West Chester native Marian Washington, a seven-sport athlete at Henderson High School, broke the color barrier in Division I women’s college basketball coaching in 1973 when she was hired by the University of Kansas, write Dave Sheinin and Michael Lee for The Washington Post. 

Before she became the first Black coach of a Division I women’s hoops program, Washington was an accomplished player. She led West Chester University — then known as West Chester State College — to the first official national championship in women’s basketball (in 1969) and was one of the first two Black women named to the U.S. national team.

She competed for Team USA at the 1971 world championships in Brazil. She joined Kansas as a graduate assistant in 1972, was elevated to head coach in 1973, and held that post until her retirement in 2004.

She led the Jayhawks to 560 victories and 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and coached four All-Americans, including the legendary Lynette Woodard.

In 1982, Washington became the first Black woman to coach the U.S. national team in an international competition. 

Washington, 75, is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. In October 2021, Kansas held a ceremony to dedicate the Marian E. Washington Women’s Basketball Suite in Allen Fieldhouse.

Read more about Marian Washington in The Washington Post.