TicketsCINCINNATI – In eight days, the Cincinnati athletics department will host an event celebrating 50 years of Bearcats women's basketball. Former players, coaches, and staff will gather in Cincinnati to remember and honor the successes of the past and present and look ahead to the future.
Prior to Michelle Clark-Heard taking over the head coaching duties at UC, only eight others held that title in program history.
Mary Jo Huismann was the first to hold the title as head coach in 1971. Then known as the Lady Bearcats, the team finished its first season 3-6 and completed its first winning season in 1974 with a 9-6 record.
In 1974, Huismann passed the coaching duties over to Tom Thacker. Thacker, a former men's basketball standout, became the first African-American head coach in the University's history. The same year he took over the program the Bearcats moved to the Armory Fieldhouse to play on the same court as the men's team. Thacker coached the team until 1978, finishing with a 55-43 record.
In 1979, Ceal Barry was named the new head coach of the Bearcats at the young age of 24. She guided the Lady Bearcats to their first postseason appearance, with a berth to the women's National Invitational Tournament in 1981. She had an 83-42 record over her four seasons as the head coach.
Sandy Smith took over as head coach in 1983 and held the position for three years, finishing with a winning record of 49-37.
In 1986, Laurie Pirtle took over the team and began a legendary tenure that would last for 21 seasons through four different conferences and led the team to it's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1989. She is also credited for successfully campaigning to remove Lady from the team's name and simply be known as the Bearcats - just like the other Varsity teams.
Pirtle's best stretch came in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, when her teams advanced to the postseason in seven consecutive seasons including three trips to the NCAA Tournament. During her time, she coached numerous UC hall of fame players and many who would go on to play professionally.
Just before retiring in 2007, she helped guide the Bearcats into the Big East Conference and finished with 310 career wins – the most in program history.
J. Kelley Hall replaced Pirtle after she retired and coached the Bearcats for two seasons, finishing with a 26-33 record.
Jamelle Elliott came to Cincinnati in 2009 and coached the team for nine seasons. In 2012, she led the Bearcats back to the WNIT – their first postseason appearance in eight years. She helped transition the team into the American Athletic Conference in 2013 and led the team back into the WNIT in 2018. Elliott finished her career at UC with a 113-162 record.
In 2017, Michelle Clark-Heard was named the ninth head coach of the women's basketball program. Previously an assistant at UC under Pirtle from 2002-05, Clark-Heard's first two years were the winningest for any new coach in the program, leading the team to two NIT appearances – including a trip to the Elite 8.
In her first season, Clark-Heard led the Bearcats to 24 wins -- the most victories in a head coach's first season in program history, and the most triumphs in 17 years (27 in 2001-02). In her second season, UC finish tied for second in the AAC, UC's best league finish in its seven-year membership in the AAC, and reached the final for the first time in the AAC as well as their first final appearance since the 2003 Conference USA Championship game.
Coach Heard credits a lot of her coaching success to her time working under Coach Pirtle for four seasons.
50 YEARS CELEBRATION
On Saturday, Feb. 19, the Bearcats' women's basketball team hosts the ECU Pirates at 2 p.m. For tickets to the game, you can call the ticket office at 1-877-CATS-TIX or visit the website here.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's basketball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati WBB (@GoBearcatsWBB) and Coach Michelle Clark-Heard (@Coachheard) on Twitter. You
Prior to Michelle Clark-Heard taking over the head coaching duties at UC, only eight others held that title in program history.
Mary Jo Huismann was the first to hold the title as head coach in 1971. Then known as the Lady Bearcats, the team finished its first season 3-6 and completed its first winning season in 1974 with a 9-6 record.
In 1974, Huismann passed the coaching duties over to Tom Thacker. Thacker, a former men's basketball standout, became the first African-American head coach in the University's history. The same year he took over the program the Bearcats moved to the Armory Fieldhouse to play on the same court as the men's team. Thacker coached the team until 1978, finishing with a 55-43 record.
In 1979, Ceal Barry was named the new head coach of the Bearcats at the young age of 24. She guided the Lady Bearcats to their first postseason appearance, with a berth to the women's National Invitational Tournament in 1981. She had an 83-42 record over her four seasons as the head coach.
Sandy Smith took over as head coach in 1983 and held the position for three years, finishing with a winning record of 49-37.
In 1986, Laurie Pirtle took over the team and began a legendary tenure that would last for 21 seasons through four different conferences and led the team to it's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1989. She is also credited for successfully campaigning to remove Lady from the team's name and simply be known as the Bearcats - just like the other Varsity teams.
Pirtle's best stretch came in the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, when her teams advanced to the postseason in seven consecutive seasons including three trips to the NCAA Tournament. During her time, she coached numerous UC hall of fame players and many who would go on to play professionally.
Just before retiring in 2007, she helped guide the Bearcats into the Big East Conference and finished with 310 career wins – the most in program history.
J. Kelley Hall replaced Pirtle after she retired and coached the Bearcats for two seasons, finishing with a 26-33 record.
Jamelle Elliott came to Cincinnati in 2009 and coached the team for nine seasons. In 2012, she led the Bearcats back to the WNIT – their first postseason appearance in eight years. She helped transition the team into the American Athletic Conference in 2013 and led the team back into the WNIT in 2018. Elliott finished her career at UC with a 113-162 record.
In 2017, Michelle Clark-Heard was named the ninth head coach of the women's basketball program. Previously an assistant at UC under Pirtle from 2002-05, Clark-Heard's first two years were the winningest for any new coach in the program, leading the team to two NIT appearances – including a trip to the Elite 8.
In her first season, Clark-Heard led the Bearcats to 24 wins -- the most victories in a head coach's first season in program history, and the most triumphs in 17 years (27 in 2001-02). In her second season, UC finish tied for second in the AAC, UC's best league finish in its seven-year membership in the AAC, and reached the final for the first time in the AAC as well as their first final appearance since the 2003 Conference USA Championship game.
Coach Heard credits a lot of her coaching success to her time working under Coach Pirtle for four seasons.
50 YEARS CELEBRATION
On Saturday, Feb. 19, the Bearcats' women's basketball team hosts the ECU Pirates at 2 p.m. For tickets to the game, you can call the ticket office at 1-877-CATS-TIX or visit the website here.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's basketball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Cincinnati WBB (@GoBearcatsWBB) and Coach Michelle Clark-Heard (@Coachheard) on Twitter. You