Colorado University Athletics
Van Goor To Receive Wahl Legacy Award
January 30, 2016 | Women's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — When Lisa Van Goor played basketball for the University of Colorado (1981-85), the sport — and women's sports in general at CU — were still in their relative infancy.
Some 30 years later, women's athletics at CU have grown exponentially, and Van Goor — whose name is still sprinkled liberally among the Buffs' record books and who is still regarded as one of the best players to ever don a CU uniform — has remained close to the program in one way or another ever since.
Sunday evening, Van Goor will be recognized for her contributions to the program when she receives the Jane Wahl Legacy Award at the Colorado-USC women's basketball game (7 p.m.).
The award is named after CU's first director of women's athletics. Wahl, hired in 1974, was integral in taking CU into an era of competitive women's sports in the era directly after Title IX was signed into law. The award is bestowed annually to “a member of the CU women's basketball community, who through their achievements bring honor and recognition to the university and CU athletics.”
Van Goor learned that she would be the recipient just a few months ago.
“It's an amazing honor, especially considering all the great Buffs and all the great people who have been associated with the program over the years,” Van Goor said earlier this week. “There's just so many deserving people.”
Van Goor's playing career is one of the most storied in the history of the program. She is still the second all-time leading scorer in CU history (2,067 points), the leading rebounder (1,145), first in per-game scoring average (18.0) and the only player in CU history to average a double-double for her career (18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds).
“Lisa Van Goor's name is at the top of the list when you talk about Colorado women's basketball,” said former CU coach and current senior associate athletic director Ceal Barry. “For years, she was the all-time leading scorer and rebounder, she is a scholarship donor for the women's program, she's a season ticketholder and she has a postseason award named after her. The list goes on and on regarding her commitment and affection for the program, the players in the program and the team. She is very deserving of the Jane Wahl Legacy Award.”
When Van Goor played at CU, she barely knew of Wahl's name. Wahl left the CU athletic department in 1979 to finish her doctorate in education before moving on to teach, coach and serve as an administrator at Linfield College in Oregon.
But since then, Van Goor has had several opportunities to speak with Wahl.
“What an outstanding woman,” Van Goor said. “What she did here and what she accomplished was a foundation for everything that happened since. I now know why the award is named after her. What she's done for women's sports has been amazing.”
Van Goor also admits she couldn't have envisioned how far women's basketball and women's athletics have progressed since her playing days.
“What the program has become in 35 years has been astounding,” Van Goor said. “The level of talent, the facilities, the academic support, sports medicine, nutrition — it has all come such a long way, it's almost hard to fathom.”
Van Goor has remained close to the CU program since retiring from a professional career in the early 1990s. She has worked at CU in a variety of capacities since, and currently serves as executive director of Buffs4Life, a nonprofit dedicated to providing assistance to former CU athletes and coaches in times of hardship.
In 2014, Wahl was invited back to CU to receive the first award. Last year, Carol Callan, a former graduate assistant, current radio broadcaster and member of USA Basketball, received the award.
