Carol Blazejowski
(Born 1956)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1994
Card Shown:
2009-10 Panini Hall of Fame
Famed Signatures
Position: F
Height: 5’10”
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Carol Blazejowski, “The Blaze,” was one of the top basketball players of her era. She was a scoring machine who set single season and career records for points per game. Carol helped lead her United States teams to international success at the World University Games and the Pan American Games. Although she was selected captain of the 1980 US Olympic team, Blazejowski never had the opportunity to play in the Olympics. Carol played professionally for one season with the New Jersey Gems of the World Basketball League. She later worked in both the NBA and the WNBA before returning to her alma mater, Montclair State, to serve as the Associate Vice President for University Advancement.
Awards and Honors
- Blazejowski was a three-time All-American selection while playing for Montclair State College in 1976, 1977, and 1978.
- In 1978, Carol became the first recipient of the Wade Trophy, presented to the Women’s Basketball Player of the Year. The previous year, in 1977, she had been recognized as the Converse Women’s Player of the Year.
- In 1977, Carol led her team to a silver medal at the World University Games in Bulgaria. She averaged 20.5 points per game and was her team’s top scorer. Two years later, in 1979, Blazejowski again led the US team in scoring (18.4 points per game) as they captured the gold medal at the World University Games in Mexico.
- She also led the US team to a silver medal at the Pan American Games in 1979.
- Carol was selected to be the captain on the 1980 US Olympic team but never had the opportunity to play as the USA boycotted the games being held in Moscow.
Points of Interest
- In high school, Blazejowski helped to get a girls basketball program started by threatening to try out for the boys team.
- At Montclair State, Carol led the nation in scoring in 1976-77 with 33.5 points per game and again in 1977-78 with 38.6 points per game. She finished her time at Montclair State with a career average of 31.7 points per game.
- Blazejowski set the single-game scoring mark at Madison Square Garden when she scored 52 points against Queens College in 1976.
- Carol played one year of professional basketball with the New Jersey Gems of the World Basketball League. She signed a historic women’s professional contract for $50,000, but never saw a penny of that money as the league folded. During that one season, Blazejowski was named the league MVP and led the league in scoring.
- After her career as a player ended, Carol worked for Adidas and then for the NBA in their consumer products group.
- When the WNBA began in 1997, Blazejowski was the vice president and general manager for the New York Liberty. Under her tenure, the Liberty made the playoffs ten times and advanced to the WNBA Finals four times.