Jody Conradt

Addie Jo "Jody" Conradt (born May 13, 1941)[1] is a retired women's basketball coach. She was the head coach for the women's team at University of Texas at Austin (UT). Her coaching career spanned 38 years, with the last 31 years at UT from 1976 to 2007. She also served concurrently as the UT women's athletic director from 1992 to 2001. During her tenure at UT, she achieved several notable personal and team milestones in collegiate basketball. At retirement, she had tallied 900 career victories, second place in all time victories for an NCAA Division I basketball coach. Conradt was inducted in the inaugural class at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

Jody Conradt
Current position
TitleSpecial assistant to the women's athletic director
TeamTexas
ConferenceBig 12
Biographical details
Born (1941-05-13) May 13, 1941
Goldthwaite, Texas
Playing career
1959–1963Baylor
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1969–1973Sam Houston State
1973–1976Texas–Arlington
1976–2007Texas
Volleyball
1973–1975Texas–Arlington
1976–1977Texas
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2007–presentTexas (special asst. to women's AD)
Head coaching record
Overall900–307 (basketball)
165–67–15 (volleyball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • NCAA Tournament championship (1986)
  • 10× SWC regular season (1983–1990, 1993, 1996)
  • 2× Big 12 regular season (2003, 2004)
  • 9× SWC tournament (1983–1990, 1994)
  • Big 12 tournament (2003)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1998 (profile)
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame

High school and college

Addie Jo Conradt was born in Goldthwaite, Texas, United States to Ann and Charles Conradt.[2] Both her parents were athletic, with her mother playing competitively on a local softball team, and her father playing semi-pro baseball.[3] She was a standout basketball player at Goldthwaite High School, where she averaged 40 points per game.[2] Many people growing up in Goldthwaite stayed there, according to Conradt, but she got a sense that one could have larger ambitions when a Goldthwaite native, Marie Reynolds, joined the All American Red Heads Team, a barnstorming basketball team which played throughout the United States and around the world.[3] After high school, Conradt played collegiate basketball at Baylor University, earning a degree in physical education in 1963.[2] She finished her collegiate basketball career averaging 20 points per game. After graduation, she taught and coached at Waco Midway High School[4] and earned her master's degree from Baylor in 1969.[5]

College coaching

Prior to Conradt's career at UT, she served as women's basketball head coach at Sam Houston State University from 1969 to 1973, where her teams had a record of 74–23.[6] She then coached at the University of Texas at Arlington from 1973 to 1976, where her teams had a record of 43–39.[4][6]

In 1975, in response to Title IX, the University of Texas created a separate women's athletic department. In 1976, they hired Donna Lopiano to become the first women's athletic director. The following year, Lopiano hired Conradt as coach of the women's basketball team.[7] Conradt had attracted national attention while at the University of Texas at Arlington. After two losing seasons, they went 23–11 in the 1975–76 seasons, upsetting powerful opponents.[4] Texas planned to bring the women's program to national prominence, and they felt Conradt was the right coach for the job.[4] Teams coached by Condradt were using tactics not seen in many other places, such as full court pressure, double low posts and a transition game.[6]

In Conradt's first season, the team went 36–10. The team was ranked in the AP top ten in the nation all but one year in the 1980s, including a string of four years, from 1984 to 1988, where they earned the number one in the nation ranking.[4] The success translated into fan support — the team was averaging 7,500 fans per game by the end of the 1980s, including such state and national leaders as future governor Ann Richards and US Congresswoman Barbara Jordan.[7]

In the 1985 NCAA tournament, the Lady Longhorns lost a heartbreaking game to Western Kentucky 92–90. Watching the game was highly recruited Clarissa Davis, who had not yet decided where to go to school. She resolved to go to Texas, and help them.[7] The following year, Texas would win the national championship with the first undefeated women's season, with a record of 34–0.[4] Although Davis wasn't a starter on the team, she ended up earning the tournament's most valuable player award.[7]

In 38 seasons Conradt's head coaching record was 900–306. Her record of 900 career victories is second only to that of Pat Summitt.[8] During her tenure at UT, her record was 783–245. Between January 1978, and January 1990, Conradt's Lady Longhorns did not lose a Southwest Conference game, a streak of 183 consecutive conference victories.[7] From 1986 to 1991, Texas was the women's basketball attendance leader, including an NCAA record average of 8,481 for one season.[4]

Over her career, Conradt has coached:[9]

  • 28 players who went on to play professionally
  • four US Olympians
  • three players who earned a combined 13 national player of the year honors
  • eight Kodak All-Americans

Conradt was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998 and into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.[10][11] She is only the second woman inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame.[9]

Conradt was succeeded as UT women's basketball head coach by Gail Goestenkors, the former women's basketball head coach at Duke University.

In 2008, Conradt was honored, along with Dick Vitale, by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, with the Naismith Award, an honor presented annually that "pays tribute to the individuals who have made a significant impact on women's and men's college basketball".[9]

After retiring from coaching, Conradt continued to work for the University of Texas as special assistant to the women's athletic director.[12][13]

Head Coaching Record

Basketball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Sam Houston State (TAIAW) (1969–1973)
1969–70 Sam Houston State 17–2
1970–71 Sam Houston State 18–7
1971–72 Sam Houston State 19–7
1972–73 Sam Houston State 20–7
Sam Houston State: 74–23 (.763)
UT Arlington (Independent) (1973–1976)
1973–74 UT Arlington 9–14
1974–75 UT Arlington 11–14
1975–76 UT Arlington 23–11
UT Arlington: 43–39 (.524)
Texas (Independent) (1976–1982)
1976–77 Texas 36–10AIAW Region 4 Tournament
1977–78 Texas 29–10NWIT Runner-Up
1978–79 Texas 37–4AIAW Region 4 Tournament
1979–80 Texas 33–4AIAW Second Round
1980–81 Texas 28–8 AIAW First Round
1981–82 Texas 35–4AIAW Runner-Up
Texas (Southwest Conference) (1982–1996)
1982–83 Texas 30–38–01stNCAA Elite Eight
1983–84 Texas 32–316–01stNCAA Elite Eight
1984–85 Texas 28–316–01stNCAA Sweet Sixteen
1985–86 Texas 34–016–01stNCAA Champions
1986–87 Texas 31–216–01stNCAA Final Four
1987–88 Texas 32–316–01stNCAA Elite Eight
1988–89 Texas 27–516–01stNCAA Elite Eight
1989–90 Texas 27–515–1T-1stNCAA Elite Eight
1990–91 Texas 21–914–22ndNCAA First Round
1991–92 Texas 21–1011–33rdNCAA Second Round (Bye)
1992–93 Texas 22–813–1T-1stNCAA Second Round (Bye)
1993–94 Texas 22–910–43rdNCAA Second Round
1994–95 Texas 12–167–7T-4th
1995–96 Texas 21–913–1T-1stNCAA Second Round
Texas (Big 12) (1996–2007)
1996–97 Texas 22–812–4T-2ndNCAA Second Round
1997–98 Texas 12–157–97th
1998–99 Texas 16–1210–64thNCAA First Round
1999–2000 Texas 21–139–76thNCAA First Round
2000–01 Texas 20–137–97thNCAA First Round
2001–02 Texas 22–1010–65ttNCAA Sweet Sixteen
2002–03 Texas 29–615–11stNCAA Final Four
2003–04 Texas 30–514–2T-1stNCAA Sweet Sixteen
2004–05 Texas 22–913–32ndNCAA Second Round
2005–06 Texas 13–157–9T-8th
2006–07 Texas 18–146–10T-7th
Texas: 783–245 (.762)SWC: 187-19 (.908)
Big 12: 243-159 (.604)
Total:900–307 (.746)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Volleyball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
UT Arlington (AIAW) (1973–1975)
1973 UT Arlington 27–9–3T-9th AIAW National Tournament
1974 UT Arlington 44–6–37th AIAW National Tournament
1975 UT Arlington 34–14–2AIAW National Tournament
UT Arlington: 105–29–8 (.768)
Texas (TAIAW) (1976–1977)
1976 Texas 28–19–52ndAIAW National Qualifier
1977 Texas 34–19–24th
Texas: 62–38–7 (.612)
Total:167–67–15 (.701)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Awards and honors

  • 1984 - Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year[14]
  • 1986 - Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coach of the Year[14]
  • 1986 - Texas Women's Hall of Fame[15]
  • 1998 - Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame[16]
  • 1999 - Inducted into the Inaugural class at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
  • 1995 - International Women's Sports Hall of Fame[16]
  • 1995 International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame[17]
  • 1997 - Texas Sports Hall of Fame[16]
  • 1987 Carol Eckman Award - Women's Basketball Coaches Association[18]
  • 1991 Outstanding Commitment to Women's Athletics - National Association for Girls and Women in Sports
  • 2000 UT Women's Athletics Hall of Honor[19]
  • 2003 Harvey Penick Award for Excellence in the Game of Life - Caritas of Austin
  • 2004 CASEY Award - Kansas City Sports Association
  • Conference Coach of the Year - 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1996, 2003, 2004
  • National Coach of the Year - 1980, 1984, 1986, 1997, 2003, 2004
  • 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award by National Association Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA)[20]

See also

Notes

  1. "Women's Basketball Coaches Career". NCAA. Retrieved September 23, 2015.
  2. Porter p. 86
  3. Skaine, p. 119
  4. Porter p. 87
  5. "Head Coach Jody Conradt". University of Texas Athletics. March 12, 2007. Archived from the original on August 14, 2007. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  6. Skaine, p. 120
  7. Grundy p. 202–208
  8. Schultz, Tracy (March 13, 2007). "For love of the game". SI.com. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  9. "Jody Conradt and Dick Vitale Selected as Naismith Award Winners". Naismith Awards. March 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 18, 2010. Retrieved May 15, 2010.
  10. "Hall of Famers". Basketball Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  11. "WBHOF Inductees". WBHOF. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  12. "Staff Directory". University of Texas at Austin Athletics. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  13. "Special Assistant Jody Conradt". Texas Athletics. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
  14. "Past Russell Athletic/WBCA National Coaches of the Year". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
  15. "Jody Conradt - Special Assistant - Staff Directory". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  16. Skaine, p. 121
  17. Jr, Donald Ray Parish (July 1, 2019). "Hall of Fame and Former Texas Longhorns Basketball Coach Jody Conradt by Donald Ray Parish Jr". VISIBLE Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  18. "Carol Eckman Award". Women's Basketball Coaches Association. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2014.
  19. "Jody Conradt (2000) - Hall of Honor". University of Texas Athletics. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  20. "Conradt honored with Lifetime Achievement Award by NACWAA - TEXAS LONGHORNS Official Athletic Site". Retrieved June 20, 2010.

References

  • Grundy, Pamela; Susan Shackelford (2005). Shattering the Glass. The New Press. pp. 175. ISBN 1-56584-822-5.
  • David L. Porter, ed. (2005). Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-30952-6.
  • Skaine, Rosemarie (2001). Women College Basketball Coaches. Foreword by Betty F. Jaynes. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland. ISBN 9780786409204.
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