source: naia.org
Sharla Harrison Rich’s storied basketball career at Wayland Baptist University (Texas) was marked by record-breaking success and a commitment to elevating the game.
From 1985 to 1989, Sharla helped lead the Flying Queens to four straight NAIA national tournament appearances. Along the way, Sharla racked up numerous achievements herself, including earning spots on the American Sports Federation All-American Freshman Team (1986), NAIA All-American Second Team (1987), and NAIA All-American First Team (1988, 1989). Additionally, Sharla was awarded NAIA District Eight Newcomer of the Year (1986), American Women’s Sports Federation All-American (1987, 1988, 1989), Kodak All-American (1988, 1989), NAIA Scholar-Athlete (1988, 1989), NAIA All-District and Academic All-District (1987, 1988, 1989), NAIA District Eight Player of the Year (1988), and the NAIA Emil S. Liston Award (1988).
Sharla’s legacy endures at Wayland Baptist, where she continues to hold school records for career scoring (2,461), career rebounds (1,230), career field goals (1,070), most points in one game (49), most field goals in one game (20), and best field goal percentage for a season (.661) and career (.624). Today, Sharla resides with her family in Sudan, Texas, and serves as the Director of Customer Support Operations at Abbott Laboratories.
HFQF NOTE: Rich is one of the few Flying Queens who followed in her mother’s footsteps.
“I’m one of the few Queens whose mother played,” Rich said of her introduction to the tradition-rich team. “My mom was a Flying Queen from ’59 to ’63. I grew up knowing about the Flying Queens, but my mom didn’t tell me what a famous Queen she was. She was a three-time All-American, has a gold medal from the Pan American Games in Brazil, and was on the international team that played in Russia.”
Both mother and daughter also are both members of the Wayland Baptist Athletics Hall of Honor. Read their stories below:
Read Sharla Harrison Rich’s Player’s Story
Congratulations to all! I got to see both Glynn and Sharla in action. Both deserve the honors they have received.
I love this! Sharla, you ARE on of the greats.
I love this! Sharla, you ARE one of the greats.