FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (August 10, 2022) – A mainstay in the Northern Arizona women's basketball record books and a recognizable face around the program in the years since her Lumberjack career came to an end, Peggy Kennedy has been selected to the 2022 Arizona Sports Hall of Fame class.
The Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission announced the newest induction class on Wednesday, with the Crest Insurance Group Arizona Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by Gila River Resorts & Casino scheduled for Nov. 1, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at Chateau Luxe in Phoenix.
A legend within the Northern Arizona women's basketball program and an NAU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee in 1984, Kennedy will be the second Lumberjack honored by Arizona Sports Hall of Fame following Mike Nesbitt's induction in 2019. Kennedy's induction class includes Larry Fitzgerald Jr., Karen Self, Jennifer Gillom, Pedro Gomez and Michael K. Kennedy. Kennedy was selected by a vote of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame's trustees. Tickets to the ceremony are available at www.azsportshof.com.
Kennedy began her career at Northern Arizona in 1976, just the third year of the program's existence, and set the record for points in a career (1,082), in a season (411) and in a single game (45) during her three-year career. Still the program's record holder for single-season rebounding average (12.7, 1976-77), career rebounding average (11.3) and career scoring average (19.0), Kennedy's name remains a constant throughout the program's record book.
Scoring 45 points against Utah State on Feb. 10, 1979, Kennedy's single-game mark remains atop its category as well. While some of her records have fallen, they stood for decades before a Lumberjack was able to replicate the feat. Kennedy's 20.6 points per game from the 1978-79 season remained a record until 2014 while her total of 644 rebounds in a season stood as a record from 1979 until 2007.
The first 1,000-point scorer in program history, Kennedy was named a Kodak All-American in 1977-78 and a National Scouting Association All-American in 1978-79. Northern Arizona's female athlete of the year for three consecutive years, Kennedy also was named All-Region 7 Intermountain Conference three times and Kodak All-Region 7 in 1977-78.
Drafted by the Chicago Hustle in the 1979 WBL Draft, Kennedy played in the first professional women's basketball league in the United States and was part of the league's induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as the league's members were recognized as "Trailblazers of the Game."
To be eligible for the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, an individual must be a native of Arizona, be immediately recognized as an Arizonan or have made at least two significant contributions to the athletics community in Arizona.
The Arizona Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1957 by the Phoenix Press Box Association. The Association held 36 induction ceremonies before ceasing operations in 1991. In 2009, the Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission assumed oversight of the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
