The Foundation
In 2012, a group of former Queens created a 501 (c) (3) foundation to enhance the educational and athletic opportunities of the Flying Queens basketball program. The Foundation provides financial support and enjoys a camaraderie with players and coaches and does so following all NAIA and Sooner Athletic Conference rules.
Since then, these women and other supporters have made financial gifts, organized fundraisers, attended games at Wayland and away, organized team meals and receptions at home games, and spent years advocating for the Wayland Baptist Flying Queens’ inclusion in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.
The success in getting the Flying Queens program from 1948-82 inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2019 was a historic moment, but it wasn’t long before the Foundation Board and others started thinking about the future.
In 2020 the Board voted to expand the Foundation’s mission to include honoring the Flying Queens’ historical legacy and strengthening the Foundation’s organizational and financial future to ensure continued support for the Flying Queens program and its legacy.
Today, the Hutcherson Flying Queens Foundation remains committed first and foremost to enhancing the current Flying Queens program and looks forward to building awareness of one of the nation’s historic women’s college basketball programs.
The Flying Queens
Wayland College opened for classes in 1910. Wayland women played club sport basketball against high schools from 1910 until 1948, when the team played its first college game, beating Texas Tech. The team played its first AAU competition the same year and official game statistics were started.
The Wayland team played its first International Competition in 1950 against Mexico. In 1951, Claude and Wilda Hutcherson of Hutcherson Flying Service began sponsoring the team. The team adopted the Hutcherson Flying Queens name and were flown to away games in Hutcherson’s small planes. Wayland then became the first collegiate program in history to provide 13 full scholarships, attracting 40 to 50 women each year for tryouts.
Between the 1948-49 season through the 1976-77 season, Wayland competed in AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) women’s basketball and was one of only a few colleges to compete in this league, as teams were primarily industrial and basically professional. The Flying Queens won 10 National AAU Championships, placed second nine times, and third three times. From 1953-58 the Queens won a record 131-consecutive games. This record still stands today.
Wayland competed in the AIAW (Association for Intercollegiate Athletics) play-off structure for nine years, 1974-82. During that period the team made it to the Final Four three times, finishing third in 1976 and fourth in 1978 and 1982. In both 1974 and 1975 they won the Consolation bracket.
Since 1983 the Flying Queens have competed in the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics). They have qualified for the National Tournament 31 times, reaching the finals in 1986 and 1992.
Flying Queens Program Highlights
- Head Coaches
- Athletic Associations
- International Affiliations
- 1700 wins & counting . . .
- 131-game win streak
| Coach (yrs) | Seasons | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Allen (4) | 48-51, 52-53 | 71-28 (.717) |
| Hank Garland (1) | 1951-52 | 30-10 (.750) |
| Caddo Matthews | 1953-55 | 52-0 (1.000) |
| Harley Redin (18) | 1955-73 | 429-63 (.872) |
| Dean Weese (6) | 1973-79 | 190-30 (.864) |
| Cathy Wilson (4) | 1979-83 | 80-50 (.615) |
| Dave Ketterman (2.5) | 1983-85 | 65-17 (.792) |
| Floyd Evans (3.5) | 1985-89 | 106-21 (.835) |
| Sheryl Estes (7) | 1989-96 | 183-62 (.747) |
| Johnna Pointer (7) | 1996-03 | 161-84 (.643) |
| Will Flemons (4) | 2003-07 | 53-65 (.449) |
| Tory Bryant (6) | 2007-12 | 96-89 (.519) |
| Alesha Ellis (7) | 2013-20 | 176-51 (.775) |
| Jason Cooper (1) | 2020- | 33-4 (.892) |
| Athletic Associations | Number of Times in National Tourney | Finishes |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) | 24 (1949-1977) | Champions – 10 2nd – 9 3rd – 3 |
| Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) | (1974-1982) | Final Four – 3 |
| National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) | (1983-present) | Finals – 2 3rd rd – 8 2nd rd – 6 1st rd – 11 |
FIBA – Between 1953-and 1975, Wayland was represented on all seven of FIBA’s (International Basketball Federation) Women’s World Championship Teams. Nineteen Flying Queens played in FIBA World Championships.
Pan American Games – Between 1955 and 1979, Wayland was represented on all seven USA Pan American teams. Twenty-seven Flying Queens competed in these games. Flying Queens coaches coached the USA teams to first-place victories in 1955, 1959 and a second-place finish is 1971.
The Flying Queens team is the winningest team in women’s college basketball. On November 20, 2021, the Flying Queens posted their 1700th win, 300 plus more wins than any other women’s collegiate team in US history.
The Flying Queens are the ONLY team in collegiate basketball history (men or women) to record a 131-game consecutive winning streak (1953-58). In 2013, the 1953-58 teams were honored as “Trailblazers of the Game” by the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame for the 131-game winning streak.
Awards abound . . .
Harley Redin – a game changing coach . . .
Coach Harley Redin spent much of his career at Wayland advocating for changes in the women’s game. Some of his most significant contributions came while serving on several Olympic and AAU rules committees that promoted the five-player game, the 30-second clock and unlimited dribbling (in the early days, players could dribble only three times before having to pass or shoot). He also was among the first to use the full-court press and the fast-break offense, first used in 6-on-6 competition that prevailed until the 1970-71 season.