trophy is an award presented annually to the best upperclass women's basketball player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after three–time national champion Delta State University coac ...

named after her. She was inducted into the

International Women's Sports Hall of Fame This is a list of female sports athletes who have been inducted into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame, which recognizes the athletic and coaching achievements of women. Selections are made worldwide and are based on achievements, brea ...

in 1992. She was enshrined in the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 1985 and in the

in 1999. A Mississippi Historical Marker honoring Margaret Wade was unveiled on the front lawn of Cleveland High School on October 11, 2008.

Notes

References

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External links

Basketball Hall of Fame page on Wade
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Margaret 1912 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American women Basketball coaches from Mississippi Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball coaches Delta State Lady Statesmen basketball players High school basketball coaches in Mississippi Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees People from Attala County, Mississippi