Becomes the first and only two-time winner of the Wade Trophy as national women’s collegiate player of the year.
Recorded here as April 1, 1980, Nancy Lieberman was awarded the Wade Trophy for the second time, becoming the first and only athlete to win the award twice in women’s basketball. The Wade Trophy honors the nation’s top women’s collegiate player, making her repeat selection a landmark in the sport.
Lieberman had previously won the Wade Trophy for her exceptional play at Old Dominion University, where she led the team to back-to-back AIAW national titles. Her second award signaled sustained excellence and versatility at a time when women’s college basketball was still fighting for equal recognition and resources. That she remained the only two-time recipient underscores the rarity of such dominance.
This record-setting second Wade Trophy was historically significant as a clear benchmark of individual achievement in the early era of organized women’s collegiate awards. It demonstrated that women’s programs could produce marquee stars whose consistency and leadership matched those celebrated in men’s basketball. In the broader context of Title IX’s implementation, Lieberman’s dual Wade honors bolstered the case for investing in women’s programs, contributing to the visibility that helped pave the way for the NCAA’s full integration of women’s championships and the birth of professional opportunities in the United States.