Marian Washington Joins Basketball Hall of Fame

August 17, 2026

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Editor Note: Once again, the tip comes from a neighbor, Theo Helms: “… my good friend and neighbor, Marian Washington, just got inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield Illinois. Marian was a pioneer in college women’s basketball as the coach of the Kansas Jay Hawks. She also coached in the Olympics. She authored “Fierce”, a book about her life and struggles as a black coach in a man’s world. She coached the previous college women’s basketball scoring record holder, Lynette Woodard.

Just back from a weekend as red carpet royalty, striding the stage at the Naismith Memorial Basketball’s Hall of Fame, our neighbor Marian Washington said she was just beginning to relax. But not quite.

“Some of the people around here are beginning to realize what a big deal this is, and are coming out to congratulate me”, she said Monday morning, referring to her Marsh Creek neighbors.

Marian’s “Big” really underplays what in the world of sports, and basketball in particular, is the crowning achievement of a lifetime.

Washington made history as the first female African American coach on a U.S. Olympic basketball coaching staff. And she reminded the Spoonbill Courier that her team, the US Olympic team in ’96, won 8 games and lost none. And the winning margins were by no LESS than 30 points. Moreover, the teams track record was 52-0 even before arriving in Atlanta.

Washington first made her mark at the University of Kansas. Spanning 31 seasons from 1973-2004. Washington’s teams finished with a 560-363 record and she remains the winningest coach in Kansas women’s basketball history, according to WIBW in Lawrence, Kansas.

Marian Washington (L), with her daughter Josie and son-in-law, Morris.

So, on Saturday, after walking the red carpet at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, and with eleven-time NBA All Star Allen Iverson and hundreds more watching, Marian Washington joined the elite of the world of US basketball, and came home with not just another trophy and ring, but with the recognition of a lifetime achievement.