UCLA revives its glory: The forgotten legacy of the 1978 Women’s Final Four
UCLA coach Cori Close found herself clarifying a misunderstanding during her first press conference before the Final Four. Despite her team making history by reaching the NCAA Final Four for the first time, Close emphasized that this was not the first time UCLA had reached such a significant stage in women's basketball. "Actually, that's not correct," Close remarked about the misconception that UCLA had never made it to a women's Final Four. "In 1978, AIAW, they won the national championship." This correction is important because, although the NCAA started overseeing women's basketball tournaments in 1982, before that, competitions were governed by the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).The 1978 title, the first won by UCLA's women's team, does not appear in NCAA's official records but remains essential for understanding the program's legacy. Close, who has worked tirelessly to solidify […]
