Former Kansas basketball star Lynette Woodard honored as Naismith Outstanding Contributor
Lynette Woodard, the former Kansas basketball star and one of the pioneers of women’s college game, was honored Thursday by the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
Woodard was announced as this year’s recipient of the Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Women’s Basketball Award, a honor bestowed to individuals who “have created a long-lasting positive impact on the game of basketball.”
“I am very proud to be included with such an elite group,” Woodard told the Atlanta Tipoff Club in a release. “I have been blessed in so many ways by the game I love. I will cherish this award and always be grateful for this recognition.”
Bill Raftery, the former college coach and long-time broadcaster, will be honored alongside Woodard as the men’s contributor.
Woodard, a Wichita native, was a four-time All-American at Kansas, finishing as the career leading scorer in women’s college basketball with 3,649 points.
Woodard later served as a captain of the USA’s first gold-medal winning Olympic team in 1984 and played for the Harlem Globetrotters from 1985-87. Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2004, she also spent time on the staff at KU, under her former coach, Marian Washington.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Former Kansas basketball star Lynette Woodard honored as Naismith Outstanding Contributor."