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 Dukes, who are in the hunt for an Atlantic 10 Championship double bye, began the week in a . And unlike Pat Summitt and Geno Auriemma's teams, which have dominated the women's basketball landscape in an age of growing fan interest and TV coverage, coach Cathy Rush and her Mighty Macs built title winners out of grit and determination alone. 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. IMMACULATA, PA. 19345, Phone1-610-647-4400 Some of her star players went on to become successful womens college basketball coaches. Cathy Rush, her Mighty Macs championship-winning squads, and a few individual Mighty Macs players who also found basketball coaching success have been enshrined in Basketball Hall of Fame organizations in the United States. 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. The power points calculation has not been generated yet. Theresa (Shank) Grentz (b. The Mighty Macs continued their dominance, reaching the Final Four in . We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here. Sixteen teams participated. I was a senior at Immaculata in 1972 and winning the championship that year is something I will never forget. "They hate being called the pioneers of women's basketball, so I like to call them catalysts. 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. She didn't completely give up basketball, though, beginning a Future Stars camp that she still is involved in. However, the Mighty Macs continued to be remembered. : O God of Players: The Story of the Immaculata Mighty Macs. 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. (); : Their Cinderella story was made into a Hollywood movie, The Mighty Macs. 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. Though her team has no gym and no uniforms -- and the school itself is in danger of being sold -- Coach Rush looks to steer her girls to their first national championship. Hall of Fame coach Cathy Rush underpaid, underappreciated, and just a few years older than her players built the first dynasty in womens college basketball on the campus of a small suburban school that lacked a homecourt, athletic scholarships, and even the most basic of equipment. In 1972, the Immaculata Women's Basketball program faced financial struggles that almost kept the team from competing in the AIAW national tournament in Illinois. Several players continued their love of the game by becoming high-profile professional and collegiate coaches making their mark from the sidelines. In the championship game against old nemesis West Chester (which had sent its third team to play the Macs during the regular season), Immaculata rose to the occasion and avenged the 32-point regional loss a week earlier with a 52-48 victory. [3][4][5][6] . The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1. 1145 W KING ROAD [1][2] The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national champions for those years. Immaculata's 1972 women's NCAA championship team honored in Harrisburg HARRISBURG - The legendary Might Macs women's basketball team at Immaculata University was honored in the state Capitol on Monday, a week shy of the 40th anniversary of their historic national championship victory. The following season the Mighty Macs went undefeated. 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. The women had to sell toothbrushes to fund their trip to Illinois for the first womens national collegiate championship tournament. 1954) led Old Dominion University to the AIAW championship in 1979 and 1980 and to the NCAA Womens Division I Basketball Championship in 1985. The legendary Mighty Macs demonstrated a dominance rarely seen in any sport, either womens or mens, becoming true heroes of intercollegiate athletics. The team won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. The team won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. Theresa Grentz was a Mighty Macs player who was part of all three Immaculata AIAW championship squads. The Immaculata Mighty Macs played a huge part in the evolution of womens sports since the 1970s. 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. For more information about the 50th anniversary event or to interview any of the Mighty Mac players, email lszyjka@immaculata.edu. This team from a small, Catholic women's college outside Philadelphia garnered national recognition for women's basketball and women's collegiate sports. The 1975 and 1976 teams also reached the finals, losing to Delta State University in Mississippi both years. The players crowded four to a room and washed their wool uniforms in hotel sinks. "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. Other players became doctors, teachers, philanthropists, or businesswomen. And that it happened at Immaculata University, which supported these students on the court and in the classroom, is beyond amazing, states President Barbara Lettiere 72. Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the games elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. The Mighty Macs were forced to work out at local grade schools and play all their games on the road. The highlight during the early years was defeating the Temple Owlettes in 1946, winning the unofficial City Championship and handing Temple its first defeat in four years. I was really happy being a mom.". 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?) Duquesne (19-10, 9-7), which saw its four-game home win streak snapped in a 71-67 Senior Day defeat at the hands of Davidson on Sunday, plays its final regular season home game vs. Massachusetts (14-14, 5-11) on Wednesday, Mar. But no film can quite capture what an underdog that team was. The coach and her team repeated their winning ways in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. To think that 11 young women and their equally young coach raised the profile and changed the perception of womens sports is amazing. After that victory, the Immaculata team returned to the AIAW finals for the second year in a row. 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. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Yet after she resigned in 1976 from the 500-student school, the Hall of Famer never coached again. 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. The school was part of the first women's game at Madison Square Garden. Isabela Bloomquist had a hat trick by the end of the opening quarter as she netted a career-high seven goals to lead the Garnet. "So many things have changed, per diems, strength coaches, academic advisers, your own jet for travel. Those schools were going to attract the better players. Copyright 2023 American Community Journals, LLC |, Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. She won an eye-popping 91 percent (149-15) of her games over her tenure at Immaculata, including coaching the first undefeated national champion in 1973. Another Mighty Macs championship-winning player, Marianne Crawford Stanley, also went on to coach NCAA womens basketball and professional basketball for the Womens National Basketball Association. Led by three-time All-America Theresa Shank and two-time All-America Marianne Crawford, the Macs featured a balanced attack that also featured players like Mary Scharff, Rene Muth, and Judy Marra. The Macs opened championship play with a 60-47 victory over South Dakota State, survived a second-round scare to defeat Indiana State 49-47, and then held off defending national titlist Mississippi State College for Women, the top seed in the 16-team field, 46-43. 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. They won their first three games, then defeated archrival West Chester for the national championships. In the early 70s, Cathy Rush becomes the head basketball coach at a tiny, all-girls Catholic college. 1972: Immaculata: 52-48 West Chester State: Normal . It's hard for them to miss it with the championship trophies and banners on display around the gym. ofGreaterPhiladelphia. In 2001, Theresa Grentz was inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame. The winners of those regional championships automatically proceeded to the National tournament, then a selection committee chose additional teams based upon considerations for individual team performance and geographical balance. Rush could have made a move to a bigger program, and her coaching credentials remain unparalleled. 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. This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. The following season the Mighty Macs went undefeated. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame Museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." 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. 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). 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. 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 From 1972 to 1977, the Rush-led Macs appeared in six straight AIAW Final Fours. The mural pays homage to Philadelphia championship winners from multiple sports, and this detail from the mural shows a Mighty Macs player, representing the three AIAW Basketball championships won by Immaculata College (now Immaculata University) between 1972 and 1974. Other players became doctors, teachers, philanthropists, or businesswomen. 1145 W KING ROAD Karen Guentheris Professor of History at Mansfield University and author of Sports in Pennsylvania (2007), published by the Pennsylvania Historical Association. Boxscore Women's Basketball at Trine University March 4, 2022 7:00 P.M. Women's Basketball // W 70 - 57. Players trained by running to gain endurance, and during the 1971-72 season the training paid off. 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. 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. [3] [4] [5] [6] History [ edit] Pre-NCAA statistics, based on AIAW Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.[8]. HARRISBURG - The legendary Might Macs women's basketball team at Immaculata University was honored in the state Capitol on Monday, a week shy of the 40th anniversary of their historic national championship victory. Immaculata shocked the world of college sports, and the rest is history!. 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. West Chester University of Pennsylvania. 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. 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. In addition, the Mighty Macs participated in the first televised womens college basketball game, defeating the University of Maryland on January 27, 1975. Their achievements are recognized by many in this Mighty Mac Tribute Video. 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. "We still have such great support of the women's basketball program from the sisters," Canterino said. Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy, TheEncyclopedia 2022-2023 Immaculata Boys Lacrosse Power Points. Her stint at the small Catholic school for women lasted only seven seasons, but her footprint on the game of women's basketball is still evident today. 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. I didn't see that.". IMMACULATA, PA. 19345, Phone1-610-647-4400 The Immaculata Mighty Macs played a huge part in the evolution of womens sports since the 1970s. To raise money, players sold toothbrushes. The sport's governing body back then was the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW), and there were no divisions. Follow Backgrounders on Twitter In the early 1970s, the Mighty Macs of Immaculata College ushered in the modern era of womens athletics. There were fewer close calls in the Macs 1973 AIAW championship run. The film focuses on their rise to prominence and their struggles as underdogs in womens basketball. ft. of basketball history. In the finals, the Mighty Macs had another close game with West Chester University, winning 52-48. "I was 25 at the time and thought they were so wrong, but they were so right," she said. 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. Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. Rush also was an innovator in marketing the game. "These women were trailblazers," said Rep. Duane Milne (R., Chester), who sponsored a House resolution commemorating the team. 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. Nothing about Immaculata College basketball was normal after Normal. Find out what an IU education can do for your mind, your character and your future. 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]. Director Tim Chambers Writers Tim Chambers (screenplay) 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. We didn't have any of that.". "My original plan was to take a year off and then I'd go back the following year and go someplace else. Once money played a major role in women's sports, the champs of women's basketball suddenly couldn't compete. 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. City of Champions is the title of a mural painted in 2015 on the side of Spikes Trophies at 2701 Grant Avenue in Philadelphia. "They were a team that was way ahead of their time. Although the last AIAW champion was decided 18 years ago, the league played. They lost in the finals of the Colonial States Athletic Conference tournament. Immaculata couldn't afford to send everyone -- despite fundraising with toothbrush sales and raffles, so three players were left behind. 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. "We were so disappointed last year because we were so close," current Immaculata coach and athletic director Patricia Canterino said. During March 14-20, the entire campus community will celebrate the Mighty Macs with various events and displays depicting the teams achievements. By Randall S. Shantz (Originally published in 1997). Congratulations to Immaculata Universitys Mighty Macs on their 50th anniversary of the first womens national basketball championship on March 19, 1972. Now over 250 games are broadcast on the ESPN networks, including the last 16 national championship games. Thats Normal, in Illinois, home of Illinois State University, site of the 1972 national basketball championships. "It was Camelot, I don't know that it will ever happen again the way it happened," said Grentz, who became a successful college coach at Rutgers and Illinois. "They elevated women's sports to a whole new level.". This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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). Even then, only eight of the 11 players could go, flying standby. Open Tuesday - Sunday 10am - 4pm, Closed Monday, The Basketball Hall of Fame All-America Team, The Mannie Jackson - Basketball Human Spirit Award(s), AIAW National Championships (1972, 1973, 1974), Games won in three seasons, losing only two times, The Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement Award, The John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, Glenn Roberts and The Genesis of The Jump Shot, Wayland Baptist Flying Queens of 1948-1982, Basketball Hall of Fame Golf Classic at Monarch Beach Golf Links Hosted by Jerry West, MGM Springfield Hall of Fame Golf Classic, 2016 Karl Malone Award Watch List Narrowed to Ten Finalists, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Names Steiner Sports as Licensing Agent, Schedule and Match-Ups Announced for Boca Raton Beach Classic. The team won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. In 2014, the Mighty Macs were inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Mighty Macs, as a 15th-seed, upset three teams to reach the finals in Illinois. 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. [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. 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. The Mighty Macs championship teams legacy has not gone unnoticed in the world of sports. Immaculata shocked the world of college sports, and the rest is history!. [1] [2] The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national champions for those years. California residents do not sell my data request. After drawing over 4,000 fans for a Monday afternoon game, she thought about charging admission in order to raise money for the program. For more information about the 50th anniversary event or to interview any of the opening quarter as she a. Of intercollegiate athletics go back the following year and go someplace else game with West State... Immaculata: 52-48 West Chester University, winning 52-48 about Immaculata college basketball.. Of Illinois State University in Mississippi both years to sell toothbrushes to their... Best experience possible while you are here the title of a mural painted 2015. 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