2012

Betty F. Jaynes

For more than 35 years, Jaynes has been a leading figure nationally in the sport of women's basketball. Named the WBCA’s first executive director in September 1981 (her title was changed to CEO in September 1996), Jaynes’ tireless efforts saw the association grow from 212 members in its initial year of existence to more than 3,000 at the time of her retirement as CEO in November 2001. 

Under Jaynes’ leadership, the WBCA established itself as a leading resource, voice and advocate for women’s and girls’ basketball at every level. She remains active with the WBCA, working as a consultant to the organization and current CEO Beth Bass, while handling advisory assignments including finances, programming, advocacy and special projects.

Jaynes’ commitment to and national involvement in the development and growth of women’s basketball began long before her employment as WBCA executive director.  While serving as head women’s basketball coach at Madison College (now James Madison University), Jaynes chaired the U.S. Girls’ and Women’s Basketball Rules Committee from 1979 to 1981.  She also acted as tournament director for the 1975 AIAW Large College National Basketball Championships, which boasted the first-ever championship game sellout in the modern era of women’s college basketball. 

That event also featured the selection and recognition of the inaugural Kodak Coaches’ All-America women’s basketball team. Jaynes then took that program under her wing, serving as chair of its selection committee from 1976 through 1982, after which the Kodak Coaches’ All-America program became a part of the WBCA family.  Although no longer sponsored by Kodak, the program remains the most prestigious and storied All-America award in women’s basketball.

In her role as WBCA executive director/CEO, Jaynes served on a variety of national boards, including the Center for the Study of Sport in Society National Advisory Committee; the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors, Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and Women’s Screening Committee; the USA Basketball Board of Directors; the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame Board of Directors; and the Women’s Sports Foundation Board of Trustees. She also coordinated volunteers working the basketball competitions in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games.

Jaynes is the recipient of numerous awards and honors from national organizations, including the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport Honors Award (1991), the NACDA Honors Award (1995), and the Women’s Sports Foundation President’s Award (1997).  She has been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2000) and the NACDA Hall of Fame (2006). In 2006, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honored Jaynes with its John Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the highest honor the Basketball Hall of Fame can present to an individual short of actual induction.

Jaynes also is a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (2007) and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (2008).

Donna Olson

During four years at the University of Idaho, Olson participated in the few sports offered including field hockey, served as President of the WRA, and was a member of I Club. Olson received her master’s from Washington State University and began what was to be 40 years at the collegiate level in coaching and athletic administration (1971 - 2001).  This era generally was a time of change, opportunity, discrimination, bitterness, recognition, and a quest for equality. Throughout it all, Olson maintained a sense of optimism and a pursuit of possibilities.

Olson spent 14 years at Montclair State College, where she founded the Dial Classic Basketball Tournaments, the Adidas Summer Basketball League, and served as the administrator for the Montclair women’s basketball team, which participated in the inaugural women’s basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden and culminated in the 1978 AIAW Final Four.  She was an officer in the EAIAW and one of the founders of both the NJAIAW and Cosmopolitan Basketball Conferences, serving as president of both.

Olson moved on to the University of Minnesota to serve as Sr. Associate Athletics Director and as an integral  part a very successful women’s athletics department. She also served as tournament manager for six NCAA national championships and many Big Ten Championships.  She was closely involved with the planning and completion of six athletics facilities, three of which were designed exclusively for female student athletes.  She served as a member of the NCAA Olympic Liaison Committee and the Big Ten Conference Sports Governing Committee. Olson is most proud of the fact that Minnesota added 110 opportunities for female athletes with the addition of soccer, rowing, and ice hockey during her tenure.

Olson enhanced her experiences in sport by serving a six month assignment as Basketball Competition Manager for the Atlanta Organizing Committee of the 1996 Olympic Games, giving her the responsibility of the game management of no less than 92 basketball games.

During her 40 years of working in intercollegiate athletics, Olson received the New Jersey NAGWS Honor Award, the Minnesota Pioneer in Women’s Sports Award, Minnesota’s Breaking Barrier Award and was inducted into the Montclair State Athletics Hall of Fame.                                                                                                                                                                                       

Olson describes her career in women’s athletics as exciting, challenging, and rewarding.  She often says “dedicating one’s career in working for opportunities and fairness for girls and women in sport is the next best thing to having had the opportunity!”

Margie McDonald

Margie Hunt McDonald is currently the color analyst for radio broadcasts of the University of Wyoming women’s basketball games. 

Following a nine year coaching career at the University of Wyoming, she entered athletics administration, first as the commissioner of the High Country Athletic Conference headquartered in Laramie, then as the Deputy Commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) with offices in Denver from 1990-1999.   Retiring from the WAC, she returned to Laramie and was hired as Coordinator of Women’s Basketball Officials with the Mountain West Conference from 1999-2005.  When asked to do the color for the Cowgirls, she retired from full time position and became the Cowgirls’ color analyst.  

McDonald’s coaching career included a 9-year stint as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Wyoming, where she compiled a record of 121-114.  She was named the conference coach of the year in 1979 and was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002 and her 1978-79 team was also inducted in 2008. 

McDonald’s responsibilities in the WAC office were far-reaching.  She was Director of Championships, Director of Personnel and Human Resources, Senior Woman Administrator, director of Conference NCAA Governance Structure and the staff liaison to the Conference Council, Executive Committee, Board of Directors, and all coaches groups. 

McDonald has served on the NCAA Division I Championships Cabinet and the Committee on Basketball Issues.  She also served on the NCAA Women’s Basketball Committee (1992-98), Nominating Committee (1988-91) and the Women’s Committee on Committees during her career.

As the coordinator of women’s basketball officials of the Mountain West Conference, McDonald was responsible for recruiting, training, and assigning referees for both non-conference and conference games at the nine member institutions.

A 1964 graduate of Wayland Baptist College, McDonald earned All-America honors and was a member of the USA women’s basketball team that participated in the Women’s World Tournament in Lima, Peru, in 1964.  She received her bachelor’s degree from Wayland in mathematics and biology and master’s degree in sports administration from the University of Wyoming in 1989.  She and her husband, Dr. Lyman McDonald, have three children and nine grandchildren.