

O’Dwyer, Josephine
High School Coach
Inducted
1989
(Posthumously)
Josephine O’Dwyer was a pioneer in the sport of women’s basketball in Connecticut. O’Dwyer, who died in 1986, coached high school basketball from 1939 to 1955 when interscholastic com-petition for high school girls was virtually non-existent.
During these years, teams averaged no more than six to seven games per season. Well-organized leagues did not exist and coaches who wanted their female athletes to compete had to scramble in order to schedule games.
O’Dwyer’s teams won 87 games while posting only 10 losses, for an .897 winning percentage. From 1948-1954 her teams enjoyed seven undefeated seasons in a row, compiling a of 53-0 record. O’Dwyer’s legacy in basketball remains her absolute unselfishness in sharing her knowledge and skill in coaching with all others she encountered in her professional life.
