Rita Horky is a former

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...

player and coach from Blissfield, Michigan. Horky was inducted into 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 2000.

Basketball career

Horky played for

Nashville Business College John L. Head (July 22, 1915 – May 8, 1980) was an American basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Nashville Business College women's basketball team from 1948 to 1969. Over the course of 21 seasons, his teams won the national champi ...

. She also played for the Iowa Wesleyan College Tigerettes, an AAU team in 1959 and 1960. The 5 foot 11 inch guard was named AAU

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n five times. She was a

Pan American Pan-American, Pan American, Panamerican, Pan-America, Pan America or Panamerica may refer to: * Collectively, the Americas: North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean * Something of, from, or related to the Americas * Pan-Amer ...

gold medalist twice (1959 and 1963), the USA's leading scorer in 1959 with 11.9 points per game, and their 3rd leading scorer in 1963 with 7.7 points/game. Her team finished 4th in the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 1964 and 11th in 1967. Horky coached the Northern Illinois women's basketball team for one year in 1982–83, leading them to a 13–14 record.

Awards and honors

In 2000, Horky was elected to the

, located in

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Tennessee, Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Di ...

. She was elected to the Iowa Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2004
Iowa Wesleyan College

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horky, Rita Northern Illinois Huskies women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from Michigan Basketball players from Michigan Basketball players at the 1959 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1963 Pan American Games American women's basketball coaches People from Blissfield, Michigan Pan American Games medalists in basketball Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Medalists at the 1959 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games