Morgantown, West Virginia, USAGeorgian WellsAll-American basketball player,
West Virginia University Wells, who played for WVU from 1982-1986, was playing against the University of Charleston (WV) at the Elkins-Randolph County Armory. With 11 minutes and 18 seconds left in the game, Wells received a pass from point guard Lisa Ribble and
First official dunk in a women's college basketball gameAccording to the World Record Academy.
Georgian Wells was an All-American basketball player who played for West Virginia University (WVU) from 1982 to 1986. Among her other accomplishments, she is known as the first American woman to dunk in an official NCAA intercollegiate basketball game on December 21, 1984. She did so using a regulation-sized ball (also known as a men's basketball).
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Wells grew up in a family with nine siblings. Wells was interested in basketball from an early age and played for the junior and senior high school teams at Columbus Northland High School. Her talent led Northland High School to win the state basketball championship. This earned Wells two athletic scholarships from West Virginia University, which recruited her enthusiastically.
Shortly thereafter, on Dec. 21, 1984, Wells made history. Playing against the College of Charleston (West Virginia) at the Elkins-Randolph County Armory, Wells took a pass from point guard Lisa Ribble with 11 minutes and 18 seconds left in the game.
First official dunk in a women's college basketball gameWVU won, 110-82.Wikipedia)
“Until 1994, no woman had ever dunked in an official game, when University of North Carolina senior forward Charlotte Smith scored the second dunk in a women's college basketball regular season game against North Carolina A&T State University. In addition to the historic slam dunk, Wells had a stellar career with the WVU women's basketball team, where she was a four-year letter winner, scoring 1,484 points and grabbing 1,075 rebounds. Her 436 blocked shots are the all-time WVU women's record.”
Honors and Awards
As a center at West Virginia University, Wells received many honors.
- Third team All-American (1985)
- Freshman All-American (1983)
- First Team All-Atlantic 10 (1985, 1986)
- All-Atlantic 10 Second Team (1984)
In April 2015, Wells and other African-American student-athletes were honored at West Virginia University's Erickson Alumni Center as part of a three-day tribute (April 23-25, 2015) celebrating the anniversary of the 1954 Supreme Court decision.
Brown v. Board of Education the accomplishments of pioneering African-American student-athletes;Wikipedia)
“The first women's college basketball player to dunk in a game was Georgian Wells. The West Virginia center dunked with her right hand on Dec. 21, 1984, against the College of Charleston on West Virginia State University's home field to give the team an 85-50 lead with just under 12 minutes to play.
“The story of the dunk and how the video was finally discovered 25 years later is an essential piece of basketball history. Read more here
There's a long-lost video on the State of West Virginia's website.
“A sports reporter from The Wall Street Journal managed to visually prove what no one else who attended the West Virginia University-College of Charleston game at the Randolph County Armory in Elkins on December 21, 1984, could (or would) prove: West Virginia University's Georgian Wells was the first women's basketball player to dunk in a game. And he finally did it 25 years later!
“The scorebook for the game listed a crowd of 715 that night, but those who were there said there was probably only about 500 people at most. Shelley Poe, West Virginia's women's basketball sports information director at the time, thought a reporter from a local paper might have covered the game, but they didn't bring a cameraman. The two closest television stations, WBOY and WDTV in Clarksburg, never traveled to Elkins to cover a women's college basketball game, and because the game was played over the Christmas holiday, West Virginia was short on team managers and had no one available to film.
“The only video evidence of Wells' dunk remained on a VHS tape recorded by the College of Charleston, but coach Bud Francis wouldn't give it up. The dunk, and the national attention it garnered at the time, was thanks to Poe's hours-long detailed account to The Associated Press on a pay phone inside the arena. There's no evidence, just her words.”
“It's been 40 years since West Virginia center Georgian Wells broke the barrier and became the first woman to dunk a basketball in a collegiate game.”
Herald Standard he says.
“On Dec. 21, 1984, Wells made history. Playing against the College of Charleston (West Virginia) at the Elkins-Randolph County Armory, with 11 minutes, 18 seconds left in the game, Wells took a pass from point guard Lisa Ribble and made the first official dunk in a women’s college basketball game, leading to a 110-82 West Virginia victory.
I first learned of Wells' Fayette County connection when Alyssa Gallagher, sister of former Laurel Highlands standout Rodney Gallagher, posted to X on Jan. 22, “40 years ago, our cousin Georgian was the first woman to dunk on a basketball.”
“Georgian Wells, a 6-foot-7 center from Columbus, Ohio, was a four-year letterman for the West Virginia University women's basketball team from 1983-86. Most notably, she became the first female college basketball player to dunk in a game on Dec. 21, 1984, when she dunked against Charleston in the Mountaineer Christmas Classic at the Randolph County Armory in Elkins.”
West Virginia University Athletics he says.
“The dunk brought her instant national fame. Network television, Sports Illustrated, an NCAA luncheon in New York, an exhibit at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, induction into the Women's College Basketball Hall of Fame and induction into Houston's Dunk Fraternity, Phi Slamma Jama, are just some of the school's most memorable moments. The feat, which no one had accomplished until 1994, remains one of the most talked-about feats in sports.”
“Wells came to WVU as a highly recruited high school star out of Northland High School. During her time with the Mountaineers, she averaged a double-double (14.0 ppg, 10.1 rpg) for her career. She recorded 1,484 points, 1,075 rebounds and 436 blocks, which still stand as school records by a long way. She appeared in 106 games, 68 of which were career starts, including 28 of which came her senior season. She also served as team captain as a senior. During her career, WVU went 66-51, including four Atlantic 10 Tournament appearances and a postseason appearance in the WNIT in 1985.”
“Georgian Wells is still spider-slim at 6-foot-6¾-inches tall, and not a peg-back from her playing days at West Virginia. She coaches four different AAU basketball teams, cares for her three kids (Curtis, Madison and Casey, in that order), and runs a thriving summer adventure camp with her husband, Myron Blackwell.”
ESPN he says.
“The secret to Wells' boundless energy may be the sunny counters in her kitchen, equipped with three coffee makers, including a high-powered espresso machine. With sparkling brown eyes and rocking cornrows, Wells darts from venue to venue, exuding energy and good spirits.”
“In 1983, she blocked 17 shots against Marshall, which remains a West Virginia single-game record, and she finished her career with 1,484 points, 1,075 rebounds and 436 blocked shots. A member of the West Virginia Athletic Hall of Fame, Wells briefly toured with the Harlem Globetrotters and played professionally in Japan, Spain, Italy and France from 1986 to 2003.”
“Georgian Wells, the first woman to dunk a basketball in an official game, donated the ball to the Basketball Hall of Fame on Thursday.”
UPI he says.
“I thought I'd put it in the Hall of Fame because it was the first ball to be dunked on and it's part of history,” said Wells, a junior with the West Virginia University Mountaineers.
“Wells, a 21-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, became the first woman to dunk a basketball on Dec. 21, 1984, during a game against the College of Charleston. The Mountaineers won, 110-82.”
