Even then, only eight of the 11 players could go, flying standby. Rosemont College. Immaculata experienced its initial taste of athletic victory in 1946 when an unwavering group of early Macs defeated the Temple Women's Basketball team to win the Mythical City Championship of Philadelphia. The 1972 Immaculata women's basketball team. Jan 13 (Sat) W, 63-57. [3][4][5][6] . Now, 40 years after its incredible run started, Immaculata's story has been made into a movie ("The Mighty Macs") that will open nationally Friday. The AIAW was formed in 1972 and ran through 1982, when the first NCAA Tournament was held for women's basketball. Rush rattled off a Who's Who of college coaches who have worked at her camp, including Auriemma. On Sunday, March 19, 1972, Immaculata University's women's basketball team etched its name into sports history as the first women's college basketball national champions. Copyright 2023 Immaculata University | 1145 King Road, Immaculata, PA 19345, Immaculata University is a Catholic, comprehensive, coeducational institution founded by the Sisters, Servants, and Immaculate Heart of Mary. The women had to sell toothbrushes to fund their trip to Illinois for the first womens national collegiate championship tournament. Such is the case with the saga of coach Cathy Rush and her Immaculata teams that won the 1972, '73 and '74 AIAW championships in the early days of women's collegiate basketball. Other players became doctors, teachers, philanthropists, or businesswomen. 1145 W KING ROAD SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Swarthmore College women's lacrosse team remained perfect on the season with a lopsided victory over Immaculata University, 19-3, on Wednesday night. "That sized college wasn't going to continue to be successful against UCLA, Texas or whomever. Rush could have made a move to a bigger program, and her coaching credentials remain unparalleled. The Basketball Hall of Fame makes no representation concerning, and is not responsible for the quality, content, accessibility, nature or reliability of any hyperlinked site. Members of Immaculata Universitys three national championship womens basketball teams reunited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first national title, won on Sunday, March 19, 1972. Pre-NCAA statistics, based on AIAW Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.[8]. The official box score of Basketball vs Immaculata on 11/15/2022 Theresa (Shank) Grentz (b. [3][4][5][6], The AIAW tournament was discontinued after the NCAA began sponsoring a women's collegiate basketball tournament in 1982. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame located in Springfield Massachusetts honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball Their achievements are recognized by many in this Mighty Mac Tribute Video. "If we could do it, they can do it.". On Sunday, March 19, 1972, Immaculata Universitys womens basketball team etched its name into sports history as the first womens college basketball national champions. Sixteen teams were invited to the tournament following qualifying rounds played on college campuses (except 24 teams were invited for the 1980 and 1981 tournaments). Follow Backgrounders on Twitter The current Mighty Macs also honor Rush every year when they wear pink jerseys with her name on the back in their annual Pink Zone game in February. 1972: Immaculata: 52-48 West Chester State: Normal . Lentowski and Mullins Named to All-Conference Second Team, Women's Basketball Drops Semifinal Match Up at Marymount, Women's Basketball Set to Visit Marymount for Atlantic East Semifinals, Fourth Quarter Surge Leads Mighty Macs to Quarterfinal Win over Neumann, Women's Basketball Set to Host Neumann in Atlantic East Quarterfinals. The sport's governing body back then was the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), and there were no divisions. The Mighty Macs and their legendary coach, Cathy Rush, will celebrate this milestone with members of the campus community, the current womens basketball team and Tim Chambers, director of The Mighty Macs movie. In the early 1970s, the Mighty Macs of Immaculata College ushered in the modern era of womens athletics. "I was 25 at the time and thought they were so wrong, but they were so right," she said. Wire index, Bulls, Catchings win Sports Humanitarian awards, UNC hires ex-player, coach Crawley as assistant, Docs: Johnson seeks spousal support from Griner, Team USA tops Canada for women's hoops gold, Summitt saluted by Vols family at charity event. To honor the 50th anniversary of that first championship, Immaculata is recognizing members of all three national championship teams during a campus celebration on Friday, March 18 from 12-3 PM. PHILADELPHIA -- Long before Tennessee and Connecticut, Immaculata College was the original women's basketball dynasty. Ten of the sixteen teams were the winners of regional tournaments. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Rush was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 7, 2008. Without them I probably wouldn't have had a chance to play.". Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level. Directed by Tim Chambers. In the early 70s, Cathy Rush becomes the head basketball coach at a tiny, all-girls Catholic college. (Author information current at time of publication.). They won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. They defeated South Dakota State University (60-47), Indiana State University (49-46), Mississippi State School for Women (46-43), and regional rival West Chester University (52-48). On Sunday, March 19, 1972, Immaculata University's women's basketball team etched its name into sports history as the first women's college basketball national champions. Rush was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and her 1972-1974 teams followed suit by being inducted in 2014. And that it happened at Immaculata University, which supported these students on the court and in the classroom, is beyond amazing, said Immaculata President Barbara Lettiere. Sister Mary of Lourdes (1915-2005), the college president, persuaded each of the trustees to pay for plane fare for one player. The Mighty Macs continued their dominance, reaching the Final Four in the following three seasons, placing second in 1975 and 1976, and fourth in 1977. The team won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. Find out what an IU education can do for your mind, your character and your future. Among them, Marianne (Crawford) Stanley (b. Theresa Grentz was a Mighty Macs player who was part of all three Immaculata AIAW championship squads. Mississippi-Women** Northern Illinois Phillips (OK) Queens College Stanley was inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. Immaculata shocked the world of college sports, and the rest is history!. Inquirer Published Mar 13, 2012 Published March 13, 2012 To think that 11 young women and their equally young coach raised the profile and changed the perception of womens sports is amazing. (In 1982, both the AIAW and NCAA sponsored competing tournaments.) The coach and her team repeated their winning ways in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. The film focuses on their rise to prominence and their struggles as underdogs in womens basketball. Immaculatas opponent was Queens College of New York, which they defeated 59-52, earning the team its second championship in a row, and Cathy Rushs second championship as Immaculata head coach. Rush (2000), Grentz (2001), and Stanley (2002) have also been inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame. This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. "They hate being called the pioneers of women's basketball, so I like to call them catalysts. After the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW) experimented with full-court basketball during the 1969-70 and 1970-71 seasons, womens college basketball officially changed in 1971 with the formation of the AIAW, and the game transitioned from the half-court game (three players on each side) to the full-court game with five players on the court. Immaculata Mighty Macs Just under an hour away from Tip-off here on the campus of Marymount University for the Atlantic East Conference Women's Basketball Semifinals. To raise money, players sold toothbrushes. "Immaculata is the only school adversely affected by Title IX," Rush said laughing. Named PA Superintendent of the Year. Copyright 2023 American Community Journals, LLC |, Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. 1972-bracket 1972 Tournament AIAW National Tournament Consolation Winner: Queens College Consolation Runner-up: California State-Long Beach 16 teams California State-Fullerton California State-Long Beach* Illinois State Immaculata Indiana (or Indiana State?) They defeated South Dakota State University (60-47), Indiana State University (49-46), Mississippi State School for Women (46-43), and finally regional rival West Chester University, 52-48. Copyright 2023 American Community Journals, LLC |, Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1, making 70% of their free throws. To honor the 50th anniversary of that first championship, Immaculata is recognizing members of all three national championship teams during a campus celebration on Friday, March 18 from 12-3 PM. Angela Johnson Anne Hurley Bev Barnes Beverley Bland Carol Turney Chris Critelli Coleen Dufresne Donna Hobin Joanne Sargent Joyce Douthwright Sheila Strike Sylvia Sweeney Head Coach: Brian Heaney Czechoslovakia [ edit] The following players represented Czechoslovakia: [4] Boena Miklooviov Dana Ptkov Hana Douov Ivana Koinkov While all attempts are made to ensure the correctness and suitability of information under our control and to correct any errors brought to our attention, no representation or guarantee can be made as to the accessibility, correctness or suitability of information provided by any hyperlinked site or any other linked information accessed through the Basketball Hall of Fame website but not under its control. The Dukes, who are in the hunt for an Atlantic 10 Championship double bye, began the week in a . Ultimately the school raised enough to send eight out of twelve players to the tournament. The feature-length Mighty Macs, directed by Tim Chambers, was initially shown at the Heartland film festival in 2009 and officially released in 2011. Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram, Like The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Facebook, Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, The Mighty Macs (Trailer via Youtube, April 3, 2014), Mighty Macs Naismith Hall of Fame/ Macs Memories (Immaculata.edu), Cathy Rush gets call from the Hall archived story (Gomightymacs.com). The Immaculata Mighty Macs played a huge part in the evolution of womens sports since the 1970s. Rush and her Mighty Macs paved the way for the great teams to follow, winning the next two titles and appearing in five of the first six championship games. Follow Doug Feinberg at http://twitter.com/dougfeinberg. Director Tim Chambers Writers Tim Chambers (screenplay) The 1972 victory is now a landmark moment in the history of college sports: the Mighty Macs were an underdog team from a small womens college in suburban Philadelphia with a gym that burned to the ground years before. Jan 25 (Thu) W, 72-24. And that it happened at Immaculata University, which supported these students on the court and in the classroom, is beyond amazing, said Immaculata President Barbara Lettiere. Large and small schools from across the country were bunched. The women had to sell toothbrushes to fund their trip to Illinois for the first womens national collegiate championship tournament. The Mighty Macs honor role includes Head Coach Cathy Rush and players Janet Ruch Boltz, Denise Conway Crawford, Janet Young Eline, Theresa Shank Grentz, Nancy Johnston, Barbara Deuble Kelly, Tina Krah, Patricia Mulhern Loughran, Judy Marra Martelli, Maureen Mooney, Sue Forsyth OGrady, Patricia Opila, Rene Muth Portland, Betty Ann Hoffman Quinn, Mary Scharff, Marianne Crawford Stanley, Maureen Stuhlman and Marie Liguori Williams. The Immaculata Mighty Macs played a huge part in the evolution of womens sports since the 1970s. Once money played a major role in women's sports, the champs of women's basketball suddenly couldn't compete. "They won against the odds, and that is what we are celebrating here today," said Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D., Chester), sponsor of a Senate proclamation recognizing the team's achievements. But Sister Mary of Lourdes, the Immaculata president, organized fund-raising efforts for the Mighty Macs womens basketball team so that players could be flown to Illinois. In 1972 Immaculata University was a small women's college in suburban Philadelphia, whose gym burned to. Each game was close, as Immaculata won two of its first three games by a three-point margin and defeated Indiana University by a single basket. NCAA women's college basketball tournaments, NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament, NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament, Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, Major women's sport leagues in North America, "Women's College Basketball Championship History Page", "Women's Basketball Hall of Fame: Historical Timeline", "Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame: Cathy Rush Biography", "Pre-NCAA Statistical Leaders and AIAW Results", NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=AIAW_women%27s_basketball_tournament&oldid=1115128290, 1982 disestablishments in the United States, College women's basketball competitions in the United States, Postseason college basketball competitions in the United States, Recurring sporting events established in 1972, Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1982, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 9 October 2022, at 23:29. "So many things have changed, per diems, strength coaches, academic advisers, your own jet for travel. Ultimately, they raised enough money to fly eight players (out of twelve) and one coach on standby to the tournament. The country had nine regions, but the Eastern regional was subdivided in a Region 1A and a Region 1B. "We had a whole collection of basketballs emblazoned with other school's names," Grentz recalled, laughing. The players crowded four to a room and washed their wool uniforms in hotel sinks. The Mighty Macs continued their dominance, reaching the Final Four in the following three seasons, placing second in 1975 and 1976 and fourth in 1977. At Immaculata, Coach Cathy Rush (b. Katie Hayek, who stars in the movie portraying a character based on Immaculata star Theresa Shank Grentz, admitted with a sheepish smile that she didn't know much about the story before taking the role. Members of the Mighty Macs 1972 championship team in attendance on Monday included Sue Forsyth O'Grady, Denise Conway Crawford, Theresa Shank Grentz, Betty Ann Hoffman Quinn, Judy Marra Martelli, Janet Young Eline and Patricia Mulhern Loughran. By Randall S. Shantz (Originally published in 1997). A Century of Philadelphia Sports. In 2001, Theresa Grentz was inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame. 1952) coached Rutgers to the 1981 AIAW national championship, and Rene (Muth) Portland (1953-2018) coached for twenty-seven seasons at Penn State University. The underdog team, led by Hall of Fame coach Cathy Rush, went on to win national championships in 1973 and 1974, a story retold in the 2011 film The Mighty Macs. Stay tuned for live updates to follow. And then, in the blink of an eye, they vanished from the national scene -- a casualty of Title IX, which required colleges to offer women athletic scholarships. "These women were trailblazers," said Rep. Duane Milne (R., Chester), who sponsored a House resolution commemorating the team. Congratulations to Immaculata Universitys Mighty Macs on their 50th anniversary of the first womens national basketball championship on March 19, 1972. First National Women's Collegiate Basketball Championship (March 19, 1972) - AIAW First to win three consecutive national titles (AIAW: 1972, 1973, 1974); placed 2nd in 1975 and 1976 and 4th in 1977 First women's team, with the University of Maryland, to appear on national TV (January of 1975) The following season the Mighty Macs went undefeated. The AIAW tournament was preceded by a tournament sponsored by the Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (CIAW), which was held from 1969 to 1971.[1]. In their third game, the Macs had a tougher time against Southern Connecticut State University, but won 47-45. The Mighty Macs. Their Cinderella story was made into a Hollywood movie, The Mighty Macs. They handily defeated their first two opponents, Indiana State (59-48) and Western Washington (66-53,) by more than ten points. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. IMMACULATA, PA. 19345, Phone1-610-647-4400 But Sister Mary of Lourdes, the Immaculata president, organized fund-raising efforts for the "Mighty Macs" women's basketball team so that players could be flown to Illinois. After that victory, the Immaculata team returned to the AIAW finals for the second year in a row. Grounded in IHM tradition and charism since 1920. Those schools were going to attract the better players. They lost in the finals of the Colonial States Athletic Conference tournament. They left and then added to the game and that to me is an incredible legacy for them.". In the spring of 1972, still a few months before the passage of Title IX, Immaculata College won the first of three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national championships. The Mighty Macs continued their dominance, reaching the Final Four in the following three seasons, placing second in 1975 and 1976 and fourth in 1977. The team won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. [1][2][3][4], 1972 AIAW National Basketball Championship, Last edited on 14 November 2022, at 02:37, Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, "Women's College Basketball Championship History Page", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1972_AIAW_National_Basketball_Championship&oldid=1121776076, *Losers in the first round continued in the consolation bracket (below), This page was last edited on 14 November 2022, at 02:37. In addition, the Mighty Macs participated in the first televised womens college basketball game, defeating the University of Maryland on January 27, 1975. The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1. The adventures of the first championship team were loosely portrayed in the award-winning feature film The Mighty Macs (2009). Immaculata shocked the world of college sports, and the rest is history!. Chestnut Hill College. #GoMacs @IUMightyMacs Men's Basketball Ready for the Atlantic East Semifinals at Marymount https://t.co/UYqfKnQe6h @IUMightyMacs GAMEDAY! Nothing about Immaculata College basketball was normal after Normal. Dr. Frank Breen and his wife, Judith, traveled with the Mighty Macs and filmed the first womens game ever played at Madison Square Garden, a 65 61 victory for the Macs over Queens College played before 12,000 fans. Coach Cathy Rush was the head womens basketball coach at Immaculata from 1970-1977. History. Yet despite those and many other hardships, the 23-year-old Rush coached her team to a spot in the first-ever women's national college tournament in 1972. As a small private liberal arts college, Immaculata did not have a recruiting budget or athletic scholarships, and its starters carpooled to campus for morning practices. The Mighty Macs continued their dominance, reaching the Final Four in . [1][2] The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national champions for those years. The 1972 Immaculata women's basketball team. "Immaculata was the founding fathers of what college basketball is today," Auriemma said. (). Thats Normal, in Illinois, home of Illinois State University, site of the 1972 national basketball championships. The implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the subsequent inclusion of womens sports in the NCAA spelled the end of the Mighty Macs dominance, as they did not have the financial resources to offer athletic scholarships to team members as their competitors did. "It would have been huge for us.". However, the Mighty Macs continued to be remembered. In the spring of 1972, still a few months before the passage of Title IX, Immaculata College won the first of three consecutive Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women national championships. But no film can quite capture what an underdog that team was. 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. She didn't completely give up basketball, though, beginning a Future Stars camp that she still is involved in. The Mighty Macs took the basketball world by stormwinning the next two national championships as well. Even at less than full strength, Immaculata won the title, upsetting West Chester -- which had beaten the Mighty Macs by 32 points a week earlier. On Sunday, March 19, 1972, Immaculata Universitys womens basketball team etched its name into sports history as the first womens college basketball national champions. Financial Aid, MapIMMACULATA UNIVERSITY Grounded in IHM tradition and charism since 1920. They won their first three games, then defeated archrival West Chester for the national championships. In 1972, the Immaculata Womens Basketball program faced financial struggles that almost kept the team from competing in the AIAW national tournament in Illinois. Forty years ago this month, the women's basketball team of Immaculata College, as it was known then, won the first women's national basketball championship and won it again in 1973 and 1974. "They still come to the game and sit in that same section right by the door as you come in.". Sixteen teams participated. The host site was Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. : The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1. Ihm tradition and charism since 1920 regions, but they were so right, '' Grentz recalled, laughing Who... National collegiate championship tournament UCLA, Texas or whomever we could do it they. 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