KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Former Wayland Baptist Flying Queen Alice “Cookie” Barron on Saturday was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
Barron, who helped establish the Flying Queens’ national record 131-game winning streak in the 1950s, was one of eight people inducted as the Class of 2022, along with former West Texas A&M coach Bob Schneider. Others were Debbie Antonelli (Contributor), Doug Bruno (Coach), Becky Hammon (Player), DeLisha Milton-Jones (Player), Paul Sanderford (Coach) and Penny Taylor (International Player). Barron was voted in as a veteran player.
The induction ceremony will be re-broadcast on ESPNU on June 15 (6:30 PM Central), June 16 (2 PM) and June 18 (12:30 PM).
The WBHOF currently has 179 Hall of Fame inductees, including nine – five players, three coaches and a sponsor – who have ties to the Flying Queens.
Former Flying Queens players in the WBHOF are Patsy Neal, Lometa Odom, Katherine Washington, Jill Rankin-Schneider and Carolyn Bush Roddy; coaches are Harley Redin, who was part of the inaugural class in 1999, Dean Weese and Marsha Sharp (Queen Bees junior varsity and later Texas Tech coach); and sponsor is Claude Hutcherson. Also, former WBU Pioneer and storied high school coach Joe Lombard was inducted in 2016.
In addition, the 1953-58 Flying Queens teams that established the record 131-game winning streak were recognized as Trailblazers of the Game.
Barron, who was inducted into the WBU Athletics Hall of Honor as part of the fourth class in 1995, never played in a losing game as a member of the Flying Queens from 1953-57. The 5-foot-4 guard from Georgetown, Texas, helped the Flying Queens win 104 straight games and claim national championships all three of her seasons.
Barron was co-captain of the Flying Queens her final season in 1956-57 when she was named Wayland’s Outstanding Woman Athlete. It was Barron’s free throw with four seconds left in the third overtime which prolonged the win streak in a 53-52 road win over Iowa Wesleyan that season, and she was a first team All-American as the Queens claimed a fourth straight Amateur Athletic Union national title. She was also a member of the United States national team that beat Russia in the finals of the 1957 World Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Barron’s success continued into her professional career as an educator and athletics administrator. Upon her retirement in 1990 after 12 years as coordinator of athletics for Jefferson County School District, Colorado’s largest with 85,000 students, Barron had been recognized by numerous professional associations.
She also has been inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Federation of State High Schools Association, Jefferson County Schools Athletic Directors Association, Colorado High School Coaches Association, Sportswomen of Colorado, Colorado High School Activities Association, and Colorado Coaches of Girls’ Sports.
Throughout her career, Barron, who today lives in Lakewood, Colo., has remained a supporter of Flying Queens basketball. Her efforts contributed to the formation of the Flying Queens Alumni Association, now the Hutcherson Flying Queens Foundation, which provides support for the current team.
The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors serves as the selection committee in determining the individuals to be inducted each year. Voting is based on minimum candidate requirements, which include record of performance, national or international recognition, and contributions to the game of women’s basketball.