Rutgers to Honor Theresa Grentz on January 7
The career of Hall of Fame head Coach Theresa Grentz will be honored prior to the Saturday, January 7 game against Nebraska at 2 p.m.
Grentz is the only coach to win a national championship in Rutgers history. The event will also recognize the anniversary of Title IX and 50 years of women’s sports at Rutgers University.
Per a press released issued by Rutgers University:
𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕒 𝔾𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕫 𝔻𝕒𝕪 🏆
— Rutgers W.Basketball (@RutgersWBB) December 14, 2022
Rutgers will honor the legacy of its first coach, Theresa Grentz, and 50 years of women's sports at Rutgers University on Jan. 7 against Nebraska ‼️
📰: https://t.co/r8oQCxTtIV
🎟️: https://t.co/LDFSSR54ri#GoRU | #RUWBB pic.twitter.com/K8wLW6AkGf
“The team will celebrate Theresa Grentz Day and her enshrinement in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2022, showing off her commemorative banner in the rafters of Jersey Mike’s Arena with letterwinners and fans in attendance for pregame and halftime ceremonies. “Grentz, who coached the Scarlet Knights as their first full-time head coach from 1976-95, amassed a 434-150 (.584) record during her 19 seasons “On The Banks”. She led the team to six Atlantic-10 Conference regular-season and four tournament titles in addition to the 1982 AIAW Tournament National Championship. Grentz guided RU to nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament (1986-94) as 14 of her 19 teams won 20 or more games. “She coached three Kodak/WBCA All-Americans while at Rutgers – Kris Kirchner (1981), June Olkowski (1982) and Sue Wicks (1986-88). Wicks went on to earn National Player-of-the-Year honors in 1988. Grentz was named the Atlantic-10 Coach of the Year in 1986, 1988, 1993 and 1994. The Newark Star Ledger named her the Coach of the Year in 1986. “An eight-time New Jersey Coaches/ Writers Association Coach of the Year, the Metropolitan Women’s Basketball Association named her the Coach of the Year in 1993, and she earned her second Kodak District II Coach-of-the-Year award that same season. Inducted into the Nike Hall of Fame in 1992, Grentz also was named the 1987 Converse National Coach of the Year following a season which found her Lady Knights finish with a 30-3 record.
“She is also a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, as she was most recently inducted for a second time as a player from her time at Immaculata University. She led the “Mighty Macs” to three consecutive AIAW titles as a student-athlete from 1972-74. Playing under her maiden name of Theresa Shank, she was a three-time first-team All-American for Immaculata, as well as the 1974 national player of the year and she had her jersey No. 12 retired by the school.”
