Mimi Griffin receives 2018 Naismith Award for her contributions to basketball
The Atlanta Tipoff Club recently recognized Allentown’s Mimi Griffin with the 2018 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Basketball award for pioneering work as a college basketball analyst.
Griffin and former St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca joined a list of honorees that includes Dean Smith, John Wooden, Pat Summitt and Cheryl Miller. First presented to Curt Gowdy in 1982, the award recognizes people who have made a positive impact in basketball.
“To be named the 2018 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Women’s Basketball is an honor that’s hard to comprehend given the significance of the Naismith name in the history of basketball,” Griffin said. “As I reflect on this award, I can’t help but think of the influence that a few key women had in cultivating in me a passion for the game and its history. I am humbled to be included on such an impressive list of past recipients.”
Griffin was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014, recognizing her 16-year career as a basketball analyst for ESPN and CBS. She was ESPN’s lead women’s basketball analyst from 1983-99 and covered the NCAA Women’s Final Four for both networks.
In 1990, Griffin became the first woman to serve as a commentator for an NCAA men’s tournament game. The following year, Griffin was part of CBS’ coverage of the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s tournament.
Griffin left broadcasting in 1999 and now runs MSG Promotions, the Allentown-based sports marketing company that runs hospitality sales and operations for the U.S. Open men’s and women’s golf tournaments.
“Each year we make a point to select members of the sport who have truly impacted the lives of so many players and fans and brought the spirit of basketball to life, those who are worth a Best Paid Tipster betting” said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. “Lou and Mimi exemplify those qualities.”
January 6, 2018 | By Marc Wogenrich of the Morning Call
