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Spotlight: Carol Blazejowski
Vice President and General Manager, New York Liberty, Retired Basketball Great
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Posted: Friday May 28, 1999 12:03 PM
The Blaze soared in women's hoops. |
Birthdate: September 20, 1956, Elizabeth, N.J.
Residence: Nutley, New Jersey
Upcoming Event: Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Induction, Saturday, June 5th, Knoxville, Tennessee
Worth Watching Because: For over 20 years the name Carol "The Blaze" Blazejowski has been synonymous with women's basketball greatness. Only recently, however, was that name put on the list of 25 players and coaches who will be inducted as the inaugural class of the new Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. In order to be eligible for induction, a man or woman has to have been retired from the highest level of play for at least five years, have coached the women's game for at least 20 years, have officiated the women's game for at least 10 years or otherwise made a significant impact on the 107-year history of women's hoops.
Blazejowski, already a Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame member, is a 1978 graduate of Montclair State College (N.J.). The 5' 10" forward racked up 3,199 points in four seasons with the Squaws and is still the all-time leading scorer in women's collegiate basketball. The sharpshooter helped put Montclair State on the map by leading her club to the 1978 Final Four and by averaging 31.7 points per game over the course of her outstanding college career. In a 1977 game against Queens College at Madison Square Garden, Blazejowski scored 52 points, setting the all-time single-game collegiate scoring record. In 1978 the three-time All-American was awarded the Wade Trophy -- women's college basketball's highest individual award -- for being the nation's top player.
After her college career ended, Blazejowski held off turning pro in order to retain her amateur status to play on the 1980 U.S. Olympic team. While she made the squad, she did not play because of the U.S.'s boycott of the Moscow Games. In October of that same year Blazejowski signed with the New Jersey Gems of the Women's Professional Basketball League and played with the franchise until the league folded in 1981. After her short stint in pro basketball, Blazejowski took a job as a promotional representative for Adidas until joining the marketing ranks of the NBA in 1990. In 1995 she became the NBA's Director of Basketball Programs and with the start of the WNBA in 1996, Blazejowski was named Director of Basketball Development. She joined the Liberty front office in January 1997.
Greatest Success: All-time leading scorer in women's basketball history, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1994
Quote/Unquote: "I accomplished everything I set out to do on the court. I wanted to be the best player in the game. I wanted to make history. I wanted a storybook college career. And I did all those things."
Cool Fact: In 1974, while a student at Cranford High (NJ), Blazejowski told the school's athletic director (who was also the coach of the boys basketball team) that she would play on boys basketball team if no girls team was created. It wasn't long before Cranford had a girls basketball team.
Come back soon for a new women's sports Spotlight.
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