Inductees

After pioneering women’s basketball at Shelbyville High School in the early 1930s, Ruth “Casey” Osburn was the first player selected for the world famous Olson’s “All-American Redheads.”

The 6-foot star played jumping center and was an accomplished ball handler. She toured with the Redheads for six years, promoting women’s basketball throughout the country as the team played against men. Osburn then went on to become the player-coach for the Arkansas Hillbillies, another amateur touring team.

A versatile athlete, Osburn took up the discus in April 1932 as a high school junior. In that same month, she broke the high school world’s record, followed the U.S. record one month later. In July 1932, Osburn smashed the world’s discus record during the Olympic tryouts and won the silver medal in the Los Angeles Olympics just four months after her first throw.