City of Champions is the title of a mural painted in 2015 on the side of Spikes Trophies at 2701 Grant Avenue in Philadelphia. Among them, Marianne (Crawford) Stanley (b. 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. Rosemont College. Coach Cathy Rush was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and the 1972-1974 national championship teams were inducted in 2014. I was a senior at Immaculata in 1972 and winning the championship that year is something I will never forget. 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. Follow Backgrounders on Twitter OR call toll-free: 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 Immaculata University was a small women's college in suburban Philadelphia, whose gym burned to. "My original plan was to take a year off and then I'd go back the following year and go someplace else. Those schools were going to attract the better players. Although the last AIAW champion was decided 18 years ago, the league played. The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1. For more information about the 50th-anniversary event, e-mail [email protected]. Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs by visiting https://www.immaculata.edu/about/history/championship-mighty-macs/. The Hall of Fame has more than 400 inductees and 40,000 sq. Copyright 2023 American Community Journals, LLC |, Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. 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. 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. It didn't even have a home court to practice on after the gym burned down before Rush's first year in 1971. The success of the Mighty Macs built upon a tradition of basketball at Immaculata that began in 1939 and drew skilled Philadelphia area female basketball players to its all-womens campus. by Lydia Szyjka | February 9th, 2022 | Campus News. Rush was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on April 7, 2008. West Chester University of Pennsylvania. Find out what an IU education can do for your mind, your character and your future. Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy, TheEncyclopedia In 1972, the Immaculata Womens Basketball program faced financial struggles that almost kept the team from competing in the AIAW national tournament in Illinois. "They hate being called the pioneers of women's basketball, so I like to call them catalysts. The 1972 Immaculata women's basketball team. Follow Doug Feinberg at http://twitter.com/dougfeinberg. But no film can quite capture what an underdog that team was. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame located in Springfield Massachusetts honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball Coach Cathy Rush was the head womens basketball coach at Immaculata from 1970-1977. The 1973 team went undefeated, beating Queens College in the finals, and the 1974 team defeated Mississippi State College for Women in the finals. 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. 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. IMMACULATA, PA. 19345, Phone1-610-647-4400 The coach and her team repeated their winning ways in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. 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. (); : Some of her star players went on to become successful womens college basketball coaches. [3][4][5][6] . The Mighty Macs' rise to national champions was a true David-versus-Goliath story. Sixteen teams participated. The 1972 AIAW women's basketball tournament was held on March 1619, 1972. 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. Nothing about Immaculata College basketball was normal after Normal. 1972: Immaculata: 52-48 West Chester State: Normal . The code in each cell represents the furthest the team made it in the respective tournament: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. We didn't have any of that.". The 1972 Immaculata women's basketball team. Immaculata couldn't afford to send everyone -- despite fundraising with toothbrush sales and raffles, so three players were left behind. 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. Degrees & Programs [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. Boxscore Women's Basketball at Trine University March 4, 2022 7:00 P.M. Women's Basketball // W 70 - 57. During March 14-20, the entire campus community will celebrate the Mighty Macs with various events and displays depicting the teams achievements. 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 school was part of the first women's game at Madison Square Garden. 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. 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?) : Rush was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and her 1972-1974 teams followed suit by being inducted in 2014. [1] [2] [3] [4] Their Cinderella story was made into a Hollywood movie, The Mighty Macs. Several players continued their love of the game by becoming high-profile professional and collegiate coachesmaking their mark from the sidelines. 1947), a graduate of West Chester State College (later West Chester University), implemented strategies used in the mens game. O God of Players: The Story of the Immaculata Mighty Macs. 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. To think that 11 young women and their equally young coach raised the profile and changed the perception of womens sports is amazing. 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. The Mighty Macs winning history has also reached the silver screen. From 1972 to 1977, the Rush-led Macs appeared in six straight AIAW Final Fours. 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. (). The 1972 AIAW women's basketball tournament was held on March 16-19, 1972. Even then, only eight of the 11 players could go, flying standby. The Immaculata Mighty Macs played a huge part in the evolution of womens sports since the 1970s. 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 1972 victory is now embedded in the history of college sports: the Mighty Macs were an underdog team from a small womens college in suburban Philadelphia, whose gym burned to the ground years before. It never did happen. MapIMMACULATA UNIVERSITY 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. The film focuses on their rise to prominence and their struggles as underdogs in womens basketball. However, the Mighty Macs continued to be remembered. 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. Even then, only eight of the 11 players could go, flying standby. Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. The 1972 Immaculata women's basketball team. 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). Even then, the Mighty Macs had hurdles to overcome. "They were a team that was way ahead of their time. 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) Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001. The most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region. This team from a small, Catholic women's college outside Philadelphia garnered national recognition for women's basketball and women's collegiate sports. "If we could do it, they can do it.". The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1, making 70% of their free throws. Theresa Grentz was a Mighty Macs player who was part of all three Immaculata AIAW championship squads. Now, the Maggie Dixon Classic is annually held there, drawing over 15,000 fans last season. Their achievements are recognized by many in this Mighty Mac Tribute Video. 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