Billy MooreCoach of the first Olympic women’s basketball team United State who won the silver medal in the 1976 Montreal OlympicsHe passed away at the age of 79.

University of California, Los Angeles (University of California), for whom Moore was a coach between 1977 and 1993, announced Thursday that she had died of cancer at her home. Fullerton (California), surrounded by family and friends.

Moore was the first coach in women’s basketball history to lead teams from two different schools to national championships. Moore was guided Cal State Fullerton to the Women’s Intercollegiate Athletics Committee title in 1970 and University of California She captured the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) title in 1978.

Moore is included in hall of fame Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.

She began her coaching career as an assistant at Southern Illinois. Moore spent eight seasons in the Cal State Fullertongoing 140-15 wins. Moore He led UCLA to a 27-3 mark in 1978 and recorded 296 victories in 16 years with the Bruins. She led the women’s Olympic team United State in games Montreal Almost half a century ago. His team included the pioneers of the game – Pat the topthat Myers Drysdale and Nancy Liebermanwho went 3-2 and finished second on the strong team at soviet union (5-0).

The NBA said in a statement that it was “proud to be a part of (Moore’s) journey. Our thoughts are with his loved ones at this difficult time.” current Olympic selector for the United States, Dawn Staleyfrom South Carolina, said on social media that women’s basketball “today lost a legend in Billy Moore…Thank you Coach for serving our game with sophistication, dignity, and purpose.”

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