The Sacred Heart Women’s basketball team made history before they even set foot on the court this season.
This team marks the 50th to take the floor for the Pioneers. But now these Pioneers have a chance to honor the program’s Pioneers.
“They had six players, they used to go up and down the hallway just asking for players to sit on the bench in case they had foul trouble,” Sacred Heart Women’s Basketball head coach, Jessica Mannetti, said.
In 1974, six players made up the first ever team.
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They washed their own jerseys, had one practice uniform and got kicked off the court if the men’s club team wanted time to practice.
Fifty years later, these Pios are coming off a conference title and a trip to the NCAA tournament, where they won their game in the First Four -- stories Manetti loves to tell those original six, if they don’t know them already.
“I love that 50 years later these women still have this amazing pride of 'I played at that school, I started that program, we were one of the first era of women’s sports ever to be offered at Sacred Heart,” said Mannetti. “So I think they are bursting with pride and they are excited about it and we're excited to share it with them because we wouldn't be here if they didn't do what they did.”
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Sacred Heart University will host a special celebration of that 1974 team on Saturday during their game against FDU. That game tips at 2 p.m.
