A Lifetime of Firsts

Ann Meyers Drysdale

When we first contacted Ann Meyers Drysdale to grace the Spring Issue of PW, we had the intention of including her in our Women in Second Careers feature. However, after interviewing her, we felt that hers was a story in itself.

When asked what her first career was and how much she earned, Ann replied, "In 1979, I was signed by the Indiana Pacers, and I made $50,000." (I have to admit, I felt a tad inadequate with my $.50-an-hour babysitting jobs and $1.20-an-hour carhopping at Earl's Drive-In … not including tips, of course.)

Meyers Drysdale, currently the General Manager of the Phoenix Mercury and Vice President for the Phoenix Suns, joined our professional Arizona hoops teams in 2006; and, like everything else Ann comes into contact with, success followed. In her first season with the Mercury, the team chocked up a few firsts: the first-ever 23-win season; the first regular-season Western Conference Championship; the first Game 5 Finals road victory; and, of course, the Mercury's first WNBA Championship.

"Since the WNBA was created, I had been asked to coach or be a General Manager in the league," said Meyers Dysdale. "The timing was right for me when I received this offer, and Phoenix was a franchise that I could see myself being a part of."

Meyers Drysdale was the first woman to receive a full athletic scholarship from UCLA. She was also recognized as a four-time Kodak All-American - the first to achieve that honor, male or female. Meyers Drysdale held 12 of 13 school records and led the Bruins to a national championship in 1978. Meyers Drysdale, who was the first female to be named to the school's Athletic Hall of Fame and had her jersey, No. 15, retired, also competed in volleyball and won a national championship in track in 1975.

An outstanding all-around player, the 5-9 guard represented the United States in the 1976 Olympics, 1975 and 1979 Pan American Games, and the 1975 and 1979 World Championships. She earned a silver medal as part of the first women's US Olympic Basketball team at the Montreal Games in 1976.

Meyers Drysdale, now 51, remains the only female ever to sign a free-agent contract with an NBA team when she signed with the Indiana Pacers. After being released by the Pacers, she provided color commentary for Pacers broadcasts at a time when women in sports media were rare.

The first player drafted in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) in 1978, Meyers Drysdale played for the New Jersey Gems, where she was named MVP after leading the league in steals and averaging 22.2 points.

Meyers has established herself as an expert analyst on ESPN, NBC and CBS, and she has done commentary for men's and women's basketball, softball, tennis, volleyball and soccer since 1979. Her incredible sports journalism contributions recently earned her the honor of winning the 2006 United States Sports Academy's Ronald Reagan Media Award, placing her in an elite group of winners including Howard Cosell, Bob Costas, Keith Jackson, Frank Deford and Rupert Murdoch.

I asked Ann if she had ever encountered obstacles throughout her career path. She replied, "Both fields (basketball and broadcasting) were male-dominated at the time, and I was told many times that I couldn't do either because I was a woman."

I asked her who her support system was in moments of doubt, and she was quick to list several: "My brother David and my sister Patty were always my mentors in sports. In broadcasting- my late husband Don Drysdale encouraged me to get into broadcasting school. My mentor at school was a professor at UCLA who taught sports broadcasting by the name of Art Friedman. He helped me discover that this was a field I could have a good career in."

I have talked to many successful women in our community, and others throughout the country, about what contributed to their success. It doesn't seem to matter where they went to college, or for some, if they even attended. It doesn't have any correlation to where they grew up, if they came from a single-parent home, or if they had two supportive parental figures. Success didn't judge the color of their skin or the name brand of their shoes.

There is a common factor for success, and I think Ann said it best: "Just because you are doing one thing, it doesn't mean that there are not other opportunities out there. One of my favorite quotes is by Winston Churchill, and it says, 'Failure is not fatal, success is not final, it is courage that counts.' Everyone should find something that they enjoy doing. Don't be afraid to try something that you dream of. Find something you love."

Ok, Ann, one last question. If you weren't doing all of the things you are doing now, what would you be doing? "I have always loved drawing, so my dream would be to work on animated movies."

The 2007 WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury will open the 2008 season at US Airways Center on Saturday, May 17 at 12:30 p.m. as they defend their title against the Los Angeles Sparks. Tickets to watch the Mercury defend their title during the 2008 regular season are available now on phoenixmercury.com and by calling 602.252.WNBA.