The Carol Eckman Award is an award given annually since 1986 to the women's college basketball coach that "best demonstrates the character of the late Carol Eckman, the mother of the collegiate women's basketball national championship". Given by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the award is named for former women's head coach Carol Eckman, best known for establishing in 1969 the first National Invitational Women's Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament.
Eckman, who served as head coach at West Chester State College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Lock Haven State College, started the national tournament while at West Chester State College. She started the sixteen team tournament in 1969. Eckman invited 15 teams to the West Chester campus, charging each $25 to cover officials and awards. This tournament served as a springboard for the formation of the AIAW two years later, which administered national championships for many sports, including basketball, from 1971 until 1982, when the NCAA became involved in women's sports.
The criteria for the award include: Sportsmanship Commitment to the student-athlete Honesty Ethical behavior Courage
Winners
Year Coach School Ref. 1986 Laura Mapp Bridgewater 1987 Jody Conradt Texas 1988 Kay Yow NC State 1989 Linda Hill-MacDonald Minnesota 1990 Maryalyce Jeremiah Cal State Fullerton 1991 Marian Washington Kansas 1992 Jill Hutchison Illinois State 1993 C. Vivian Stringer Iowa 1994 Sue Gunter LSU 1995 Ceal Barry Colorado 1996 Joann Rutherford Missouri 1997 Amy Ruley North Dakota State 1998 Kay James Southern Miss 1999 Susan Summons Miami-Dade Community College 2000 Kathy Delaney-Smith Harvard 2001 Juliene B. Simpson East Stroudsburg 2002 Barbara Stevens Bentley 2003 Marsha Sharp Texas Tech 2004 Deirdre Kane West Chester 2005 Bonnie Henrickson Kansas 2006 Gail Goestenkors Duke 2007 Theresa Grentz Illinois 2008 Doug Bruno DePaul 2009 Muffet McGraw Notre Dame 2010 Kevin Cook Gallaudet 2011 Joanne Boyle California 2012 Sue Ramsey Ashland 2013 Jan Ross Oklahoma 2014 Jane Albright Nevada 2015 Lisa Bluder Iowa 2016Ginger ColvinCampbellsville2017Naomi GravesSpringfield (MA)2018Tara VanDerveerStanford2019Kennesaw State2020Villanova 2021 Capital 2022 Toledo 2023 Rutgers 2024Cori CloseUCLA2025Joni TaylorTexas A&M2026Mark CampbellUnion
References
Sources
External links Carol Eckman Award webpage. Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) official website