Lusia Harris-Stewart
(1955-2022)
Hall of Fame Induction: 1992
Card Shown:
1992 Champion
Hall of Fame Enshrinement
Position: C
Height: 6’3″
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Lusia (pronounced Lucy) Harris was a powerful women’s center who led Delta State to three national championships. At 6’3″ and 185 pounds, Lusia was an outstanding rebounder who dominated in the paint and was a prolific scorer. She became part of the first women’s basketball team to play in the Olympics in 1976 and led the team to a silver medal. Lusia was also the first and only woman to be drafted by an NBA team.
Awards and Honors
- Lusia propelled Delta State to a 109-6 record and three straight AIAW national championships.
- She was a three-time All-American and three-time AIAW tournament MVP (in 1975, 1976, and 1977).
- In 1975 Lusia received a gold medal as a member of the USA Pan American Team.
- Harris was a member of the first USA women’s Olympic basketball team in 1976. She led the team in points and rebounds as Team USA won the silver medal in Montreal. Joining her on the inaugural women’s Olympic team were fellow Hall of Famers Ann Meyers, Nancy Lieberman, and Pat Head Summitt (as a coach).
Points of Interest
- Lusia played under coach Margaret Wade, a fellow Hall of Famer, at Delta State. She averaged 25.9 points per game and 14.4 rebounds per game.
- In 1976 Lusia scored the first points in Olympic women’s basketball history.
- Harris was a seventh round draft choice by the New Orleans Jazz in 1977, becoming the first and only woman to ever be drafted by an NBA team. Likely a publicity stunt, Harris was pregnant and unable to attend training camp.
- Harris married and now goes by her married name Lusia Harris-Stewart.
- Oscar Robertson escorted Lusia to the podium when she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992.
- Lusia was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999. Her Delta State Team received special recognition from the Women’s Hall of Fame in 2017 as “Trailblazers of the Game.”
Lusia Harris-Stewart Signed Postcard
