Joan Crawford
(Born 1937)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1997
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Position: C
Height: 5’11”
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Joan Crawford played center on one of the top women’s basketball dynasties of the late 1950s and 1960s, Nashville Business College (NBC). There she teamed with Hall of Famer Nera White to lead the team to ten Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) Championships. Crawford had a solid offensive game but was known for her outstanding rebounding and passing. Joan was a trailblazer in the women’s basketball movement and helped pave the way for today’s women’s basketball.
Awards and Honors
- In 1957 Crawford played on the USA team that defeated the Soviet Union to win the USA women’s second World Championship. Although down 27-24 at halftime, the USA women rallied to win the game, 51-48.
- Joan helped lead the USA Basketball Team to two gold medals in the Pan American Games in 1959 and 1963. In 1959 she averaged 11.4 points per game and in 1963 she averaged 16.3 points per game.
- Crawford was a thirteen-time AAU All-American.
- She and Nera White led Nashville Business College to ten AAU titles, including eight straight in the 1960s.
- Joan was chosen the Most Valuable Player in both the 1963 and 1964 AAU National Tournaments.
Points of Interest
- Joan started playing the game of basketball when she was in 5th grade. She credits her brother Bob for her success in basketball. He taught her the fundamentals of the game including rebounding, defense, and shooting. He also encouraged her to work very hard at the game.
- Crawford played AAU basketball for fourteen years, two years on the Clarendon Junior College team and twelve years for Nashville Business College.
- Basketball opened up many opportunities for Joan during her lifetime, allowing her to travel the world and experience things that would not have been possible without the game.
- The game of basketball also helped Crawford to overcome her shyness and her speech defect and gave her the confidence to persevere. Her message to others was that “no matter what kind of handicap you have, you can do whatever you want to with your life.”
- Joan was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 1999.