Country United States Official website Official site | First awarded 1986 | |
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Awarded for coach who best demonstrates the character of the late Carol Eckman Presented by Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Currently held by Jane Albright, University of Nevada, Reno | ||
The Carol Eckman Award is an award given annually since 1986 to the women's college basketball active coach who "best demonstrates the character of the late Carol Eckman, the mother of the collegiate women's basketball national championship". Given by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the award is named for former women's head coach Carol Eckman, a head coach best known for establishing the first National Invitational Women's Intercollegiate Basketball Tournament in 1969.
Eckman, who served as head coach at West Chester State College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Lock Haven State College, started the national tournament while at West Chester State College. She started the sixteen team tournament in 1969. Eckman invited 15 teams to the West Chester campus, charging each $25 to cover officials and awards. This tournament served as a springboard for the formation of the AIAW two years later, which administered national championships for many sports, including basketball, from 1971 until 1982, when the NCAA became involved in women's sports.
The criteria for the award include: