The Texas Longhorns women's basketball team represents
The University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
in
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
intercollegiate women's basketball competition. The Longhorns compete in the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
.
The team has long been a national power in women's basketball. Under head coach
Jody Conradt
Addie Jo "Jody" Conradt (born May 13, 1941) is a retired women's basketball coach. She was the head coach for the women's team at University of Texas at Austin (UT). Her coaching career spanned 38 years, with the last 31 years at UT from 1976 to ...
, the second
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I basketball coach to win 900 career games (after
Tennessee's Pat Summitt
Patricia Susan Summitt (; June 14, 1952 – June 28, 2016) was an American women's college basketball head coach who accrued 1,098 career wins, the most in college basketball history at the time of her retirement. She served as the head coac ...
), the Longhorns won the 1986 national championship. Conradt retired after the 2006–07 season, and was replaced by
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
head coach
Gail Goestenkors
Gail Ann Goestenkors (born February 26, 1963) is an American basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball team.
She is perhaps best known as the women's college basketball head coach of Duke ...
. She resigned after five seasons and was replaced by
Karen Aston
Karen Sue Aston (born July 26, 1964 in Benton, Arkansas) is an American basketball player and coach. She is currently the head coach of the UTSA Roadrunners women's basketball team. She has served as the head women's basketball coach at Texas, Ch ...
, whose contract was not renewed following the 2019–20 season. In April 2020,
Vic Schaefer
Victor Ernest Schaefer (born March 2, 1961) is an American college basketball coach who is the head women's basketball coach of the University of Texas at Austin (Texas) Longhorns. He previously served as the head coach for Mississippi State, fr ...
was named the program's fifth head coach.
From 1977 to 2022, Texas women's basketball played its home games in the
Frank Erwin Special Events Center, where the team compiled a 576–118 (.830) record. The final game played in the Erwin Center was an NCAA second-round victory over Utah, 78–56, on March 20, 2022. The start of the 2022–23 season will see the team play in the $388 million
Moody Center
Moody Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in Austin, Texas. The arena, which replaces the Frank Erwin Center, stands on a former parking lot located immediately south of UT's soccer/track and fi ...
.
History
The University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
held its first basketball competition in 1900, six years before Magnus Mainland started the men's team at Texas. The games in the first few years were intramural. By 1906, the school was playing other institutions, although only home games, not off-campus.
Full varsity intercollegiate competition in women's
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 ...
began in 1974. Through the 2021–22 season, the
Longhorns rank sixth in total victories and eighth in all-time win percentage among all
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Division I women's college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
programs, with an all-time win–loss record of 1161–424 ().
The Longhorns have won 22 total conference championships (12 regular-season conference titles and 10 conference tournament titles) in women's basketball and have made 33 total appearances in the
NCAA tournament (49–32 overall record), reaching the
NCAA Final Four three times (1986, 1987, 2003) and the
NCAA regional finals (
Elite Eight
In the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight teams, representing the regional finals, or national quarterfinals. In Division I and Divis ...
) 10 times.
Texas won the
1986 NCAA Championship to finish the 1985–86 season with a 34–0 record. Through the 2021–22 season, Texas ranks 10th in all-time NCAA Tournament victories (48), trailing
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
(130),
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
(128),
Stanford
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...
(99),
Notre Dame (69),
Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech University (Louisiana Tech, La. Tech, or simply Tech) is a public research university in Ruston, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System and classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activi ...
(65),
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...
(61),
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
(58),
Baylor (54) and
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
(49).
Early years (1900–1966)
The very first women's basketball games occurred in 1892, at
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
, under the direction of
Senda Berenson Abbott
Senda Berenson Abbott (March 19, 1868 – February 16, 1954) was a figure of women's basketball and the author of the first Basketball Guide for Women (1901–07). She was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on July 1, 1 ...
. Shortly thereafter,
Clara Baer brought the game to Louisiana. The details of how the game came to Texas is not known for certain, but in 1900, Eleanore Norvell organized the first basketball game at the University of Texas. Norvell was originally from Oklahoma, and came to Texas to direct the physical education department. She has been at Texas for less than a year when she introduced basketball to students at the school. The first recorded game occurred on Saturday January 13, 1900. The teams played four ten-minute quarters—the final score of that first game was 3–2.
Although the men's game and women's game both had their roots in the Naismith
rules
Rule or ruling may refer to:
Education
* Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), a university in Cambodia
Human activity
* The exercise of political or personal control by someone with authority or power
* Business rule, a rule perta ...
, the first set of rules left a lot to be specified, and the rules for the women's game developed differently than for the men. Both Senda Berensen and Clara Baer used Naismith's rules as an inspiration, but developed their own set of rules, including marked areas on the court limiting the movement of players to their respective sections. Some of these rules were motivated by the prevailing assumptions of "female frailty and dependence".
Texas would play limited intercollegiate basketball between 1903 and 1921. Eunice Aden was captain of the basketball team in 1903, took over coaching duties in 1905 and became director of physical education in 1911. Opportunities in basketball grew, but only in a limited way. Intercollegiate play existed, but the school did not allow off-campus games. When Aden retired in 1921, she was replaced by Anna Hiss, who would run the physical education department until 1957. While she was called a visionary for her role in directing physical education and intramurals, she was "dead-set against intercollegiate athletics for women". The limited intercollegiate play under Aden came to an end, with basketball now limited to intramurals and interclass play.
The ascension of Hiss to the head of the department roughly coincided with the influence of
Lou Henry Hoover
Lou Hoover (née Henry; March 29, 1874 – January 7, 1944) was an American philanthropist, geologist, and First Lady of the United States from 1929 to 1933 as the wife of President Herbert Hoover. She was active in numerous community organizatio ...
, First Lady of the United States. In 1923, Hoover was head of the
Girl Scouts of the United States
Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...
. Although Hoover was an advocate of sports, she felt that highly competitive sports were detrimental.
Hoover helped to found the Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Foundation (WDNAAF). This foundation passed a resolution in 1925 banning extramural competition.
The following year, Hiss formed an organization which voted "condemn intercollegiate competition for women, and to endorse the intramural/interclass model".
Hiss supported many activities, including tennis, golf, archery, swimming and interpretive dance, but was opposed to team sports. In general, "artistry was favored over athleticism".
She led an unsuccessful protest against American woman participation in the Olympics of 1928, 1932, and 1936. She was the driving force behind the construction of a Women's Gymnasium (named in her honor after her death). While it was a substantial resource for women's athletics, it was designed to fit her beliefs—the courts were too small for a proper basketball game, and had no room for spectators and the swimming pool was deliberately shorter than Olympic length.
While basketball was not officially supported as a school-sponsored sport in the 1920s and 30s, it was still played by many groups. The interclass games were de-emphasized, but fraternities and sororities played the game, as well as organizations such as the YWCA, industrial leagues and AAU teams.
Intermediate years (1967-1974)
After Hiss's departure, basketball at Texas began to grow, although it would be almost a decade until it became a full varsity sport. The University of Texas Sports Association (UTSA) a predecessor to the athletic department, organized the sports available for women. Basketball was not one of the club sports offered until a student, Mary Neikirk, organized a petition which was presented to the administration. The school agreed to add basketball as a club sport under the auspices of the UTSA.
The first year's budget was $100. A team was formed, and the team played under the girl's rules of the era—six players on a team, two of whom stayed at the defensive end, two of whom stayed in the offensive end and two, called "rovers" who could play both ends. These rules were used until 1971, at which time they switched to "boy's rules".
In 1973, the team practiced and played in the annex of
Gregory Gymnasium
Gregory Gymnasium is the 4,000-seat current home of the University of Texas Longhorn women's volleyball team, and former home of the Longhorn basketball and swimming teams. The basketball teams moved out in 1977 to the Erwin Center. It also serve ...
.
Rodney Page
Air Moorea Flight 1121 was a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter which crashed into the ocean shortly after takeoff from Moorea Airport on Moorea Island in French Polynesia on 9 August 2007, killing all 20 people on board.
It was bound fo ...
, who had some experience as a women's basketball assistant coach, was a referee at one of the games. When the current coach of the team quit, Page was hired. The Texas team, in Pages' first year, compiled a record of 7–11.
The 1974 season was a season of transition, with a mixture of firsts and lasts. This year's team was the first to play their games in Gregory Gymnasium itself, rather than the annex. This was the first year the team had trainers, and it was the first year that the Longhorn Band and cheerleaders performed for the team. It was their last year under the auspices of the UTSA. It was the last year before the sport attained the status of a full varsity sport.
Title IX
Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...
was passed in 1972, with a provision prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex. At the time it was passed, it was unknown what impact it would have on sports, including whether it even applied to intercollegiate sports.
Two years, later, in 1974, the issue wasn't yet settled, with the Tower Amendment specifically excluding revenue-producing sports,
but shortly thereafter, the Tower Amendment was eliminated.
It was becoming clear that universities would have to respond sooner or later, but Texas responded in 1974. Shortly after the conclusion of the 1974 basketball season, Stephen Spurr, the University president, announced that a women's athletic department would be started, complete with offices, staff and a budget of $50,000.
Rod Page years (1974-1976)
Some schools waited for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare to provide specific regulations covering Title IX. These regulations would not be published until 1975. In 1974, Texas began offering varsity sports opportunities to female students in seven sports.
In some ways, the University of Texas program became the envy of women at other schools, but the initial progress was relative. Two-thirds of the male athletes at Texas were on scholarship, while only one in fifteen female students were on scholarship. There were 21 male coach positions, almost all full-time, but seven women's coaches who were all part-time.
Under Page's leadership, the team improved upon their prior year results, with a record of 17–10. The team started out strong, winning their first five games, including an overtime win against Houston 63–62, before running into Baylor, who won easily 116–62. Some of the games were played as preliminaries to the men's games, but others were stand-alone games.
They would also lose their next game to
Southwest Texas, on a night when fundraiser was held, with an exhibition match between UT All-Stars and the
All American Red Heads Team
The All American Red Heads were one of the first professional women's basketball teams. In 1936, almost 50 years after women's basketball began, C. M. "Ole" Olson (who also founded Olson's Terrible Swedes) started a barnstorming team which would ...
, a barnstorming team of female basketball players. The team earned an invitation to the Texas
AIAW
The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) was founded in 1971 to govern collegiate women's athletics in the United States and to administer national championships (see AIAW Champions). It evolved out of the Commission on Interc ...
post season tournament, as a second seed behind Southwest Texas. The tournament schedule required five games in three days. The Texas team did well, except against Southwest Texas, ending up with 17 victories against 10 losses, five of which were to Southwest Texas.
The following season, Texas team would achieve even more. The basketball team added
Retha Swindell
Retha Swindell is an American retired athlete. She was the first black woman to play with the Texas Longhorns women's basketball team and was one of the UT women's basketball program's first two All-Americans. During her tenure, she scored 1,795 po ...
, a 6' 2" rebounder with defensive skills. The school also hired
Donna Lopiano Donna Lopiano (born September 11, 1946) is the President and founder of Sports Management Resources, a consulting firm that focuses on bringing the knowledge of experienced, expert former athletics directors to assist scholastic and collegiate athle ...
, who started what would become a 17-year stint as women's athletic director. She "vowed to have every Longhorn women's team in the top 10 and at least one national title within five years".
While the school was expressing a commitment to women's varsity sports, not everyone was supportive. The football coach,
Darrell Royal
Darrell K Royal (July 6, 1924 – November 7, 2012) was an All-American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi State University (1954–1955), the University of Washington (1956), and the University of Texas (1957â ...
, had told President Ford that "Title IX might be the death of big-time college football.".
Despite that concern, she managed to convince him to support her during her interview.
The team's first game was against Southwest Texas, the team that had defeated Texas five times in the previous season. This time, Texas would prevail 57–47 in a game held at their arena. The team lost three in a row as a result of sickness and injury, then responded with a twelve-game winning streak. The team would go on to a 21–7 season record.
Under Rod Page, the team had improved materially, so it was a surprise that when the Longhorns completed their regular season, and prepared for the post-season tournament, athletic director Lopiano announced he would not be continuing as coach of the team. The news came as a shock to Page and the team. The reason given was that the position was a head coach of basketball and volleyball—Page did not have volleyball experience. However, Lopiano had her eye on another coach, one she felt could lead the team to become a national contender.
Jody Conradt era (1976-2007)
![1986 natl champ tower s001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/1986_natl_champ_tower_s001.jpg)
Lopiano's choice was
Jody Conradt
Addie Jo "Jody" Conradt (born May 13, 1941) is a retired women's basketball coach. She was the head coach for the women's team at University of Texas at Austin (UT). Her coaching career spanned 38 years, with the last 31 years at UT from 1976 to ...
, who was garnering national attention as the head coach at the
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA or UT Arlington) is a public research university in Arlington, Texas. The university was founded in 1895 and was in the Texas A&M University System for several decades until joining the University of Te ...
. She turned a losing program around, and the 1975–76 team would compile a 23–11 record, despite materially strengthening their schedule of opponents at the same time.
Two days after announcing that Page would not be returning, Lopiano announced that Conradt would be the coach starting with the next season. Conradt wasn't surprised that the team felt loyalty to Page, but she asked them to "have an open mind".
The first season under Conradt had a schedule of 46 games. The schedule included games in the Northeast, the first out-of-state trip for the team, and the first airplane ride for many of the players. To save money, the team stayed at the home of Lopiano's parents in
Stamford, Connecticut
Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...
. Texas lost badly to
Queens College
Queens College (QC) is a public college in the Queens borough of New York City. It is part of the City University of New York system. Its 80-acre campus is primarily located in Flushing, Queens. It has a student body representing more than 170 ...
, then ranked No. 15 in the nation, but went on to the Penn State Invitational where they beat
Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...
and
Southern Connecticut Greater New Haven is the metropolitan area whose extent includes those towns in the U.S. state of Connecticut that share an economic, social, political, and historical focus on the city of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven. It occupies the south-cen ...
, at that time a national power.
Mel Greenberg
Mel Greenberg (born April 16, 1947) is an American sports journalist focusing on women's basketball.
Since 1970, Greenberg has written for ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', where he predominantly covers college and professional women's basketball. ...
, the organizer of the first top 25 women's poll, was in attendance. By the time the team returned to Austin, it learned of its first national ranking at No. 14. The team would complete its first season under Conradt with a record of 36–10.
![Smith conradt trophy s86001usc](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Smith_conradt_trophy_s86001usc.jpg)
Conradt coached both basketball and volleyball, but would give up volleyball duties after two seasons.
The team would go on to become a dominant women's basketball team on the 1980s, ranked in the AP Top 10 for all but one year between 1979 and 1990.
Texas would end the 1984
and 1985
seasons with the No. 1 ranking according in the AP poll, but failed to win the national championship in either year. In 1984, they suffered injuries, in 1985, they went 28–3, but were upset in the NCAA tournament by
Western Kentucky
Western Kentucky is the western portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It generally includes part or all of several more widely recognized regions of the state.
;Always included
* The Jackson Purchase, the state's westernmost generally recogniz ...
.
1986 would end differently. Again they achieved the AP No. 1 ranking,
but they also went on to win every single game, achieving a record of 34–0, and posting the first undefeated season in women's basketball during the NCAA era (since 1982) and the fourth undefeated season in women's college basketball overall.
The 1987 season saw the previous year's NCAA Final Four MVP
Clarissa Davis
Clarissa Davis (born June 4, 1967) is a former Texas women's basketball All-American, who is also known as Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil. She is a National Player of the Year, Olympic and pro standout, and was inducted into Women's Basketball Hall of ...
and 1988 Olympian
Andrea Lloyd lead the team back to the Final Four, hosted in Austin, but the Lady Longhorns fell in the national semifinals 70-67 to longtime nemesis Louisiana Tech. Davis suffered a knee injury in the 1988 season, limiting her to action in just nine games, while the team rallied for another undefeated Southwest Conference championship season, SWC Tournament title, and No. 1 national seed in the NCAAs. Again, it was Louisiana Tech that ended the Longhorns' season—in Austin—with an 83-80 win in the Elite Eight.
Three recruiting arrivals in the fall of 1988 and fall of 1989 brought hopes to see Texas build a roster that would help return to the Final Four, with
Catarina Pollini, a highly touted, 6-foot-5 European standout, and
Vicki Hall
Vicki Hall (born October 3, 1969) is an assistant coach with the Indiana Fever since 2021. Before joining the WNBA team, Hall served as the head coach of the Indiana State Sycamores women's basketball team from 2018 to 2021. As a basketball player ...
, the Gatorade National Player of the Year, joining the program before the 1988–89 season.
Pollini, a junior transfer, suffered a knee injury and missed 12 games before returning to limited action. At that time, an obscure NCAA rule revealed that if she played past her March 16 birthday that season, it would be considered an additional year of eligibility. Opting to help Davis in her senior season, the team reached the Elite Eight in the Austin Regional where it fell to Maryland 79–71. The next fall, the state of Texas' top recruit in years,
Sheryl Swoopes
Sheryl Denise Swoopes (born March 25, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed in the WNBA, is a three-time WNBA MVP, and was named one of the league's Top 15 Players of All Time at the 20 ...
arrived on campus, only to leave due to homesickness before classes started. Swoopes would go on to lead Texas Tech to the 1993 NCAA Championship as Final Four MVP and Naismith College Player of the Year. As for Hall, she earned SWC Freshman of the Year honors in 1989–90 and was Texas' leading scorer the next season as Texas managed a 14–2 finish in Southwest Conference play—including a road loss to Arkansas that ended a streak of 132 conference wins. The Longhorns then lost to Texas Tech in the SWC Tournament championship game and made a Round of 48 exit from the NCAA Tournament in a 77–63 home loss to Lamar. Against Missouri State in the opening game of the 1991–92 season, Hall tore her left ACL. Texas finished 11–3 in conference play (Arkansas had departed for the SEC) and again fell to Texas Tech in the SWC Tournament championship game. The Longhorns' opening game in the NCAA Tournament's round of 32 saw them fall to UCLA 72–71.
Facilities
Gregory Gymnasium
Originally built in 1930, Gregory Gymnasium was named after its main advocate and planner,
Thomas Watt Gregory
Thomas Watt Gregory (November 6, 1861February 26, 1933) was an American politician and lawyer. He was a progressive and attorney who served as US Attorney General from 1914 to 1919 under US President Woodrow Wilson.
Early life
Gregory was born ...
. An alumnus of the University, Gregory served on the University's Board of Regents and as
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
(1914–19) before the gym was built. Gregory Gymnasium is located on the UT central campus, a short distance southeast of the
UT Main Building, Tower, and Main Mall and facing west onto Speedway Avenue, the campus's central north–south street.
![Gregory Gym](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Gregory_Gym.jpg)
The Texas women's basketball team played home games in the Gregory Gymnasium annex in the 1972–73 season and then in the Gymnasium itself beginning with the 1973–74 season until moving into the Special Events Center (later renamed the
Frank Erwin Center
The Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center (commonly known as Frank Erwin Center or UT Erwin Center and originally Special Events Center) is an inactive multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It is also ...
) for the 1977–78 season.
Frank Erwin Center
The Texas women's basketball team opened the
Frank Erwin Center
The Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center (commonly known as Frank Erwin Center or UT Erwin Center and originally Special Events Center) is an inactive multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It is also ...
on November 29, 1977 with a 67–64 victory over
Temple College
Temple College is a public community college in Temple, Texas, with regional branch campuses at other locations in Central Texas.
History
Temple Junior College was founded in 1926 to serve post-secondary students in eastern Bell County, Texa ...
.
![Erwin center 2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Erwin_center_2005.jpg)
Built for a total cost of $34 million, the building was named for former UT alumnus and Board of Regents member Frank Erwin.
Originally known as the Special Events Center, the facility was renamed in 1981 to honor Erwin, who had died that year.
The Erwin Center was located at the southeastern corner of the UT central campus and was bounded on the west by Red River Street on the east by
Interstate 35
Interstate 35 (I-35) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route. It stretches from Laredo, Texas, near the Mexican border ...
.
A two-level layout (the lower arena and upper mezzanine) accommodated up to 16,540 spectators for basketball games. UT undertook extensive renovations of the facility from 2001 to 2003 at a cost of $55 million, adding, among other things, new and renovated seating, new video and sound systems, new lighting, and 28 suites. As part of the project, UT constructed the
Denton A. Cooley Pavilion
The Denton A. Cooley Pavilion (or Cooley Pavilion) is the practice and training facility serving the men's and women's basketball teams of The University of Texas at Austin. The facility is named for Dr. Denton A. Cooley, a UT alumnus, basketball ...
, a state-of-the-art practice and training facility that sits adjacent to the Erwin Center.
The master plan released in 2013 for the University's new
Dell Medical School
The Dell Medical School is the graduate medical school of The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. The school opened to the inaugural class of 50 students in the summer of 2016 as the newest of 18 colleges and schools on the UT Austin ...
indicated that the Erwin Center would be demolished in a later phase of construction within 6–15 years. The final basketball season played there was 2021–22, with the
Moody Center
Moody Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in Austin, Texas. The arena, which replaces the Frank Erwin Center, stands on a former parking lot located immediately south of UT's soccer/track and fi ...
opening the following spring.
Denton A. Cooley Pavilion
Built during the final phase of the renovation of the Erwin Center, the
Denton A. Cooley Pavilion
The Denton A. Cooley Pavilion (or Cooley Pavilion) is the practice and training facility serving the men's and women's basketball teams of The University of Texas at Austin. The facility is named for Dr. Denton A. Cooley, a UT alumnus, basketball ...
opened in the fall of 2003.
The two-level, 44,000-square-foot building sits adjacent to the Erwin Center and serves as a state-of-the-art practice and training facility for the Texas men's and women's basketball teams. The Pavilion is named for
Dr. Denton A. Cooley, a UT alumnus, basketball letterman (1939–41), and pioneering heart surgeon.
The Texas men's and women's basketball teams have separate 9,000-square-foot practice court areas, each consisting of one full-court and one half-court practice area with seven basket stations. The practice facility also includes a locker room with a players' lounge, an instructional film theater, a 4,100-square-foot strength and conditioning area, an athletic training and hydrotherapy area, an academic resource and activity center, and a coaches' lounge and locker room.
The Cooley Pavilion will be demolished and replaced during the same phase of construction of the Dell Medical School as the Erwin Center.
Moody Center
The $388 million
Moody Center
Moody Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin (UT) in Austin, Texas. The arena, which replaces the Frank Erwin Center, stands on a former parking lot located immediately south of UT's soccer/track and fi ...
is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Texas. The replacement to the Frank Erwin Center was built on a former parking lot located immediately south of Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium. The arena will seat 10,000+ for most basketball games and expand to 15,000+ seats for large basketball games and other events.
Year-by-year results
Championships
National championships
Conference championships
Postseason
NCAA tournament results
Texas has appeared in the
NCAA tournament on 34 occasions (fourth-most appearances all time).
The Longhorns' overall record in the tournament is 48–32.
NCAA tournament seeding history
The
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
has seeded the Tournament since its inaugural year in
1982
Events January
* January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00).
* January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...
.
[2016–17 Women's Basketball Final Four Records, p. 237] Texas participated in the final
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 1982 rather than the inaugural NCAA Tournament (falling in the AIAW Championship Game to Rutgers, 83–77); the Longhorns began participating in the NCAA Tournament in 1983.
[2016–17 Texas Women's Basketball Fact Book, pp. 124–25] Texas has appeared in 34 of the 39 Tournaments held since 1983.
[2016–17 Women's Basketball Final Four Records, pp. 238–71]
AIAW Division I
The Longhorns made three appearances in the
AIAW National Division I basketball tournament, with a combined record of 6–3.
AP and Coaches Polls
Texas has been ranked in at least one of the final AP or Coaches Polls in 28 seasons since their introduction prior to the 1976–77 and 1985–86 seasons, respectively. The Longhorns have recorded 16 Top 10 finishes and 10 Top Five finishes in one or more of the final polls.
As of March 2, 2017, Texas teams have been ranked in 587 of 822 total weekly AP Polls (71.4%) since the inception of the poll in the 1976–77 season (third all-time in AP Poll appearances),
and in 445 of 687 total weekly Coaches Polls (64.8%) since the inception of the poll in the 1985–86 season.
All-time series records
All-time series records against Big 12 members
Texas women's basketball leads the all-time series against all
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
opponents.
All-time series records against former Big 12 members
Texas women's basketball leads the all-time series against all former
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
opponents. Texas holds a winning record against all former Big 12 members in games played in Big 12 competition.
All-time series records against non-Big 12 former SWC members
Texas leads all series against former
Southwest Conference
The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...
members who are not current members of the Big 12.
Individual honors, awards, and accomplishments
Retired numbers
The Longhorns retired their first number in program history on September 7, 2019.
Kamie Ethridge
Mary Camille "Kamie" Ethridge (born April 21, 1964) is a former American basketball player and current basketball coach. She was an All-American point guard at the University of Texas at Austin and won a gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Sh ...
’s number 33 was officially retired at halftime of a Texas–LSU football game, becoming the first female Longhorn athlete to receive this honor.
Clarissa Davis
Clarissa Davis (born June 4, 1967) is a former Texas women's basketball All-American, who is also known as Clarissa Davis-Wrightsil. She is a National Player of the Year, Olympic and pro standout, and was inducted into Women's Basketball Hall of ...
's number 24 was retired on March 8, 2020, at a
pre-game ceremony
A pre-game ceremony or pre-match ceremony is an on-field ceremony occurring before a sporting event. Such ceremonies may celebrate a past event, honour a retiring athlete, commemorate a deceased athlete, or promote a cause.
Celebrating past event ...
during the Texas-Oklahoma State Women's Basketball game.
Honors, awards, and accomplishments by player
The individual honors, awards, and accomplishments listed in the succeeding subsections are aggregated by player in the following table. Players with only all-conference honors (other than conference player of the year) or lower than first-team All-America honors are not included.
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Four Longhorn women's basketball players have been 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
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 ...
.
National honors and awards (players)
National Player of the Year
Three Texas players have won one or more of the widely recognized National Player of the Year awards on four occasions.
[2016–17 Texas Women's Basketball Fact Book, p. 114]
All-America honors
Eleven Texas basketball players have received
All-America honors on 19 occasions.
Seven Texas players have received first-team All-America honors in 11 seasons, with two Longhorn players having been selected as a first-team All-American twice and one player having been selected three times.
Conference honors and awards (players)
Conference Player of the Year
Five Texas players have won conference player of the year honors on six occasions—all in the Southwest Conference. One Longhorn player has won Big 12 Player of the Year honors, and two players have won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year honors.
[2016–17 Texas Women's Basketball Fact Book, p. 115]
First-team all-conference honors
Twenty-five Texas women's basketball players have received first-team all-conference honors on 48 occasions. Of these 25 players, ten have received first-team all-conference honors in two seasons, five players have received them in three seasons, and one player has received them in all four seasons.
''First-team All-Southwest Conference''
''First-team All-Big 12 Conference''
Freshman Player of the Year
Ten Longhorn freshmen women's basketball players have won conference freshman of the year honors—six players in the Southwest Conference and four players in the Big 12 Conference.
''Southwest Conference Freshman of the Year''
''Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year''
Conference tournament most valuable player
Nine Longhorn women's basketball players have won conference tournament most valuable player honors on 10 occasions.
''Southwest Conference tournament Most Outstanding Player''
''Big 12 Conference tournament Most Valuable Player''
Professional basketball
WNBA Draft history
As of November 4, 2021, 19 Longhorn women's basketball players have been selected in the
WNBA draft since the inaugural draft in 1997. Of these, six were selected in the first round, two were selected in the second round, seven were selected in the third round, and two were selected in the fourth round.
WNBA players
As of the
2020 WNBA season
The 2020 WNBA season was the 24th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Washington Mystics were the defending champions. Planned changes to the league's schedule included an increase from 34 to 36 regular season games f ...
, 22 Texas players have played in the WNBA in league history. Four Longhorn players currently play in the WNBA.
''All-time WNBA players''
''Current WNBA players''
American Basketball League (1996–98) players
Six Longhorn players played in the
ABL.
[2016–17 Texas Women's Basketball Fact Book, p. 118]
''All-time ABL players''
Olympians
Five Longhorn women's basketball players have competed in the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
in women's basketball, with three players winning
gold medal
A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture.
Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...
s and one player winning a
bronze medal
A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...
.
[2016–17 Texas Women's Basketball Fact Book, p. 119] Longhorn alumna Nell Fortner was head coach of gold medal-winning United States teams in 1996 and 2000. Former Longhorn coach Gail Goestenkors was an assistant coach for the United States team that won a gold medal in 2008.
Coaching honors and awards
Hall of Fame inductions
In October 1998, Jody Conradt became the second women's basketball coach to be inducted into the
Naismith Memorial 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 pres ...
in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
. Conradt was also a member of the inaugural class elected to 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
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 ...
in June 1999.
National Coach of the Year honors
Conradt won the
WBCA National Coach of the Year Award
The United States Marine Corps/WBCA National Coach of the Year is an award given by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association to best women's basketball Head Coaches in college and high schools since 1983. From 2014, the award is named "The Pat ...
following her 1984 season at Texas, in which her team posted a 32–3 overall record and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, and following the 1986 season, in which her team finished undefeated and won the NCAA championship.
[NCAA Women's College Basketball Awards (2016–17), p. 17]
Conference Coach of the Year honors
Jody Conradt was recognized as the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year for the 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1996 seasons and as the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year for the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Karen Aston was named Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in 2017.
See also
*
1986 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament
*
Texas Longhorns men's basketball
The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I College basketball, intercollegiate men's basketball. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference.
The University of Texas be ...
Notes
References
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External links
*
{{1986 Texas Longhorns women's basketball navbox