Barbara Kennedy

Barbara Elaine Kennedy-Dixon (January 19, 1960 – July 23, 2018) was an American basketball player. She played college basketball at Clemson. In 1981–82, her senior season with the Tigers, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began to officially sponsor women's basketball. She finished that season becoming the first player to lead Division I women's basketball in scoring.

Early life Kennedy-Dixon was born on January 19, 1960, in San Diego, California. She grew up in Rome, Georgia, As a freshman, Kennedy-Dixon was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and selected to the All-ACC Rookie Team. Kennedy-Dixon would be a first-team All-ACC selection in each of her final three seasons at Clemson.

In 1981–82, her senior season, the NCAA began to officially sponsor women's basketball. In her senior day game against North Carolina, she scored 42 points. On March 12, 1982, Kennedy-Dixon scored the first points in the inaugural NCAA women's basketball tournament, playing against Notre Dame. She finished the game with 43 points, though Clemson would lose to Penn State. Following the 2023 tournament, it remains the sixth-highest scoring output in NCAA Division I women's tournament history.

Kennedy-Dixon finished her collegiate career averaging 24.5 ppg in 127 games played. She also scored at least 20 points in a record 93 games. From 2005 to 2014, she served as Clemson's Senior Women's Administrator.

Legacy

In 1989, Kennedy-Dixon was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame. She was the first woman inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor in 2000. She was named to the ACC's 50th anniversary team in 2002, and was later honored as Clemson women's basketball's ACC Legend in 2005. In 2022, the Clemson Undergraduate Student Government renamed its Leadership Grant-in-Aid program after Kennedy-Dixon.