Billie Moore was the head coach of the first US women’s basketball team to go to the Olympics. She was also the first coach to lead two schools to national championships in women’s basketball. Moore died on Wednesday at the age of 79.
UCLA announced her death on Thursday. She led the Bruins to a national title in 1978 and into the Naismith Hall of Fame with the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
The UCLA athletics department said Moore had been fighting multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells that weakens the immune system. She died at her home in Fullerton, California, surrounded by family and friends.
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“Billie Moore was a trailblazer as a head coach and among a very small group of individuals that laid the foundation for where women’s basketball is today,” Naismith Hall of Fame president and CEO John L. Doleva said. “Her impact on the basketball community knows no boundaries, and she will be missed by the entire Hall of Fame family.”
Moore was the head women’s basketball coach at UCLA from 1977 to 1993. She has the record for most wins (296) in the program’s history.
Moore was the head coach of the first US women’s basketball team to go to the Olympics in 1976, before he became the coach at UCLA. Moore led Team USA to a silver medal at the Summer Games in Montreal. Some of the players on the team were Pat Summitt, Ann Meyers Drysdale, Lusia Harris and Nancy Lieberman.
Our Lady Vol basketball family mourns the loss of Billie Moore, a legend in our game who operated with class and served as a wonderful mentor and role model to so many. We will always be grateful for Coach Moore’s impact on Pat Summitt as well as our entire program. pic.twitter.com/c38yaM7NCT
— Kellie Harper (@KellieHarper) December 15, 2022
Moore was born in Westmoreland, Kansas. In 1970, he led Cal State Fullerton to the national championship. She was put in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1999.
“One of the things that, when I received the call, that was foremost in my mind was that I’m being inducted as coach in a team sport,” she said at her enshrinement. “And when you are in a team sport, you’re not here because of something you did yourself. It is obvious that this award is shared with a lot of people that have played a very important part down through the years and it belongs to a lot of people.”
She said that she loved and cared about the game because of her father. She told the crowd that she had hoped her career wouldn’t be based on how many games she won or lost, but on the friends she made on the court that she would keep for life.
Our thoughts & prayers are with Billie Moore’s family. She was a pioneer in women’s basketball who served the game with generosity, passion, & grace. We honor her life & legacy and recognize her immense impact on the LA community, USA Basketball, & the growth of women’s sports. pic.twitter.com/Utmp8fdG2A
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) December 15, 2022
Moore’s overall record in college was 436-196, which is a.690 winning percentage. Danielle Donehew, the head of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, said that Moore was a giant who paved the way for other women coaches.
“Most importantly Billie was a teacher who continued to share her wisdom with former student-athletes and colleagues like Pat Summitt, her mentee, long after Billie retired as a coach,” she said.
“I met Billie while working for Pat and will forever cherish her wisdom and humour. Billie’s impact on our sport survives her through the multitude of lives, mine included, she touched.”
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