Rush rattled off a Who's Who of college coaches who have worked at her camp, including Auriemma. West Chester University of Pennsylvania. The 1972 AIAW women's basketball tournament was held on March 16-19, 1972. 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. 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. 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. 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. In their third game, the Macs had a tougher time against Southern Connecticut State University, but won 47-45. This team from a small, Catholic women's college outside Philadelphia garnered national recognition for women's basketball and women's collegiate sports. They handily defeated their first two opponents, Indiana State (59-48) and Western Washington (66-53,) by more than ten points. Ultimately the school raised enough to send eight out of twelve players to the tournament. Immaculata shocked the world of college sports, and the rest is history!. On Sunday, March 19, 1972, Immaculata Universitys womens basketball team etched its name into sports history as the first womens college basketball national champions. "Immaculata is the only school adversely affected by Title IX," Rush said laughing. 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." They won their first three games, then defeated archrival West Chester for the national championships. 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. Elizabeth Zack and Emma Holub also collected hat tricks with four and three goals, respectively. The Mighty Macs continued their dominance, reaching the Final Four in . 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. #GoMacs @IUMightyMacs Men's Basketball Ready for the Atlantic East Semifinals at Marymount https://t.co/UYqfKnQe6h @IUMightyMacs GAMEDAY! Sixteen teams participated. The Hall of Fame has more than 400 inductees and 40,000 sq. Rush (2000), Grentz (2001), and Stanley (2002) have also been inducted into the Womens Basketball Hall of Fame. "We still have such great support of the women's basketball program from the sisters," Canterino said. Grounded in IHM tradition and charism since 1920. "If we could do it, they can do it.". 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. 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 players crowded four to a room and washed their wool uniforms in hotel sinks. Ten of the sixteen teams were the winners of regional tournaments. Cathy Rush left Immaculata in 1977 after compiling a record of 149-15. IMMACULATA, PA. 19345, Phone1-610-647-4400 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. Follow The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia on Instagram It never did happen. Rush and the Mighty Macs also captured the AIAW championship in 1974, making three in a row. 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. 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 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame located in Springfield Massachusetts honors players who have shown exceptional skill at basketball 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. The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1. O God of Players: The Story of the Immaculata Mighty Macs. After almost failing to make it to the tournament, Coach Rush and the 1972 Mighty Macs were crowned AIAW champions and won their place in basketball history. To think that 11 young women and their equally young coach raised the profile and changed the perception of womens sports is amazing. [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. 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. 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. They won two additional titles in 1973 and 1974. I was a senior at Immaculata in 1972 and winning the championship that year is something I will never forget. ofGreaterPhiladelphia. But by the time the NCAA assumed control of the women's national tournament in 1982, Immaculata had won its second and third championships, and it had, in 1975, played Queens College at Madison . Although the last AIAW champion was decided 18 years ago, the league played. The 1972 AIAW women's basketball tournament was held on March 1619, 1972. The Mighty Macs were forced to work out at local grade schools and play all their games on the road. 1 at 7:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Immaculata has changed over the years, going coed in 2005 and seeing the enrollment grow. 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. Inquirer Published Mar 13, 2012 Published March 13, 2012 [1][2] The winners of the AIAW tournaments from 1972 to 1981 are recognized as the national champions for those years. However, the Mighty Macs continued to be remembered. 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. 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. Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. Connecting the Past with the Present, Building Community, Creating a Legacy, TheEncyclopedia Theresa Grentz was a Mighty Macs player who was part of all three Immaculata AIAW championship squads. Yet after she resigned in 1976 from the 500-student school, the Hall of Famer never coached again. Rush was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008, and her 1972-1974 teams followed suit by being inducted in 2014. Copyright 2023 American Community Journals, LLC |, Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. (Randall S. Shantz covered Immaculata basketball for the Daily Local News in West Chester and, like the Macs, made friends everywhere the team went, particularly in Cleveland, Mississippi.). Basketball brought the Immaculata community together, and Immaculatas success showcased the high quality of basketball played by Philadelphias Catholic schools. The following season the Mighty Macs went undefeated. The legendary Mighty Macs demonstrated a dominance rarely seen in any sport, either womens or mens, becoming true heroes of intercollegiate athletics. "I had a lot of offers, but my children were starting school and I wanted to spend time with them," Rush said. "They still come to the game and sit in that same section right by the door as you come in.". They lost in the finals of the Colonial States Athletic Conference tournament. "These women were trailblazers," said Rep. Duane Milne (R., Chester), who sponsored a House resolution commemorating the team. 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 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 following season the Mighty Macs went undefeated. 1145 W KING ROAD Theresa (Shank) Grentz (b. The film focuses on their rise to prominence and their struggles as underdogs in womens basketball. Canterino also played for Immaculata from 1989-92 and makes sure that the current athletes are aware of the team's storied past. On Sunday, March 19, 1972, 11 remarkable young women and their coach from immaculata college achieved the impossible, winning the first-ever national women's college basketball championship, and against all odds, capturing the title again in 1973 and 1974. Now, the Maggie Dixon Classic is annually held there, drawing over 15,000 fans last season. 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. "So many things have changed, per diems, strength coaches, academic advisers, your own jet for travel. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003. I was really happy being a mom.". OR call toll-free: 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. ); The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. In the early 70s, Cathy Rush becomes the head basketball coach at a tiny, all-girls Catholic college. Coach Cathy Rush was the head womens basketball coach at Immaculata from 1970-1977. The Mighty Macs finished the season 24-1. Pre-NCAA statistics, based on AIAW Archives, Special Collections, University of Maryland Libraries.[8]. 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. Directed by Tim Chambers. "We were so disappointed last year because we were so close," current Immaculata coach and athletic director Patricia Canterino said. Discover more about the championship Mighty Macs. 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. Sister Mary of Lourdes (1915-2005), the college president, persuaded each of the trustees to pay for plane fare for one player. Degrees & Programs 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. The Mighty Macs, as a 15th-seed,. 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. [3][4][5][6] . 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. Once money played a major role in women's sports, the champs of women's basketball suddenly couldn't compete. 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). The country had nine regions, but the Eastern regional was subdivided in a Region 1A and a Region 1B. The Dukes, who are in the hunt for an Atlantic 10 Championship double bye, began the week in a . On Sunday, March 19, 1972, Immaculata Universitys womens basketball team etched their name into sports history as the first womens college basketball national champions. Rush also was an innovator in marketing the game. The most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region. 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. Grounded in IHM tradition and charism since 1920. Their achievements are recognized by many in this Mighty Mac Tribute Video. Congratulations to Immaculata Universitys Mighty Macs on their 50th anniversary of the first womens national basketball championship on March 19, 1972. 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. 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?) 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 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. 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 Mighty Macs took the basketball world by stormwinning the next two national championships as well. 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!. 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.