Archive

RECORDS OF THE WAYLAND BAPTIST COLLEGE HUTCHERSON FLYING QUEEN BASKETBALL PROGRAM

2019 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame Inductee
  • Wayland gave women full basketball scholarships in the 1950s, 25 years before the Title was passed.
  • These women went on the be leaders in women’s sports when Title IX was implemented to setup women’s athletic programs across the nation.
  • Harley Redin was instrumental in getting the colleges to allow women to play basketball before Title IX -- starting the NWIT in Amarillo Texas.
  • Harley Redin was also a leader in changing rules for the women to play the 5 player full court game.
  • 1600 Wins and 131 consecutive wins.
  • 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 Women's Basketball Hall of Fame honored this winning streak.
  • The Wayland Team is the winningest team in women's college basketball. In the 2017/18 season, the Flying Queens have posted over 1600 wins, around 300 more wins than the nearest competitors.
  • The Wayland Team has won 19 National Championships.
  • The Flying Queens' program has had eight individuals inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
  • Members of the Wayland Hutcherson Flying Queens have received 197 All-American Awards.

BRIEF HISTORY

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. They adopted the Huthcerson Flying Queens name that year 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.

Organizational Affliates

  • AAU: Between 1948 and 1977, Wayland was one of the few college teams to compete in the National Girls' Basketball League and in AAU National Tournaments, made up mostly of professional teams. Wayland won 10 National Championships. They placed second 9 times, and third 3 times. Team members received 74 AAU All-American Awards.
  • NWIT: Between 1969 and 1977, Wayland won nine consecutive National Championships in the NWIT Invitational Tournament made up of only college teams. Those nine years resulted in 23 All-American Awards.
  • AIAW: Between 1974-1982 Wayland made it to the Final 4 three times, finishing third in 1976 and fourth in 1978 and 1982. In both 1974 and 1975 they won the Consolation bracket.
  • NAIA: Wayland has competed in NCIA Division I basketball from 1983 through 2017. They have qualified for the National Tournament 24 times, garnering 36 NAIA All-American Awards and 33 NAIA Scholar-Athlete Awards.
  • FIBA: Between 1953 and 1975 Wayland was represented on all seven U.S. international teams. Nineteen Flying Queens have played in FIBA World Championships.
  • Pan American Games: Between 1955 and 1979 Wayland was represented on all seven U.S. teams. Twenty-seven Flying Queens have played in the Pan American Games. Wayland coaches have coached the USA's teams to victories in 1955 and 1959 and a second place in 1971.
  • USA All-Star Teams: Between 1958 and 1978, eighteen Flying Queens were selected for basketball tours that were part of the State Department's intercultural exchange program to enhance relations between the US and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In 1959, they played the first women's basketball game ever to be played in Madison Square Garden. Wayland went on to host national teams from Russia, China, and Mexico.
  • In addition to the 133 All-American Awards previously mentioned, Wayland players garnered 64 other All-American awards: Hanes Underalls (6); National Scouting Association (4); Street & Smith Preseason (9); Kodak (18); American Women's Sports Federation All-American Freshman Team (7); JC Penny All-American Five (1); COSIDA Academic (1).

HISTORY

While most of us are aware of our unparalleled history from the Hutcherson era to the present, many may be unaware that the history of women’s basketball at Wayland is as old and rich as the institution itself. Chartered in 1908, Wayland opened its doors for its first official classes in 1910. Burr Goode Carter, modern language instructor, recalled Wayland’s first women’s basketball team: “In the spring of 1911, a group of the college girls asked me to coach their basketball team. We played only one game that first season. Lubbock High challenged us to play, and we confidently accepted. They were physically our superior, and we got beat.”

From 1910-11 through 1945-46, women competed on a club sports basis against local high schools, with a college sponsor and a student coach. The women organized and financed themselves, provided their own uniforms, and competed against local high school teams. They were proud of their teams and this pride was reflected in the 1928 Wayland yearbook. “. . . we feel that there has been laid a foundation for girls’ athletics at this institution that will materialize until we have one of the best girls’ basketball teams that can be found anywhere in this country.”

In 1946-47 the girls’ basketball club asked Harley Redin, Wayland’s athletic director and boys’ basketball coach, to tutor them. Wayland’s president, “Bill” Marshall, took an interest in the team and for the 1947-48 school year assigned Sam Allen, part-time student and track coach the responsibility of developing the women’s basketball program. This was the first season in which the Queens played another college. They defeated Texas Tech 27-9. AAU play was introduced in 1948-49. The first three Wayland-assigned coaches, Sam Allen, Hank Garland, and Caddo Matthews were part-time in that each coached the women’s team while finishing a Wayland degree program. In 1955-56, Harley Redin became the first full-time coach of the team. In order to expand the program, Wayland sought out team sponsors. The Harvest Queen Mill began sponsoring the team in 1948-49 and the team was named Harvest Queens. In the spring of 1950-51, President Marshall asked Claude Hutcherson of Hutcherson Air Service to fly the Queens to games in Mexico City. This was such a good experience that Claude and Wilda Hutcherson assumed sponsorship and the team’s name was changed to Hutcherson Flying Queens. Now with a total 13 different coaching eras, Wayland’s Hutcherson Flying Queens is the winningest collegiate women’s basketball program in the country.