UCLA Hall of Fame Coach

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Billie Moore was the first coach to lead two schools to national women’s basketball championships - Cal State Fullerton and UCLA. In 1970, her very first season at Cal State Fullerton, Moore led her team to the AIAW national title, and in her second season at UCLA in 1978, she guided the Bruins to their first and only national championship. Moore was UCLA head coach for 16 years (1977-93) and compiled a 296-181 (.621) record. Along with the AIAW Championship, she led her team to a fourth-place finish in 1979, and her Bruin teams finished ninth nationally in 1985 and 1992. At Cal State Fullerton, she recorded a 140-15 record in eight seasons, and her overall coaching record at both schools was 436-196 over 24 years. Her UCLA and Cal State Fullerton teams won 10 conference championships and advanced to the post-season 16 times with a 59-18 record. Moore, who coached fellow Hall of Famers Ann Meyers and Denise Curry, became the eighth coach in women’s basketball history to reach the 400-win mark. Moore coached the first U.S. women’s Olympic basketball team to a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976. She also led the 1973 and 1975 entries to the World University Games and the 1975 U.S. Pan American Games team.

Many of Coach Moore’s former players (Ann Meyers, Denise Curry, Anita Ortega and Pat Summitt) have gone on to excel in athletic endeavors including college coaching, professional basketball, radio/television broadcasting and community service. Pat Summitt has been quoted as saying, “Billie Moore has had more influence on my coaching career than anyone. She was my mentor. She’s had a huge impact on my coaching style.” Moore is a Westmoreland, Kansas native who received her undergraduate degree from Washburn University in Kansas and earned her Master’s degree from Southern Illinois University. In 1999, she received her Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Washburn University.