Top MSU Women’s Basketball Players of All Time: No. 4

Over the years, many Spartans have demonstrated their skills on the court. In the lead-up to the women’s basketball season, Impact Sports takes a look at the top 10 women’s basketball players in Spartan history. This week we look at No. 4.

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Although she now dons the maize and blue as the head softball coach for archrival University of Michigan, Carol Hutchins was once a star athlete for the Spartans who helped pave the way for fair treatment in collegiate athletics at the University.

A native of Lansing, Mich., Hutchins attended MSU from 1976-1979, where she was a member of both the women’s basketball and softball teams.

As a member of the basketball team, Hutchins led the charge in a sexual discrimination lawsuit against Michigan State University and its Board of Trustees. Hutchins and the rest of the Spartans women’s basketball team were angered by the fact they received less money for travel and meal expenses while on the road than the men’s team.

Although two of the claims in the case were dismissed, Hutchins’ fearless leadership created awareness among Spartan women athletes, setting a foundation for equal treatment of student-athletes at Michigan State.

Hutchins will be entering into her 31st season as head coach of the Michigan softball team this spring. She has molded the Wolverines into one of the Big Ten’s strongest competitors and a national contender in the sport.

Hutchins has 1,000 wins as coach of the Wolverines and is the winningest coach in the history of any sport at the University of Michigan with over 1,300 career wins in total.


Alex Tekip is a multimedia journalist for Impact Sports.

Photo: Nubia Buckingham/Impact Sports