Lucy Harris (1977)
"A woman in a man's world - now that takes courage"
On February 10, 1955 in Minter City, Mississippi, Lucy Harris became the first woman to be drafted by a men's professional basketball team. Lucy was a three-time All-American during her 1975, 1976, and 1977 years at Delta State University in Mississippi, leading her team to win the AIAW championship all three years. At a height of 6 feet, 3 inches, and 185 pounds, she played the position of center. From 1976 to 1977, she scored 1,060 points, averaged 31.2 a game (with a high of 58 points against Tennessee Tech.), and averaged 15 rebounds a game. During her career, Lucy scored 2,981 points, an average of 25.9 per game, and had 1,662 rebounds, an average of 14.4 a game.
In 1977, Lucy won the Broderick Award which recognized the nation's best collegiate basketball player, and the Honda Broderick cup which recognized the best collegiate athlete in any sport. She was chosen by the New Orleans Jazz in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft, but chose not to play for them. She did play for the Houston Angels in the Women's Professional Basketball League in 1980, but had to leave due to pregnancy.
A few years later, Lucy returned to Delta State to take on the roles of admissions counselor and assistant basketball coach. She received her master's degree in 1984, after which she began teaching and coaching at a local high school.
What is your opinion of the WNBA?
Christine Lewicki: I think it should have happened a long time ago. There is no reason "professional" sports should only be played by men.
Kara Cady-Sawyer: Sports should have equal opportunities for men and women of all levels.
Justin Gray: The WNBA is a good idea, but has become too commercial. It loses a lot of its credibility with all the product deals the players have.
Matt Mahar: The WNBA offers a wonderful opportunity for female basketball players to make a career out of a sport they are highly skilled at, but I do not believe it will ever be as competitive or as popular as the NBA.
Do you believe women should be allowed to experience just as many perks of professional athletics as men (ex: larger paychecks, more publicity), and what do you think can be done to improve those conditions for women?
Christine: I think the paychecks are too large no matter if its for males OR females. I think education and publicity for female athletics is one solution to this problem.
Kara: Yes, women should get more money! As far as improving conditions, probably just advertising more and giving women more publicity.
Matt: As of right now, women do not deserve to make as high salaries as men simply because they are not bringing in as much revenue as professional male sports. If, in the future the popularity of women’s professional sports increases to the same level that male professional sports is at, then women should receive equal pay.