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Jan. 4, 2005
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Virginia alumna Dawn Staley (Philadelphia, Pa.) was named the 2004 Female Athlete of the Year, USA Basketball announced.
Staley, who carried the United States flag during the opening ceremonies of the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens last summer, is a three-time Olympic gold medalist. She helped the 2004 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team to the USA’s third consecutive gold medal.
“This year has been incredible for me,” Staley said. “To win the Female Athlete of the Year award from USA Basketball is special for me, because USA Basketball has been such a great part of my life. It gives me so much pride. This is special, because I know it was done the right way. I don’t play to get awards like this, but certainly somebody saw my contributions as something special. When people see me that way, I am honored. I truly am.”
“Dawn Staley has been a great ambassador for USA Basketball for over 15 years,” said USA Basketball Executive Director Jim Tooley. “In Athens, she once again displayed her leadership, both on and off the court, which was invaluable as the U.S. Women’s Olympic Team earned gold for the third consecutive Olympics. A real testament to her character and the respect she has among her peers was shown when she was selected as the 2004 U.S. flag bearer for the opening ceremony. She is a class act.”
A three-time All-American while at Virginia, Staley became the first basketball player from Virginia and the second Virginia female athlete to win a gold medal in the Olympics in 1996. She added a second gold medal in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Staley was named 1994 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year after earning Most Valuable Player honors at the 1994 Goodwill Games and serving as a member of 1994 United States National Team that won the gold medal at the 1994 Goodwill Games.
With her third gold medal in 2004 in Athens, Staley became one of only three women in U.S. history to earn three Olympic gold medals in women’s basketball (along with Teresa Edwards and Lisa Leslie).
At the 2004 Olympics the 34-year-old passed off for a team best 23 assists, while averaging 4.1 ppg. A true floor general, Staley ran the USA’s offense to near perfection and looked for the open pass before the open shot. However, when her team needed her to score, she did just that. In the gold medal game against Australia, which was a close affair late into the game, Staley notched all of her 14 points in the second half, including six points in a span of 1:20 that helped put the game away for the United States. The U.S. went on to earn the 74-63 victory and the gold medal and Staley exited the international stage in a blaze of glory.
“I’m really proud for Dawn Staley,” said Houston Comets head coach Van Chancellor, who coached Staley at the 2004 Olympics and 2002 FIBA World Championship. “That is so good because sometimes when you play the point guard position on a basketball team, you don’t get the proper recognition. But there’s no doubt, in the gold medal game if she doesn’t step up in the second half and make some big time baskets, I don’t know if we would have won the gold medal. I don’t know of anyone who is more deserving than she is.”
“It’s great to have your Olympic coach say those things about you,” said Staley. “But certainly I know why I was put on the team. The fact that I was coming in as one of three players (Leslie and Sheryl Swoopes) with the most experience, one of three players with the most understanding of the situation calls for, I would not have been doing my part if I let this team fail. To let this team fail would have meant letting our coaching staff fail. I didn’t want to be a part of that. I was going to do everything I could to ensure our success. Whether that was scoring, passing, or talking and cheering, I was going to do my part.”
Dubbed simply “The Leader” by U.S. teammate Yolanda Griffin, Staley already has an unrivaled legacy as a player at every level. Following the Olympics, she resumed her “summer job” as a point guard for the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting as the season has been suspended during the Summer Games. Staley ranks third on the team in scoring (8.1 ppg.) and tops the Sting in assists (4.3 apg.).
In her sixth season, Staley helped lead the Sting to the 2001 WNBA championship series and was voted an Eastern Conference reserve in the 2001 WNBA All-Star game. Staley was the winner of the WNBA Sportsmanship Award and the WNBA Entrepreneurial Award in 1999. In 2001, Staley became the first U.S. professional to record 1,000 career assists.
Additionally, Virginia’s all-time scoring leader is the head women’s basketball coach at Temple in her hometown of Philadelphia. In her fifth season, Staley guided the Owls to a 21-10 record and their third NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
Information courtesy of USA Basketball