Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2017
- Class:
- 1992
For nearly two decades, Ginny Doyle was a shining fixture in the Robins Center and on the University of Richmond campus, as both a standout student-athlete and longtime assistant coach.
As a player, Doyle transferred to Richmond after two years at George Washington. She was a Spider for two NCAA Tournament appearances in 1990 and 1991. She helped lead the Spiders to the Colonial Athletic Association championship and NCAA appearance in 1991. In her senior season in 1992, as team captain, she averaged 17.1 points per game, the 10th highest single-season scoring average in program history. She earned All-Conference honors both seasons in which she played at Richmond. She finished her Spider career with the fifth highest scoring average.
Her claim to fame, though, came at the free throw line. She led the nation in free throw accuracy in 1992 at 95 percent. Her career free throw percentage was 85 percent, and she set an NCAA Division I record by making 66 consecutive free throws, a mark that stood for 18 years.
Her free throw prowess and records were challenged by longtime CBS Sports men's basketball analyst Billy Packer, who appeared at the Robins Center for a free throw shooting contest with Doyle. Packer made just 12 of 20 foul shots. Ginny made all 20.
Her career as a Richmond assistant and associate head coach spanned 15 years and three head coaches. During that time, the Spiders made seven post season appearances, five in a row, including the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Richmond secured six 20-win seasons and accumulated 250 overall victories during her tenure. Doyle has the distinction of both playing and coaching in the NCAA Tournament as a Spider.
Ginny Doyle was inducted into the University of Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame posthumously, following her untimely passing in May 2014 as a result of a hot air balloon accident that also took the life of former Spider swimmer and women's basketball director of operations Natalie Lewis. The 2011 Atlantic 10 Champion Spider Swimming & Diving Team, of which Lewis was a captain, was honored as the Class of 2017 Team of Distinction.
