Dale McNamara

Dale McNamara wanted to play golf, but there was no team at the University of Tulsa, so she entered tournaments on her own and became the first woman to win an athletic letter at TU. In 1974, when Tulsa decided to start a women’s golf team and McNamara volunteered to coach the team. They had no money, no support, and no players.

Dale went on to become one of the most legendary and successful collegiate women’s golf coaches in history. In 26 years, her teams won four national championships and finished as the national runner-up five times. Her teams won 80 tournaments and produced 28 All-Americans. In 1985, in one of the most memorable seasons in college women’s golf history, McNamara coached Tulsa to eight victories in 13 tournaments.

The University of Tulsa became the gold standard for college women’s golf in the 1970s and 1980s.