Ann Meyers was one of the biggest names in the history of the basketball game, especially when it comes to women’s basketball. Many experts believe that she was one of the greatest players that elevated Women’s Basketball. It was Meyers who led UCLA to win the first National Championship in terms of women’s basketball.
Besides, she represented the United States in plenty of international competitions. However, is Ann Meyers still alive? It is disheartening to know that Ann Meyers died in 1993. Continue reading the post to learn more about it in detail.
Ann Meyers: Life and death
Ann Meyers was born in San Diego on the 26th of March, 1955. She was a citizen of the United States and she served the country in Women’s Basketball. She was 5 feet 10 inches tall. Ann Meyers received education from Sonora High School and later from the University of California, Los Angeles. Apart from being a basketball player, she played volleyball as well.
In short, Ann Meyers was an impressive basketball player, volleyball player, sports commentator, and journalist. In addition, she won the Hall of Fame for Women’s Basketball and the Honda Sports Award for being a great volleyball player. Moreover, she played for UCLA Bruins as well.
Being a trailblazer when it comes to women’s basketball, Ann Meyers was the first woman to sign a contract for a 4-year athletic collegiate scholarship to compete with UCLA. Apart from that, she was the first woman who was signed for an NBA contract for Indiana Pacers in 1979.
Besides, she was a member of 9 basketball teams between 1975 and 1979. Her notable event was the 1976 Olympic Women’s Basketball where the team competed in the inaugural competition in Montreal. Because the team had to qualify for the Olympics, they did it much ahead of the event and managed to earn a 5-0 mark in the qualifying round.
Ann Meyers worked on plenty of broadcast crews her entire life. And, that includes the NBA Indiana Pacers & Phoenix Suns, WNBA Phoenix Mercury, the Goodwill Games, and so on.
On November 1, 1986, Ann Meyers married Don Drysdale. He was a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. The couple had three children. On July 3, 1993, Ann Meyers died of a heart attack. On top of that, her children were 6 years younger or even less when Meyer’s husband died.
No wonder, Ann Meyers was an unforgettable role model when it comes to modern-day women’s sports history. She received lots of awards and honors during her entire career as one of the greatest basketball players for women. Ann Meyers set the standard during the final quarter of the 20th century in terms of women’s athletics.
Honors and Awards
1. In the year 1976, Ann Meyers was the first woman to receive a complete 4-year athletic scholarship at UCLA.
2. In addition, Ann Meyers was a basketball player from the US at UCLA four times. Also, she played volleyball for two years. Meyers led the women’s UCLA basketball team to AIAW National Championship in 1978.
3. Ann Meyers was a player in the first Women’s Olympics for the USA in 1976. She played alongside Hall of Famers such as Nancy Lieberman and Lusia Harris. She led the team to win a silver medal in Canada.
4. In 1979, Ann Meyers was the first woman who signed a contract with the Indiana Pacers. They invited Ann Meyers to tryouts. However, she was cut. Yet, Meyers was told by one of the assistant coaches that she was far better compared to the other guys who were out there playing for the team.
5. Ann Meyers participated in 1975 FIBA Women World Championship, 1975 Pan American Games and won a gold medal, 1976 Summer Olympics, won a silver medal in 1977 at World University Games, Pan American Games in 1979 and won a silver medal, and FIBA Women World Championship in 1979 and won a gold medal.
6. Ann Meyers was chosen by Houston as the number one pick intended for the first draft of the Women’s Professional Basketball League. Now not in action, the Women’s Professional Basketball League or WBL came to be known as WNBA later. In 1979-80, Meyer played for New Jersey Gems and became popular as the most valuable Player in the League.