Lucy Harris was not only the first Honda Cup winner in The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program back in 1976 but held many other firsts. She was the first woman to play in Madison Square Garden; the first woman to be officially drafted by a NBA team;
the first woman to be on national television broadcast; the first woman (along with Nera White) to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame; the first woman to score points in the Montreal Olympics, and in the inaugural Class of inductees in Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.

As the tenth of eleven children, Lucy had to learn how to play basketball in order to keep up with the family games growing up. She recalls going to Delta State University on academic and work study support before they had scholarships. Within years she became the most dominating ‘center’ in the nation. Some may remember the 30 points and 18 rebounds in a championship which upended the champions Immaculate University while Lucy remembers that she only wanted to do the best she could on the court and make the coaches and team proud. However, it was her team that went on to win three national championships

Lucy talks about coming from a small town and being impressed by her first trip to New York City. She reflects about her wins and the making of a championship. She shares her role models, and compares her two legendary coaches, Margaret Wade
from Delta State and Billie Moore from the Olympics as well as the collegiate and the Olympic game while crediting two of the CWSA sisterhood, Annie Meyers and Nancy Lieberman, as well as Pat Head (Summitt) with bringing great competitiveness to
the games. Lucy admits that the NBA draft, from her perspective, was a PR stunt. She shares the life lessons she learned through basketball and is most grateful that women’s sports are being showcased. And finally, Lucy reflects upon the challenges of being wheelchair bound because of hereditary rheumatoid arthritis and revels in the accomplishments of her four children. Among them is a lawyer, a masters degree teacher, a PhD, and a supervisor of the Louisiana State Dept of Education.

Host: Chris Voelz
A co-production with the CWSA

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