TicketsCINCINNATI – You can't talk about Cincinnati women's basketball without mentioning the name Ceal Barry for not only her contributions to the Bearcats program but also her impact on the overall sport of women's basketball.
Barry was born and raised just south of Cincinnati in Louisville, Ky. and graduated from Assumption High School in 1973. She went on to play guard for the University of Kentucky women's basketball team from 1973-1977 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Instead of pursuing accounting following her graduation, she accepted a graduate assistant position at the University of Cincinnati in 1977 under then-head coach Tom Thacker.
In 1979, right after completing her M. Ed., Barry was promoted and named the new head coach of the Bearcats at the young age of 24, marking her the youngest Division I coach in the nation. She recorded a winning record in her first season, with the Lady Bearcats finishing 18-12.
During her second season, the team finished the season 27-9 and Barry guided the Lady Bearcats to their first postseason appearance in progrram history with a berth to the women's National Invitational Tournament in 1981.
She coached two more seasons at UC, finishing 19-10 in 1982 and 19-11 in 1983, compiling an 83-42 record over her four seasons as the head coach.
In 1983 she accepted the head coaching position at the University of Colorado and coached the Buffaloes for 22 seasons. She compiled a 427-242 record, four Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year honors, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, six trips to the Sweet 16 and three appearances in the Elite Eight. In 1994 she was inducted into the Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame, earned the Carol Eckman Award in 1995 and in 2006 was indcutetd into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Barry retired from coaching in 2005 and moved into an administrative role, becoming the associate athletic director for student services and senior women's administrator at Colorado. In 2018, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
On July 1, 2020, Barry officially retired from the University of Colorado and concluded a 43-year career in college athletics.
Barry's impact on women's basketball puts her in an elite group. She has a 510-284 all-time record between her years at Cincinnati and Colorado. She spent time as a color analyst for Fox Sports Net/ROOT Sports covering men's and women's basketball games for Colorado and with CBS College Sports for the WNIT semifinals and championship games. She was a member of the NCAA's Division 1 Women's Championship Committee for many years.
Most noteably, she started her career as a graduate assistant at UC around the time that Title IX was signed into law. She not only experienced the need for Title IX, she started her career campaigning and contributing to the growth of womens' sports.
For her contributions to the sport of women's basketball and her time with the University of Cincinnati, Ceal Barry is a name that will forever be etched in the history books.
50 YEARS CELEBRATION
Saturday, February 19, the athletics department will host a celebration event tied in with the Bearcats' women's basketball game against the ECU Pirates at 2 p.m. Former players, coaches, and staff will join us in Cincinnati to remember and honor the successes of the past and present and look ahead to the future.
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 can also follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.
Barry was born and raised just south of Cincinnati in Louisville, Ky. and graduated from Assumption High School in 1973. She went on to play guard for the University of Kentucky women's basketball team from 1973-1977 and graduated with a bachelor's degree in accounting.
Instead of pursuing accounting following her graduation, she accepted a graduate assistant position at the University of Cincinnati in 1977 under then-head coach Tom Thacker.
In 1979, right after completing her M. Ed., Barry was promoted and named the new head coach of the Bearcats at the young age of 24, marking her the youngest Division I coach in the nation. She recorded a winning record in her first season, with the Lady Bearcats finishing 18-12.
During her second season, the team finished the season 27-9 and Barry guided the Lady Bearcats to their first postseason appearance in progrram history with a berth to the women's National Invitational Tournament in 1981.
She coached two more seasons at UC, finishing 19-10 in 1982 and 19-11 in 1983, compiling an 83-42 record over her four seasons as the head coach.
In 1983 she accepted the head coaching position at the University of Colorado and coached the Buffaloes for 22 seasons. She compiled a 427-242 record, four Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year honors, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, six trips to the Sweet 16 and three appearances in the Elite Eight. In 1994 she was inducted into the Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame, earned the Carol Eckman Award in 1995 and in 2006 was indcutetd into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
Barry retired from coaching in 2005 and moved into an administrative role, becoming the associate athletic director for student services and senior women's administrator at Colorado. In 2018, she was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
On July 1, 2020, Barry officially retired from the University of Colorado and concluded a 43-year career in college athletics.
Barry's impact on women's basketball puts her in an elite group. She has a 510-284 all-time record between her years at Cincinnati and Colorado. She spent time as a color analyst for Fox Sports Net/ROOT Sports covering men's and women's basketball games for Colorado and with CBS College Sports for the WNIT semifinals and championship games. She was a member of the NCAA's Division 1 Women's Championship Committee for many years.
Most noteably, she started her career as a graduate assistant at UC around the time that Title IX was signed into law. She not only experienced the need for Title IX, she started her career campaigning and contributing to the growth of womens' sports.
For her contributions to the sport of women's basketball and her time with the University of Cincinnati, Ceal Barry is a name that will forever be etched in the history books.
50 YEARS CELEBRATION
Saturday, February 19, the athletics department will host a celebration event tied in with the Bearcats' women's basketball game against the ECU Pirates at 2 p.m. Former players, coaches, and staff will join us in Cincinnati to remember and honor the successes of the past and present and look ahead to the future.
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 can also follow the team on Facebook and Instagram.