Wayland Baptist University’s, The Flying Queens 1948-1982, To Be Enshrined In The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Enshrinement Cements Legacy of this Legendary Basketball Program that is Vital to the History of Women in Basketball
April 6, 2019 – Wayland Baptist University’s the Flying Queens 1948-1982 (the AAU and AIAW eras, will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame September 6, 2019 in Springfield, Massachusettes. The announcement was made by the Naismith organization today in conjunction with the Men’s Final Four.
This is the highest honor possible for a basketball team and entirely fitting for the Flying Queens. As groundbreakers in women’s collegiate basketball, the Wayland team’s rich history includes several induction worthy accomplishments:
- The Flying Queens hold record for LONGEST CONSECUTIVE WIN STREAK of any collegiate basketball program, men’s or women’s (131).
- The Flying Queens were the first in the nation to offer FULL BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIPS for women (decades ahead of Title IX and most colleges).
- These Flying Queens won 10 AAU Championships.
- These Flying Queens won 9 consecutive NWIT Tournaments.
- These Flying Queens competed in the AIAW play-off structure for nine years, 1974-1982. During that period the team made it to the Final 4 three times finishing third in 1976 and fourth in 1978 and 1982.
- These Flying Queens of produced more than 130 All-American players.
The Wayland Flying Queens’ Program has produced numerous outstanding basketball players, coaches, and administrators that positively affected the history of basketball nationwide.
Eight individuals have been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF) in Knoxville, Tennessee, with a ninth to be inducted this June. The WBHOF also inducted the 1953-1958 Queens as Trailblazers of the Game.
The Flying Queens’ Program also has three individuals who have previously been recognized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Marsha Sharp, a former Queens’ assistant coach, received the Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball Award 2010. Former player and longtime college official, Kaye Garms, received the Naismith 2014 Honoree for Women’s Collegiate Official of the Year Award. In 2018, Coach Harley Redin received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest honor outside of enshrinement into the Hall of Fame.