WACO, Texas -- Fran Garmon couldn't hold back her emotions when the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame opened last year in Knoxville, Tenn.

Garmon knew all the struggles that women's basketball had gone through to reach a nationwide level of popularity. She had dedicated her life to the sport. Finally, there was a site celebrating the 100-year history of the game.

	Kim Mulkey-Robertson was an assistant at La. Tech for 15 seasons.

"I cried when that building opened," Garmon said.

Garmon and Baylor coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson were among 24 people inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame on June 10 in Knoxville. Though they took much different roads to the Hall of Fame, both Garmon and Mulkey-Robertson have created a special place in the history of the game.

A native of Moody, Garmon is best known for building a powerhouse at Temple Junior College from 1962-79 before going on to head coaching jobs at Delta State and TCU until her retirement in 1993. She also coached United States teams in international competition and served as president of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame for five years beginning in 1994.

"If you're a coach, you know who the founding fathers are," Mulkey-Robertson said. "Fran was around when women's basketball really didn't have anything that it has today. What she's done for the game hasn't been forgotten."

Mulkey-Robertson was an All-America point guard for a Louisiana Tech dynasty that reached four straight Final Fours from 1981-84 and won two national championships. She helped the U.S. women's basketball team win the 1984 Olympic gold medal before becoming an assistant coach at Louisiana Tech in 1985.

After 15 years at Louisiana Tech, Mulkey-Robertson was named Baylor's head women's basketball coach in April.

"I'm overwhelmed and humbled," said Mulkey-Robertson of her selection to the Hall of Fame. "I've been very fortunate. Whatever success I've had is a reflection of the good players and coaches I've been around. They've made me look better than I really am."

When Mulkey-Robertson began playing at Louisiana Tech in 1980, women's basketball had already experienced considerable growth due to people like Fran Garmon. Garmon had already worked through issues in the 1960s that made the game better for the players of the 1980s.

Relegated to half-court play
Texas girls basketball teams didn't play five-on-five basketball when Garmon played at Moody High School in the 1950s. Each team put six players on the court. Three played offense on one half of the court and three played defense on the other half.

"I don't know where anyone got the idea that girls couldn't run up and down the court," Garmon said. "I guess they thought girls weren't strong enough to get from one end to the other."

After graduating from Mary Hardin-Baylor in 1961, Garmon started the Temple Junior College women's basketball program the following year.

"Our school president gave me $50," Garmon said. "I gave it to Sandra Steel from Abbott. She was my first scholarship player. It was very important to me to give a scholarship because I felt that girls should get them for playing basketball. When I got $500 and four tuition scholarships the next year, I thought I hit the gold mine."

Gradually increasing its scholarships every year, TJC quickly developed into a power that could beat most four-year schools.

Garmon's teams played everyone from the University of Texas to high school teams. Beginning in 1965-66, TJC became a fixture at national tournaments.

"We'd beat Texas by 40 or 50 points back then," said Garmon, who compiled a 383-157 record at TJC.

Garmon constantly tried to get other junior colleges to start programs so TJC could have more competition.

"I'd plead with people to play," Garmon said. "I remember Ranger Junior College started a women's team because the guys there were complaining that there weren't enough girls at school."

Women's college basketball in the 1960s included a mishmash of styles. Teams like TJC played full-court five-on-five basketball, while others played the three-on-three halfcourt style that Texas high schools used. Others used three-on-three halfcourt rules, but spiced it up by having one or two rovers who could play the entire court.

Getting on the same page
In 1969, Garmon formed a meeting of Texas women's college basketball coaches at Mary Hardin-Baylor. They ironed out a plan to make all Texas women's college basketball teams go to the full-court five-on-five game.

"We finally got on the same page and played by the same rules," Garmon said. "It made a big impact on the rest of the country. I think women's basketball started to explode after that."

Garmon led TJC to the first NJCAA championship in 1975 before becoming the head coach at Delta State in 1979. One of the most respected coaches in the country, Garmon led the United States to the gold medal in the 1979 World University Games and the 1983 Pan American Games.

	“	If you're a coach, you know who the founding fathers are. Fran was around when women's basketball really didn't have anything that it has today. What she's done for the game hasn't been forgotten. ”
		— Kim Mulkey-Robertson

Mulkey-Robertson played point guard for the 1983 world championship team that pulled off a stunning win over the powerful Soviet Union. The win was a big step forward for the United States.

"That was a very important win for the United States," Mulkey-Robertson said. "But probably the thing I remember most was taking a charge from their 7-2 center."

By the time Mulkey-Robertson played for Garmon in the 1983 Pan American Games, she was already a well-known figure in women's college basketball. After leading Hammond (La.) to four straight state championships, Mulkey-Robertson became the sparkplug for Sonja Hogg's Louisiana Tech powerhouse.

The Lady Techsters won the last AIAW national title in 1981 and the first NCAA title in 1982. A prolific scorer in high school, Mulkey-Robertson focused on developing her passing skills at Louisiana Tech, and finished as the school's all-time leader with 6.38 assists per game.

With her French braids flying, Mulkey-Robertson was one of the most recognizable players in the game.

"Kim was exactly what you'd want in a point guard," Garmon said. "She was a student of the game and had a knack for making everybody else look good. A good point guard can see what's going to happen one or two passes away. But Kim could see what was going to happen three passes away."

During her 20 years as a college player and coach, Mulkey-Robertson has seen the game explode. When she played at Louisiana Tech, only a few schools put a great deal of money into women's basketball. Now, most schools around the country are trying to build strong women's basketball programs.

Parity brings balance
"I was fortunate enough to play in four Final Fours," Mulkey-Robertson said. "I don't know if that will ever happen again. When I played, there were four or five teams that had a shot at the national championship. But there's so much more parity now. And that's good for the game.

"I'm very appreciative of how the game has progressed," Mulkey-Robertson said. "It's wonderful how schools are putting so much more money into their women's basketball programs. Little girls have role models now. Young ladies can look at players now and say, 'Wow, I'd like to do that someday.' "

Garmon is also thrilled how women's college basketball has exploded along with the advent of the WNBA. But she hopes that women's college basketball doesn't fall prey to some of the problems that have affected the men's game.

"We have to fight the bad things that can happen, like problems with recruiting," Garmon said. "Coaches don't need to be exhausting themselves on the road and corporate money shouldn't be swaying kids to go to certain schools. Women's basketball has come a long way. But it still has a long way to go."