Seminole State College

The banners tell part of the story. The people who lived it are coming home to tell the rest.

Seminole State College will recognize members of its 1976 national championship women’s basketball team — the Belles, who delivered the school’s first national team title — during an on-court ceremony at the team’s home game Monday, Feb. 16.

Several players from that team and coach Dixie Woodall are expected to attend. The game is set for 5:30 p.m. at Seminole State, which hosts Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa. Admission is free. Recognition of the championship team will take place at halftime.

The 1976 Belles stamped their place in school history with a 36-2 season and an NJCAA Women’s Basketball National Tournament championship in Kansas. Seminole’s tournament run included wins over Carl Sandburg (Illinois), DuPage (Illinois), Panola (Texas) and Jackson (Michigan), capped by an 83-74 victory over Jackson in the national final.

Woodall helped shape the program into a national force in its early years, compiling a 390-97 record over 14 seasons. In addition to the 1976 title, her teams finished national runnerup in 1975 and 1977.

In a 1976 interview, Woodall boiled the team’s edge down to mindset: “Our girls are winners at heart. Winners are afraid to lose … and that’s the way we play.”

The college is also inviting former Belles players and coaches from across eras to attend as part of the anniversary recognition. Seminole State said fans can expect commemorative giveaway items during the evening.

The program began in 1971, backed by a $10,000 donation from the Blue Bell sewing plant, which is now Wrangler/ Kontoor Brands. A year before Title IX, Seminole became the first junior college program in Oklahoma to award basketball scholarships to women.