1982-1986

Lucille Wood earns spot in E.C.J.C.'s sports Hall of Fame On October 18, at its annual In addition to coaching basketball, homecoming celebration, East Central Wood coached the East Central tennis Junior College will honor one of its team for a number of years, producing former athletes and coaches. Lucille 4 state championship doubles teams. Wood, an outstanding coach and During her coaching career, 21 of her teacher, has been chosen by an alumni basketball players were chosen to All- committee as the 1986 inductee into the State, All-Region, and/or All-American ECJC Athletic Hall of Fame. teams. Wood coached women's basketball at Other athletic leadership roles include East Central from 1956 to 1985 when she being a member of the Region VII Na- retired from coaching to accept a tional Coach of the Year Selection Com- fulltime teaching position at the college. mittee, Region 23 Women's Basketball During her years as a coach, Wood pro- Committee, and President of the duced six division or state championship Mississippi A.I .A.W. Wood has coach- teams and took six teams to the ed the Junior College All Star game three Southeast Regional Tournament. times and was the Miss. Association of A graduate of Louisville High School Coaches Coach of the Year in 1979. and East Central Junior College, Wood That same year she was a top 20 finalist holds the BS and MA Degrees from the for National Junior College Coach of University of Southern Mississippi. the Year. Before returning to East Central to teach The 1986 Hall of Fame inductee has and coach, she taught and coached at excelled in numerous professional Copiah-Lincoln Junior College. endeavors outside the athletic arena. She Wood is recognized as an outstanding is currently serving as President of the pioneer in junior college women's ECJC Faculty Club for the second time; athletics in Mississippi, having been in- she has served as President of the ECJC strumental in re-instating women's Alumni Association, and is a certified

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evaluator for the Miss. State Dept. of Education. Wood is listed in WHO'S WHO IN THE SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST and in WHO's WHO OF AMERICAN WOMEN . She has been a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society Interna– tional since 1962. A former player of Coach Wood, now a coach in a Mississippi high school, summed up Wood's contributions in this way: "Lucille Wood certainly has the credentials, both as an athlete and a coach, to make her deserving of this honor. But winning alone in sports is of little value if a player does not learn to give unselfishly of herself, to help others, and to contribute to society. These qualities have always been instilled by this great coach into her players and students." Former players, students, and fellow coaches are invited to homecoming at East Central to assist in honoring Coach Wood. She will be recognized at the alumni luncheon at 12 noon in Mabry Cafeteria on the East Central Junior College Campus.

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Lucille Wood basketball as an organized sport in 1968, after a period of 14 years during which the state had no organized college women's basketball programs.