Among the inductees for the first class were Immaculata’s 1972, 1973, and 1974 National Women’s College Basketball Championship teams, Coach Cathy Rush, and three championship players who achieved All-American status.  In addition, Sister Marita David Kirsch, IHM, a member of Immaculata College’s Mythical City Championship Team 1945-1946, was inducted.

Members of the Championship teams (married name in parentheses):
Denise Conway (Crawford) of Havertown, PA
Marianne Crawford (Stanley) of Raleigh, NC
Barbara Deuble (Kelly) of White Bear Lake, MN
Sue Forsyth (O’Grady) of Drexel Hill, PA
Betty Ann Hoffman (Quinn) of Ardmore, PA
Nancy Johnston
Tina Krah of Indianapolis, IN
Marie Liguori (Williams) of Aventura, FL
Judy Marra (Martelli) of Media, PA
Maureen Mooney (deceased)
Patricia Mulhern (Loughran) of Broomall, PA
Rene Muth (Portland) of Bloomington, IN
Patricia Opila (Penater) (deceased)
Janet Ruch (Boltz) of Glen Mills, PA
Mary Scharff of Audubon, NJ
Theresa Shank (Grentz) of West Chester, PA
Maureen Stuhlman of South Lake Tahoe, CA
Janet Young (Eline) of Gettysburg, PA
Coach: Cathy Rush

All-Americans:
Marianne Crawford (Stanley): Two-time All-American 1975, 1976
Mary Scharff: All-American 1977
Theresa Shank (Grentz): Three-time All-American 1972, 1973, 1974

Coach:
Cathy Rush

Player:
Sister Marita David Kirsch, IHM:
The Mythical City team defeated top-ranked Temple University – breaking their 31-game winning streak.

Members of Immaculata’s Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee included administrators, faculty, and coaches from the University.  Immaculata University’s Hall of Fame is housed in Alumnae Hall adjacent to the IU gymnasium.

Tickets to the induction ceremony are $50 per person or $500 per table of ten.  To reserve tickets, please contact Susan Ross at 610-647-4400, ext. 3874. 

Among the inductees for the first class are Immaculata’s 1972, 1973, and 1974 National Women’s College Basketball Championship teams that include: Janet Ruch Boltz, Denise Conway Crawford, Janet Young Eline, Theresa Shank Grentz, Nancy Johnston, Barbara Deuble Kelly, Tina Krah, Patricia Mulhern Loughran, Judy Marra Martelli, Maureen Mooney, Sue Forsyth O’Grady, Patricia Opila Penater, Rene Muth Portland, Betty Ann Hoffman Quinn, Mary Scharff, Marianne Crawford Stanley, Maureen Stuhlman, Marie Liguori Williams, Coach Cathy Rush, and three championship players who achieved All-American status (Theresa Shank Grentz, Marianne Crawford Stanley, and Mary Sharff).  In addition, Sister Marita David Kirsch, IHM, a member of Immaculata College’s Mythical City Championship Team 1945-1946, will also be inducted.

Immaculata University is a comprehensive, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher education, located on the Main Line between Malvern and Exton, 20 miles west of Philadelphia.

The Mighty Macs team members and their coach, Cathy Rush, won the first three U.S. national women’s college basketball championships in 1972, 1973, and 1974. They played the University of Maryland in the first nationally televised women’s basketball game in 1974, and they earned Immaculata the title of the birthplace of modern college women’s basketball.

The teams produced several NCAA Division I head women’s basketball coaches, including Theresa Shank Grentz, an All-American player who went on to become the head coach for the 1992 U.S. Olympic Women’s Basketball team, and president of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Also from the player’s roster of All-American Mighty Macs is Marianne Crawford Stanley. Stanley won three national championships as head women’s basketball coach at Old Dominion. She is now a coach with the WNBA Washington Mystics.

Another coaching standout is Rene Muth Portland. She is the former head women’s basketball coach at Penn State. Her career resume includes 21 NCAA tournament appearances including a Final Four appearance played in Philadelphia in 2000.

Mighty Macs Head Coach Cathy Rush was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. Her record at Immaculata was 149-15. She also had six Final Four appearances from her 1970-1977 coaching tenure with the Mighty Macs.

Through all of these achievements, the Mighty Macs significantly raised the profile of women’s sports, capturing national attention and inspiring younger generations to compete and win in their games.

To celebrate these accomplishments and the release of The Mighty Macs, a movie starring Carla Gugino, David Boreanaz, and Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Immaculata University has observed the year of the Mighty Macs in 2011-2012, 40 years after the first championship season. As part of the festivities, Immaculata created a commemorative website, www.yearofthemightymacs.com; held a black tie gala at The Franklin Institute; organized a movie premiere at the Kimmel Center; and hosted a DVD release party at the Independence Seaport Museum.

Immaculata University is a residential, Catholic, coeducational institution of higher education, located on the Main Line between Malvern and Exton, 20 miles west of Philadelphia.