The 1975-76 and 1976-77 Basketball Teams hold a very special place in the history of Saint Mary’s College Athletics. These are the teams that forged a path for the privilege that our student-athletes enjoy today - varsity athletics. The story of their journey is what movies are made of.
These women had no athletic facility to call their own. St. Angela Hall, the auditorium that served as a gymnasium on our campus since the 1890s, had been condemned and razed in 1974. Their practice sites included Moreau Seminary, Logan Center, and Regina North. Yes, the residence hall lobby with marble floors, fireplaces, and lounging students to dodge. About the only time that they were able to play on regulation size courts with hoops at regulation height were during their games.
They were coached by a 19-year-old tennis star that attended Indiana University at South Bend. She did not play organized basketball, nor had she coached basketball previously. Yet, she taught her team strategies, plays, and how to compete together.
Success could have eluded them and everyone would have understood. There was just too much stacked against them. With no facility of their own, they were only able to practice about eight hours a week. Title IX had just passed a few years earlier. Our women were competing against co-ed institutions that were facing the pressure to finally invest in their women’s athletic programs in order to comply with the mandates of Title IX. These colleges were improving their facilities, budgets, schedules, and compensation for coaches. We were in the midst of building a new athletic facility; but, as a single gender institution, we faced none of those other pressures that Title IX created. As a result, we were definitely the underdog every time we stepped onto the court.
Those feelings of pressure were strongest felt in the rivalry that existed between Saint Mary’s and Notre Dame. The Chicago Tribune did a feature story that captured the intensity of this competition. The climate between the two schools was tense, especially amongst the female students at each institution. Our women carried the weight of this on their shoulders and onto the basketball court with the entire Saint Mary’s campus community cheering them on.
And, our women prevailed. These ladies defeated Notre Dame, not once, but three times. These two teams posted a combined winning record of 19-7. They captured the division title in the Northern Indiana Women’s Basketball Championship both years and advanced to the state championships. They finished second and fourth in the Indiana State Championships respectively. They even competed in the Midwest Regional Championships, which is comparable today to our NCAA Tournament.
The heart, talent, and perseverance of these players and their coaches to compete and succeed were powerful enough to transcend the years that have passed. Their journey made our path that much easier. This team is the rock of our athletic foundation to what we continue to build upon today: competitive, passionate programs that find a way to succeed in spite of their facilities.
