UDC Department of Athletics Salutes Bessie Stockard

WASHINGTON, DC- In honor of women's history month and the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the University of the District of Columbia's Department of Athletics celebrates the accomplishments of the legendary Bessie Stockard and the stamp that she has left on women's sports and continues to leave on her students.

Stockard, is a Tuskegee Hall of Famer, a District of Columbia Sports Hall of Famer, and a UDC Athletics Hall of Famer. In 1969 she spearheaded the women's basketball program at Federal City College, which she took all the way to the AIAW National Championships in 1975. She later served as an assistant coach for the 1976 women's national basketball team which was also the first U.S. team to compete in the Olympics.

"To call Bessie Stockard an icon is an understatement," said Director of Athletics Patricia Thomas. " As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Title IX and the fight for equity in women's sports, the powerhouse women's basketball program she built at Federal City College (UDC's predecessor institution) is nothing short of amazing. Her team was one of the five elite teams selected to compete against the women's basketball team of the People's Republic of China in 1975. That is indicate of the national level of respect she earned."

Stockard is currently a professor of Health Science at UDC and is completing her doctorate from Gambling University