Ann Meyers Drysdale: Basketball

American Star of the International Women’s Hall of Fame

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In high school, Ann Meyers Drysdale had a chance to try out for the men’s basketball team. However, after strong discouragement from others, the fear of injury, and the intimidation of the increased competition, she chose not to try out. When she was approached by the Indiana Pacers in 1979, she would not let this second opportunity to play on a men’s team elude her—again.

Meyers Drysdale’s incredible athletic ability surfaced from a very young age. Ann’s father, who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA), and her mother fought for Ann to participate in athletics. In high school, after forgoing her chance to play on the men’s team, she became a star on the women’s team. She was named an All-American and Team MVP for each of her four years. In 1974, Ann broke the first of many barriers when she became the first high

school student to play on the U.S. National Team.

This would not be the last time Meyers Drysdale would break a barrier and defy societal ideals for women. She received the first women’s full athletic scholarship from UCLA in 1974, which was especially amazing given that schools were not yet required to fund athletics for women. It did not take long for her to live up to these high expectations. In her freshman season, Meyers Drysdale led the team in almost every category: field goal percentage, rebounding average, free throw percentage, assists, steals, and blocked shots. She was also named a Kodak All-American. Her success earned her a spot on the first-ever Women’s Olympic Basketball team in 1976. In her senior campaign, she led her school to the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championship.

Meyers Drysdale left a legacy at UCLA. She became the first player, male or female, to be named an All-American in each of her four years, and when she graduated, she ranked third all-time in scoring and led the schools in assists and steals.

Her college success made her one of the most coveted athletes for the new Women’s Professional Basketball League (WBL). Not surprisingly, Meyers Drysdale was selected as the number one overall draft pick in 1978, the same year the league had been established. She enjoyed a short stint in the league, playing from 1978 to 1980 for the New Jersey Gems. Meyers Drysdale showed her dominance by being named the co-MVP for the 1979 and 1980 seasons.

Because she was such a dominant player in the WBL, she eventually caught the attention of the men’s league. The Indiana Pacers offered Meyers Drysdale a free agency contract for $50,000, marking the first time a female had signed a National Basketball Association (NBA) contract. Not only was it unheard of for a female to make such a large amount of money playing sports, it was even more implausible that a woman play in the NBA. With the memory of her high school experience, Meyers Drysdale was ready for the challenge ahead of her.

“Physically and mentally I was the best prepared I had ever been to play the game of basketball,”1 said Meyers Drysdale about the tryout. She knew she had some weaknesses in comparison to the men; however, she also knew her fundamentals were just as good, if not better. After all, she had been around the sport of basketball her entire life. After an intense, three-day tryout, Meyers Drysdale felt she had given her best performance. The coach, however, felt that her 5-foot-9-inch frame could not sustain the men’s physical game. “I was disappointed that the coach didn’t keep me on the team at least through the preseason, because I believed I had all the qualifications they expect from the free agents and rookies who go to the next level.”2 Despite not making the team, Meyers Drysdale broke an incredible barrier for women.

Most people would have viewed this as a failure. Not Ann Meyers Drysdale. She simply had to find another path. She began working in the public relations and broadcasting departments for the

Indiana Pacers. After attending broadcasting school, she embarked on a career that would last over 20 years. She served as a sportscaster and color analyst and provided commentary for men’s and women’s basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball, and soccer for ESPN, NBC, and CBS. Meyers Drysdale is arguably best known for coverage of Men’s and Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournaments during the 1990s. In 2006,

Meyers joined an elite group of sports journalists, including Bob Costas and Rupert Murdoch, by winning the USSA Ronald Reagan Media Award. At a time when female broadcasters were a rarity, Meyers Drysdale paved the way for future female broadcasters.

To add to her distinguished list of honors and accomplishments, Meyers Drysdale was inducted into the inaugural class of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. She was also enshrined at the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. Meyers Drysdale, and her late husband, Don Drysdale, were the first couple to be hall of famers, as he was a standout pitcher for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers.

With all of her experience and background in the sport of basketball, it was no surprise when she was approached by Phoenix to help in their basketball operations department. In 2006, Meyers

Drysdale became the third general manager of the Phoenix Mercury and the vice president for the Phoenix Suns. Although Meyers Drysdale was excited about both roles, she was especially eager for the opportunity to advance the popularity of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Suns managing partners say that “Ann is someone that has great integrity and a Hall of Fame resume. I believe she will do an excellent job leading this franchise forward.”3 If Meyers Drysdale’s past is any indication, she is destined for success.

Growing up in an era before Title IX, Ann Meyers Drysdale seemed unaware of the limits and inequality inflicting women’s sports. The country watched in amazement when Ann Meyers was the first high school player to make a U.S. National Team, first female to receive a full scholarship, and the first female to sign a contract with the NBA. Ann Meyers Drysdale is a true trailblazer, and her perseverance and leadership has paved the way for others and has provided new opportunities for women.

Notes

1. Kim Doren and Charlie Jones, You Go Girl! (Kansas City: Andrews McMeel

Publishing, 2000), 219.

2. Ibid.

3. WNBA, “MERCURY: Mercury names Ann Meyers Drysdale as General Manager,”

The exerpt above was written by Sara Jane Baker