The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tribute to former Gov. Ann Richards, great friend of Women's Basketball
09.14.2006 | Women's Basketball
During her lifetime of public service, former Texas Governor Ann Richards, who died Wednesday, Sept. 13 at the age of 73, won widespread acclaim for her accomplishments as an elected official, and as an inspirational national leader and role model.
With all this national acclaim and popularity, Governor Richards had one other passion as well -- supporting The University of Texas women's basketball program.
Up until her passing, Richards was a great friend of the UT women's basketball head coach Jody Conradt and the Longhorns players and staff members.
"It's getting pretty empty at one end of our bench. First we lost Barbara (Jordan) and now Ann," Conradt said. "It was such a sense of pride for our program to have had people like Barbara and Ann support our team."
How much of an impact did Jordan and Richards have on the Longhorns, and how much of an impact did the Texas Longhorns basketball team have on them?
"They helped give us credibility when we had none. They were people of courage and character who wanted to make a difference-there's no higher calling than that," Conradt explained.
"There is a bond between women of all ages-since, at the time, there were very few opportunities for women in many non-traditional activities, like politics and sports. Doors weren't open for women then as they are today. But as society became more accepting, we all became part of a much larger team.
"To be quite honest, Barbara or Ann were not that knowledgeable of basketball at first," Conradt recalled. "Barbara, though, became an instant expert. But, during a game, Ann would be the one to ask 'where did you get those shoes?' Ann's interest in the game grew as she started bringing her grandchildren. Her granddaughter Lily got really involved in athletics. I asked Lily to give my introduction speech when I was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. She was 11 at the time and she was terrific.
"Ann spoke to our teams on a number of occasions and the underlying theme was 'You can do it yourself-you don't need to rely on anyone else.' Her death is a loss for all of us," Conradt said.
In a statement to the media on Wednesday, Richards' family made this simple statement when releasing their thoughts on the former Governor's passing: Her family said Wednesday: "Ann Richards loved all of Texas and especially South Padre Island for fishing and celebrating Thanksgivings with her family and friends. She also loved cheering for the University of Texas Lady Longhorns Basketball team."
They asked that memorial gifts be made to the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, to open August 2007 in the Austin school district, through the Austin Community Foundation, P.O. Box 5159, Austin, Texas 78763, 512-472-4483, or online at AustinCommunityFoundation.org.
