By: HISTORY.com Editors

1985

Lynette Woodard becomes first female Harlem Globetrotters player

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 01, 2021

Last Updated: January 30, 2025

On October 7, 1985, Lynette Woodard, captain of the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic women's basketball team in 1984, becomes the first female player for the Harlem Globetrotters. “I got chills, Woodard, 26, says of her selection. "I just shook my head and I said: ‘It’s me, I know it’s me.’” She beats out nine other finalists for the historic honor.

It was perhaps fitting that Woodard became the first female Globetrotter as her obsession with basketball began when her cousin, Hubert “Geese” Ausbie, then a member of the barnstorming team, visited her when she was 8. After witnessing Ausbie spin the ball on his finger and show off other Globetrotter moves, she was hooked.

Woodard traveled with the Globetrotters for two years and was presented with a “Legends” ring in 1996, joining her cousin Ausbie in receiving the team’s most prestigious honor.

After leading Wichita North High School to two state championships, Woodard became a star at the University of Kansas. When she finished college in 1981, however, she had limited options in women’s professional basketball—the first Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) season did not tip off until 1997. So, Woodard  played two seasons in the Italian women’s league, leading all players in scoring.

Woodard led the Americans' 1984 Olympic team to a gold medal, but she did not play at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow because of the U.S. boycott.

After her retirement from professional basketball in 1995, Woodard came out of retirement to play two seasons in the WNBA for the Cleveland Rockers and Detroit Shock.

In 2004, Woodard was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

10 Things You May Not Know About the Harlem Globetrotters

Explore 10 surprising facts about the famous barnstorming basketball team.

By: Christopher Klein

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 7th

1780

Battle of King’s Mountain

During the American Revolution, Patriot irregulars under Colonel William Campbell defeat Tories under Major Patrick Ferguson at the Battle of King’s Mountain. Major Ferguson’s Tory force, made up mostly of American Loyalists from South Carolina and elsewhere, was the western wing of General Lord Cornwallis’ North Carolina invasion force. One thousand American frontiersmen under Colonel […]

1864

Union and Confederate forces clash at Darbytown Road outside Richmond

A Confederate attempt to regain ground that had been lost around Richmond, Virginia, is thwarted when Union troops turn back General Robert E. Lee’s assault at Darbytown Road.  In the summer of 1864, the campaign between Lee and Union General Ulysses S. Grant ground to a halt at Petersburg, 25 miles south of Richmond. The […]

1913

Moving assembly line debuts at Ford factory

For the first time, Henry Ford’s entire Highland Park, Michigan automobile factory is run on a continuously moving assembly line when the chassis—the automobile’s frame—is assembled using the revolutionary industrial technique. A motor and rope pulled the chassis past workers and parts on the factory floor, cutting the man-hours required to complete one “Model T.” […]

1916

Georgia Tech shuts out Cumberland, 222-0, in most lopsided college football game

On October 7, 1916, Georgia Tech defeats Cumberland University, 222-0, in the most lopsided game in college football history. Coached by John Heisman, later namesake of college football’s most famous trophy, Georgia Tech takes a 63-0 lead in the first quarter at Grant Field in Atlanta. “All of Cumberland’s plays were smothered completely,” the Atlanta Constitution […]

1943

Japanese execute nearly 100 American POWs on Wake Island

On October 7, 1943, Rear Adm. Shigematsu Sakaibara, commander of the Japanese garrison on the island, orders the execution of 98 Americans POWs, claiming they were trying to make radio contact with U.S. forces. In late December 1941, the Japanese reinforced existing forces on Wake Island, part of a coral atoll west of Hawaii, in […]

1944

Hundreds of prisoners revolt at Auschwitz-Birkenau

On October 7, 1944, in a bold act of resistance, several hundred prisoners incarcerated in the Nazi death camps of Auschwitz-Birkenau stage the Sonderkommando revolt, destroying most of the gas chambers and crematoria where they were forced to work. While some of the inmates manage to kill a handful of Nazi officers and briefly escape […]

1949

East Germany created

Less than five months after Great Britain, the United States and France established the Federal Republic of Germany in West Germany, the Democratic Republic of Germany is proclaimed within the Soviet occupation zone. Criticized by the West as an un-autonomous Soviet creation, Wilhelm Pieck was named East Germany’s first president, with Otto Grotewohl as prime […]

1955

Poet Allen Ginsberg reads “Howl” for the first time

Poet Allen Ginsberg reads his poem “Howl” at a poetry reading at Six Gallery in San Francisco. The poem was an immediate success that rocked the Beat literary world and set the tone for confessional poetry of the 1960s and later. Ginsberg was born in 1926 to a high school English teacher father and Marxist […]

1960

Kennedy and Nixon debate Cold War foreign policy

In the second of four televised debates, Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon turn their attention to foreign policy issues. Three Cold War episodes, in particular, engendered spirited confrontations between Kennedy and Nixon. The first involved Cuba, which had recently come under the control of Fidel Castro. Nixon argued that […]

1960

CBS broadcasts the premiere episode of “Route 66″

On October 7, 1960, the first episode of the one-hour television drama “Route 66” airs on CBS. The program had a simple premise: It followed two young men, Buz Murdock (George Maharis) and Tod Stiles (Martin Milner), as they drove across the country in an inherited Corvette (Chevrolet was one of the show’s sponsors), doing […]

1975

A judge reverses John Lennon’s deportation order

On October 7, 1975, a Federal Appeals Court judge reverses a deportation order for John Lennon, allowing him to remain legally in his adoptive home of New York City. Protests against the Vietnam War had escalated significantly following the announcement of the Cambodia invasion on April 30, 1970, and the shooting deaths of four student […]

1983

“Never Say Never Again,” which brings back Sean Connery as 007, opens in U.S. theaters

On October 7, 1983, Never Say Never Again opens in U.S. theaters, featuring Sean Connery in a reprise of his role as the British secret service agent James Bond—which he had last played in 1971. The film’s title referenced the fact that the Scottish-born actor had previously remarked that he would never play Agent 007 […]

1985

Palestinian terrorists hijack an Italian cruise ship

Four Palestinian terrorists board the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro shortly after it left Alexandria, Egypt, in order to hijack the luxury liner. The well-armed men, who belonged to the Popular Front for the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), the terrorist wing of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) led by Abu Abbas, easily took control of the […]

2001

U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan begins

On October 7, 2001, a U.S.-led coalition begins attacks on Taliban-controlled Afghanistan with an intense bombing campaign by American and British forces. Logistical support was provided by other nations including France, Germany, Australia and Canada and, later, troops were provided by the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance rebels. The invasion of Afghanistan was the opening salvo in […]

US Forces in Kandahar

2003

Arnold Schwarzenegger elected California governor

On October 7, 2003, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected governor of California, the most populous state in the nation with the world’s fifth-largest economy. Despite his inexperience, Schwarzenegger came out on top in the 11-week campaign to replace Gray Davis, who had earlier become the first United States governor to be recalled by the people […]

Related Articles

See All Articles
Sports

8 College Basketball Coaches Who Changed the Game

At the highest levels, college basketball has produced some of the game’s most transformative and innovative men’s and women’s coaches. Here are eight who left lasting legacies.

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik knocked New York Giants running back Frank Gifford unconscious.
Sports

When Frank Gifford Was Knocked Out by One of the Most Vicious Tackles in NFL History

In 1960, Chuck Bednarik's 'perfectly legal' hit on the New York Giants' star resounded beyond the playing field.

Evel Knievel mid-jump during a successful attempt to jump over a row of 19 cars, a record at the time, on February 28, 1971.
Sports

What Are the Most Insanely Daring Stunts Since Evel Knievel?

There have always been daredevils. But never has there been such a variety of creative ways to defy death—and break a few world records along the way.

Super Bowl fans party in Metro as they watch the half-time through 3-D glasses. Most at K. C. McFly's tavern on Victoria Park Ave. yesterday backed the 49ers and went wild at the last-minute 20-16 win over the Bengals. (Photo by Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images
Sports

Weird and Wondrous: the Evolution of Super Bowl Halftime Shows

From a disastrous 'Battle of New Orleans' and a 3-D glasses experiment to the comical 'Left Shark,' the entertainment has captured the public's imagination.

See All Articles

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen, Christian Zapata and Cristiana Lombardo.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article title
Lynette Woodard becomes first female Harlem Globetrotters player
Website Name
History
Date Accessed
April 23, 2025
Publisher
A&E Television Networks
Last Updated
January 30, 2025
Original Published Date
November 01, 2021

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us