KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame is sad to announce the passing of longtime WBHOF Board Member and Class of 2021 Inductee Sue Donohoe. Sue passed away this morning after a brief illness (non-COVID 19 related) with her family by her side.
“We are deeply saddened at the loss of our friend, mentor and vital member of the women’s basketball community, said Dana Hart, president of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame. “Sue’s love of basketball and her attention to detail, hard work and administrative excellence will forever be remembered.”
Sue Donohoe, who was to be inducted into the WBHOF in the next class as a contributor to the game, had been a vital part of women’s basketball throughout her life. Prior to her retirement in 2015, she was the executive director of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, a position she held for four years.
Before joining the fund, she had nearly 12 years of experience working as an administrator at the NCAA national office.
She joined the NCAA in 1999 as the director of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship and in 2002 she moved into the same position of the men’s championship. Most of her tenure with the NCAA saw her as vice president of Division I Women’s Basketball, a position she held beginning in 2003.
Before joining the NCAA, Donohoe served as the assistant and later associate commissioner of the Southland Conference. She moved to the Southland Conference in 1998 after holding the position of associate director of athletics at the University of Arkansas, where she was previously the assistant women’s basketball coach. She also was an assistant women’s coach at Stephen F. Austin State University and a teacher coach at Lake Highlands High School (Richardson, Texas) and Carthage High School (Carthage, Texas). Her start in athletics came as a graduate assistant women’s basketball coach at Louisiana Tech University in 1981.
A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Memorials can be made to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (wbhof.com), Kay Yow Cancer Fund (kayyow.com) or The Pat Summitt Foundation (patsummitt.org).
