KU Jayhawks coaching legend Marian Washington back on ballot for Naismith Hall of Fame
Former University of Kansas women’s basketball coach Marian Washington, a two-time finalist for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, is a candidate for enshrinement in the class of 2025.
Washington is one of 21 individuals listed on the Hall of Fame ballot in the “women’s nominees” category.
A standout basketball player at West Chester State University and founder of the entire women’s athletic program at KU, Washington is eligible for induction as a coach.
Finalists chosen from the applicable category screening committees for the class of 2025 will be announced on Friday, Feb. 14, in San Francisco as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.
The Hall’s entire class of 2025 will be unveiled during a nationally televised broadcast at the NCAA Final Four on Saturday, April 5, in San Antonio.
Former Kansas State coaching legend Jack Hartman, who was a two-sports standout (football, basketball) at Oklahoma State, is up for induction as a “veteran nominee” in the coach category.
Washington, 78, has been a finalist for the Hall the past two years. Washington, who played for the U.S. National Team from 1969-71, was the first Black woman to coach on an Olympic women’s basketball staff, serving as assistant for the 1996 gold-medal winning U.S. team.
In 1982 she was the first Black woman to coach a U.S. international team, leading the U.S. to a silver medal at the Williams Jones Cup in Taiwan.
Washington became the winningest coach in KU women’s basketball history during her tenure (1973-2004). She compiled a record of 560-363 with the Jayhawks.
Her KU teams made 11 NCAA tournament appearances. There were also seven regular season conference championships and six tournament championships across KU’s time in the Big Eight Conference and Big 12 Conference. She won conference coach of the year three times.
Washington, who recruited and coached 2004 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Lynette Woodard at KU, is a member of the West Chester State Athletic Hall of Fame. She’s also a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Washington received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Coaches Association (BCA) in 2003 and was named the BCA Coach of the Year in 1992 and 1996. She was the first female to serve as president of the BCA as well as the first individual to serve consecutive terms as president of the organization.
Washington also started Kansas women’s track and field team in 1974. That year, she became the first Black female athletic director in the Big Eight, serving in the AD role at KU for five years — until the men’s and women’s departments merged.
Washington was the AD who first secured scholarships for women’s athletes at KU. She helped raise money for the scholarships through camps. The first women’s scholarships at KU were presented in 1975.
Washington is also a new author. Her book, “FIERCE: My Fight for Nothing Less” was released in August.
Washington in her book has chronicled her days growing up in her hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania, where she spent the first 12 years of her life living in a bus.
She also described her days as a nationally acclaimed high school and college competitor in basketball, track and handball. Washington would have been a member of the 1972 Olympic women’s basketball team had a last-minute decision not delayed the start of women’s hoops in the Games, four years to 1976.
Kansas Athletics in January of 2020 announced the creation of the Marian E. Washington Trailblazer Series, which according to KU, “recognizes the notable achievements and accomplishments of African Americans who have helped shape the Jayhawk program. Each February, in conjunction with Black History Month, the endeavor chronicles several prominent African Americans and their impact on Kansas Athletics.”
KU hosted the Marian E. Washington Legacy Reunion in November 2022. The weekend celebrated Washington’s accomplishments during her tenure with at KU and her impact on women’s athletics overall, most notably women’s hoops. The Marian E. Washington Women’s Basketball Suite in Allen Fieldhouse was dedicated in 2021.
Former KU standout Woodard believes her college coach should be inducted in the Naismith Hall.
“Whether the world calls your name,” Woodard wrote in Washington’s book, “if you’ve got belief inside, nobody can stop you. That’s the inner strength coach Washington gave her players. She’s walked it, lived it and earned a legacy that will never be matched.”
Woodard told nytimes.com: “She deserves it. I hope that this is the charm, because she is a great coach, great person. She has brought a lot to the game. She was doing everything that’s popular now, back in the day, like graduating players. She gave us a sense of pride and sent us out into the world to conquer in our own ways.
“She didn’t just do it for herself. She fought for everybody. Whenever she was on a committee, something came out of there. One of the biggest ones that I’m aware of and am proud of is the policy with USA Basketball, making sure that there is minority representation on every team. That wasn’t happening back in the day, so that’s huge.”
Washington told the New York Times in March of 2023: “To be a finalist is quite an honor, and I’m absolutely thrilled. I can’t remember how I found out. I think my daughter was on the phone screaming. … I’ve never been a person to be able to or would want to spend a lot of time on my accomplishments, because I was so busy trying to get things done. Every time I would reach a milestone, I would be asked by the media, ‘How do you feel about this? And how do you feel about this accomplishment?’ And I could never really say. I certainly appreciate it, but there was much more to do.
“It’s an honor, and I’m now a great-grandmother, so what’s been happening for me personally of late, I’m much more aware of my legacy. I’m so happy that my family can share in it. I think that’s what makes me the happiest. I’m certainly hopeful. I’ve been on committees like this, and I know that sometimes it takes a while before you finally reach that goal.”
Candidates for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2025 include Carmelo Anthony, Micky Arison, Jennifer Azzi, Sue Bird, Lisa Bluder, Billy Donovan, Mark Few, Sylvia Fowles, Marc Gasol, Chamique Holdsclaw, Dwight Howard, Maya Moore and Doc Rivers among many others.
This story was originally published December 23, 2024 at 3:15 PM with the headline "KU Jayhawks coaching legend Marian Washington back on ballot for Naismith Hall of Fame."
