Ann Meyers

Ann Meyers Drysdale(bornAnn Elizabeth Meyers;March 26, 1955) is an American retired probasketballplayer and asportscaster.She was a standout player in high school, college, the Olympic Games, international tournaments, and at professional levels.

Ann Meyers Drysdale

Meyersc. 1976
Personal information
Born	(1955-03-26)March 26, 1955 San Diego, California,U.S.
Listed height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Listed weight	134 lb (61 kg)
Career information
High school	Sonora(La Habra, California)
College	UCLA(1974–1978)
WBL draft	1978:1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by theHouston Angels
Playing career	1978–1981
Position	Shooting guard
Number	15
Career history
1979–1981	New Jersey Gems
Career highlights and awards
WBLCo-MVP (1980) Broderick Cup(1978) Honda Sports Awardfor basketball (1978) 4×KodakAll-American (1975–1978)
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals Women's Basketball RepresentingtheUnited States Pan American Games 1975 Mexico City National team 1979 San Juan National team Olympic Games 1976 Montreal Team competition World University Games 1977 Sofia National team World Championship 1979 Seoul National team Jones Cup 1979 Taipei Team competition

Meyers was the first player to be part of theU.S. national teamwhile still in high school. She was the first woman signed to a four-year college athletic scholarship, atUCLA.She was also the first woman to sign a contract with aNational Basketball Associationteam, the 1979Indiana Pacers,for $50,000.

Meyers was president and general manager for theWNBA'sPhoenix Mercuryand a vice president for the NBA'sPhoenix Suns.She is a vice president for the Phoenix Mercury and a color analyst for the Phoenix Suns television broadcasts. For over 26 years, she served as a network television sports analyst forTNT,ESPN,CBS,andNBC.Meyers is a board member for theLott IMPACT Trophy,which is named afterPro Football Hall of Famedefensive backRonnie Lott,and is given annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. In 1993, Meyers was one of the first women players inducted into theBasketball Hall of Fame,and in the inaugural class at theWomen's Basketball Hall of Famein 1999. She was inducted into theFIBA Hall of Famein 2007 and into theNational Polish-American Sports Hall of Famein 2016.

Early life

Meyers was born on March 26, 1955, the sixth of Patricia and Bob Meyers' 11 children. Her father played guard forMarquette University,then for the Shooting Stars, a professional team inMilwaukee, Wisconsin.One of her brothers,Dave,was an All-American at UCLA and went on to play for theMilwaukee Bucks.

Athletic accomplishments

High school

Meyers attended Cornelia Connelly High School and then laterSonora High SchoolinLa Habra, California,where she was able to engage in more competitive play. As an all-around athlete, she lettered in seven sports, including insoftball,badminton,field hockey,tennis, and basketball.She earned thirteenMost Valuable Playerawards in high school sports. She led her basketball teams to an 80–5 record. In 1974, Meyers became the first high school student to play for theU.S. national team.

College

Meyers was a four-year athletic scholarship player for theUCLA Bruins women's basketballteam (1974–1978),the first woman to be so honored at any university.In a game againstStephen F. Austinon February 18, 1978, she recorded the firstquadruple-doublein NCAA Division I basketball history, with 20 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals.Since then, only four Division I players, three female and one male, have done so.On March 25, 1978, her UCLA Bruins team was theAIAWnational champion: UCLA defeatedMaryland,90–74 atPauley Pavilion.While atUCLA(1976–1979), she became the first four-timeAll-Americanwomen's basketball player. She was the winner of theHonda Sports Awardas outstanding women's college basketball player of the year, as well as theBroderick Cupfor outstanding woman athlete of the year in 1978.As of 2008, she still holds UCLA career records for season steals (125), career steals (403), and career blocked shots (101).

UCLA statistics

Source

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goalpercentage	3P%	3-point field goalpercentage	FT%	Free throwpercentage
RPG	Reboundsper game	APG	Assistsper game	SPG	Stealsper game
BPG	Blocksper game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Ann Meyers NCAA statistics

Year	Team	GP	Points	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1977–78	UCLA	29	538	.526	.800	9.6	6.3	4.3	1.1	18.6
1976–77	UCLA	22	402	.505	.828	7.3	5.0	3.5	1.3	18.3
1975–76	UCLA	23	323	.426	.730	8.2	5.6	3.6	0.7	14.0
1974–75	UCLA	23	422	.528	.767	8.3	5.4	5.2	1.1	18.3
Career	97	1,685	.500	.785	8.4	5.6	4.2	1.0	17.4

Olympics and world competition

Meyers was a member of theUS teamthat won the1975 Pan American GamesGold medal.She played on theUS Olympic basketball teamthat won a silver medal in the1976 Summer OlympicsinMontreal.That team was led byBillie Moore,her own coach at UCLA. She was on the 1979US teamthat won the 1979FIBA World Championship for WomenGold medal.This was the first time since 1957 that the United States won a World Championship title. She also won silver medals at the1979 Pan American Gamesand1977 World University Games.

Meyers was named to the team representing the US at the 1979William Jones Cupcompetition inTaipei, Taiwan.The USA team won all six games en route to the gold medal.

Professional

In July 1978, Meyers was selected first overall by theHouston Angelsin the inauguralWomen's Professional Basketball Leaguedraft. She decided against signing with the Angels to keep her amateur status and be eligible for the1980 Olympics.

In 1979, Meyers made NBA history when she signed a $50,000 no-cut contract withNBA'sIndiana Pacers.She participated in three-day tryouts for the team, the first by any woman for the NBA, but eventually was not chosen for the final squad.She became acolor analystfor the team at a time when there were very few women in sportscasting.

After her stint with the Pacers, Meyers finally joined the WBL and signed with theNew Jersey Gems.Playing for the Gems, Meyers was the WPBL Co-MVP for the 1979–1980 season.She wore jersey No. 15 for the Gems.

Superstars

Meyers entered the inauguralWomen Superstarscompetition in 1979, finishing fourth, but then went on to win the next three consecutive years: 1980, 1981, and 1982.

Broadcasting career

Meyers has been the women's basketball analyst at the Summer Olympics since the NBC's coverage of the2000 Sydney OlympicsforNBC Sports.She was offered a job to broadcast theChicago Bullsgames in 1993, but she turned it down due to family considerations.

She served as an analyst onESPN's coverage of the WNBAand previously worked for NBC Sports full-time as its leadWNBAanalyst from 1997 to 2002. Meyers also worked "Hoop-It-Up"telecasts in 1994 and 1995. Since 1983, she has served as anESPNanalyst for various events including both men's and women'sNCAA basketballgames.

She also worked as a color analyst for theIndiana Pacersmaking her the first woman to do game analysis for the team. In 2012, she joined the Phoenix Suns broadcast team as a color analyst.On July 11, 2018, she announced her retirement from the Suns.

Meyers led the U.S. to a silver medal at the1976 Olympic GamesinMontrealas women's basketball made its Olympic debut, and returned eight years later as an announcer forABC Sportsat the1984 Summer Olympicsin Los Angeles. She has since covered a wide variety of sports for major networks in the U.S., including the 1986, 1990 and 1994Goodwill Games,men's and women'scollege basketball,andNCAA softballand volleyball.

Meyers served as an analyst forNBC Sportscoverage of women's basketball at the2008,2012and2016 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

On November 1, 1986, she married formerLos Angeles DodgerBaseball Hall of FamepitcherDon Drysdale,and took the name Ann Meyers Drysdale. It was the first time that a married couple were members of their respective sports'Halls of Fame.They had three children: sons Don Jr. (DJ) and Darren, and daughter Drew.

Meyers was widowed on July 3, 1993, when Drysdale died of a heart attack inMontreal,Quebec,Canada.

Meyers is the sister of former NBA playerDave Meyers,who also played college basketball and was an All-American at UCLA, under coachJohn Wooden.He played four seasons for the NBA'sMilwaukee Bucks.

Previously a resident ofRancho Mirage, California,Meyers resides inHuntington Beach, California.

Honors and Hall of Fame inductions

• 1978—Winner of the Honda award for basketball
• 1978—TheHonda-Broderick Cupwinner for all sports.
• Meyers received her firstHall of Famemembership in 1985, when she was inducted into theInternational Women's Sports Hall of Famein the contemporary category for basketball.
• She was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 as the first woman inductee.
• Her No. 15 basketball jersey was one of the first four retired by UCLA. She was honored on February 3, 1990, in a ceremony inPauley Pavilion,along withDenise Curry(#12),Kareem Abdul-Jabbar(#33), andBill Walton(#32). This was the key moment in the "Pauley at 25" celebration of twenty-five years of the arena. The primary criteria for being chosen was that all four players were three-time All-Americans.
• On May 10, 1993, she was enshrined in theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,located inSpringfield, Massachusetts.
• When she was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993, it was the first time where a married couple were members of their respective Halls of Fame.
• In 1994, Meyers was the first woman ever to compete in the Celebrity Golf Association Championship.
• On January 31, 1995, she attended a ceremony in the gym of her high school, Sonora High School, inLa Habra, California,where her player jersey was officially retired, and hung in display
• She was inducted into theNational High School Hall of Famein 1995.
• In 1999, Meyers received theMel Greenberg Media Award,presented by theWBCA.
• On June 5, 1999, she was inducted as a charter member of theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame,inKnoxville, Tennessee.
• In 2001, Meyers was honored as a Wooden All-Time All-American by theWooden award.
• She was a 2003NCAA Silver Anniversary Awardsrecipient.She joins William Naulls (1981), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1994), and Bill Walton (1999) as UCLA athletes who have been so honored on the 25th anniversary of a major athletic accomplishment.
• In 2007, she was enshrined in theFIBA Hall of Fameas part of the inaugural class of 2007. She is 1 of 3 United States citizens, along with male playerBill Russelland coachDean Smithso honored.
• Ann has been involved with Special Olympics for more than 30 years and currently serves as a Sports Ambassador for Special Olympics Southern California.

See also

• List of Silver Anniversary Awards (NCAA) Recipients
• UCLA Bruins women's basketball
• Manon Rhéaume,the first woman to play in a game in themajor professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada

Notes

Book sources

• Woolum, Janet (1998).Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports In America.Oryx Press.ISBN978-1-57356-120-4.
• David L. Porter, ed. (2005).Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary.Greenwood Press.ISBN978-0-313-30952-6.

Further reading

• Porter, Karra (2006).Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women's Professional Basketball League, 1978-1981.Bison Books.ISBN978-0803287891.
• Meyers Drysdale, Ann (2012).You Let Some Girl Beat You?: The Story of Ann Meyers Drysdale.Behler Publications.ISBN978-1933016788.

External links

• Career statistics and player information fromBasketball-Reference.com
• Ann Meyersat theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame
• Ann MeyersatFIBA
• Ann Meyers Drysdaleat theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame