Hall of Fame
Linda Cooper was the women’s basketball coach and a physical education teacher from 1968-1975. This time period is vital to the history of women’s athletics at Thiel. Cooper and the women who played for her changed the perception of women’s athletics on campus and paved the way towards varsity status. Before the Cooper era, women’s athletics were only recognized as an activity rather than a varsity sport. The first varsity awards were presented in 1972. 1973 was the first year women were included in the varsity sports section of the Endymion, the Thiel College yearbook.
Cooper’s phenomenal coaching yielded an overall record of 47-14, including 33 straight victories and three straight undefeated seasons (1970-73). These teams created enthusiastic campus support and excellent publicity for women’s basketball.
The 1974-75 team was the first to schedule games with other women’s teams in the PAC in an attempt to create a women’s conference. Though unsuccessful, this effort directly led to the incorporation of women’s athletics into the PAC.
Cooper is recognized both for her outstanding record as a coach and for her efforts to create greater opportunities and recognition for women’s athletics.
