Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2009
- Class:
- 1963
A three-sport standout in field hockey, basketball and lacrosse, Claudia Dodson also made her mark on Westhampton College, and gave a foreshadowing of her future career, by serving as President of the Freshman Class and later as an officer in the Athletic Association. She joined the Virginia High School League in 1971, becoming only the fourth female in the nation to be hired as a state association administrator. When she began her tenure with the VHSL, there was only one championship competition for girls in Virginia. Her relentless efforts during the next 30 years increased that number to 31 championships in 12 sports, earning her notoriety and accolades as "a pioneer of female athletics" and "a trailblazer in expanding female athletics in Virginia."
Claudia also served as women's basketball coordinator of the 1978 Olympics and was a women's basketball observer for the Atlantic Coast Conference. She retired from the VHSL in 2002, but continued to support girls' athletics as president of Women in Sports, a group she co-founded in 1997. She has previously been inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame, the Virginia Softball Hall of Fame and the National Federation of State High Schools Hall of Fame. Claudia Dodson passed away August 18, 2007, 13 days shy of her 66th birthday.
