Girls’ basketball is hot. Women’s basketball – both professional and college – is seeing record attendance. But before Caitlin Clark and other superstars, Colorado’s own star was born: Carol Callan.
“My dad was a basketball coach. I had an older brother and lived in a neighborhood where only boys lived. We played outside in the street all the time,” she said.
Callan dreamed of gold from a young age.
“As an athlete, participating in the Olympics was out of the question for me, but I found another way,” she said.
In 1985, Callan was promoted to the sidelines as a coach. She led the Fairview Knights girls basketball team from Boulder to a high school state title. From there, her coaching career took off. Ten years later, she was named director of the national women’s basketball team.
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Callan coached the program for 26 years, winning seven Olympic gold medals and five of the last six World Championship gold medals.
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“It’s not just about bringing 12 great athletes together,” she said. “They have to do it, and I think I’m most proud of achieving all of that.”
Callan has retired from coaching, but her legacy lives on. She is inducted into the Sportswomen of Colorado Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and is the first female president of FIBA Americas, the world basketball governing body.
Today, Callan hopes that her life story can help the next generation of young girls.
“What can you do, even if you’re not an athlete, and still encourage girls?” she said.
Callan is representing one of more than 25 sports organizations, teams and others who will be featured on CBS Colorado’s “Girls in the Game” on Saturday. The event will be held on the DU campus. Romi Bean will host the event, which is designed to encourage, inspire and encourage girls to consider a career in sports on and off the field.
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