FLOWOOD, Miss.– Patricia Cage Bibbs will be the Guest of Honor when the SWAC Alumni Association closes its annual Legends Awards and Roast at the Sheraton Refuge Hotel and Conference Center on May 17 with a Legends Roast. Some of Bibbs’ former players, assistant coaches and other peers in coaching and athletics administration will take turns roasting her at the event, which kicks off at 7 p.m.
Some would describe a great coach as one who possesses a combination of skills, qualities and approaches that enable them to effectively guide and support individuals or teams towards achieving their goals. Key traits include strong communication skills, a positive and encouraging attitude, the ability to build trust and a focus on learning and development. That is Coach Patricia Cage Bibbs and that is why she is regarded as one of the greatest women’s basketball coaches in history.
Those are just some of the traits Bibbs possessed during her highly successful 38 years as a head coach, with 28 of those years on the NCAA Division I level. Winning, capturing championships, and developing all-star athletes were a constant at each of her career stops.
Bibbs, a native of Choudrant, La. (a suburb of Ruston) began her coaching career at Ruston High School in 1974, where she stayed for three years.
In 1977, she moved to Dubach High School, where she completed a six-year stint. She led the Dubach Hornets to six state playoff appearances. Her finest moment came in 1983 when she led the Hornets to the Louisiana State Championship. She was named the Louisiana State High School Coach-of-the-Year in 1981 and 1983.
After her success at Dubach, Bibbs’ alma mater, Grambling State University, took notice. In fact, Grambling’s president, Dr. Joseph Johnson, and Athletics Director, nationally renowned Eddie Robinson, paid a visit to Bibbs’ home. She could not say “no” to the offer to take over the Grambling women’s basketball program.
Bibbs served as Grambling’s head women’s basketball coach for the next 13 years (1984-97). From 1986-1996, she was named SWAC Coach-of-the-Year seven times. During her first stint at Grambling, she was able to pull off upset wins against national powers Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Oregon, Syracuse, Rice, Miami and Kansas. Her teams compiled a record of 263-166 while winning eight SWAC championships and six SWAC postseason titles. Some of her all-star players included LaChandra LeDay, Mary Currie, Tarsha Hollis, Shiakeia Carter and Elsie Dillard.
Bibbs left Grambling and went to Hampton University, which was a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC} at the time. From 1997 to 2004, she led the Lady Pirates to a 127-83 record, including four MEAC regular-season championships and three MEAC tournament titles.
Bibbs left Hampton after the 2004 season and journeyed to North Carolina A&T State University, also in the MEAC. From 2005-2012, she won three regular-season MEAC championships and one conference tournament title while compiling a record of 115-72. She was named the MEAC Coach-of-the-Year twice (2007-08 and 2008-09). She earned her 500th career victory while at North Carolina A&T, becoming one of only two MEAC coaches to do so. She returned to Grambling for her final two years of coaching (2012-14) and she also served as the university’s Interim Athletics Director.
Bibbs compiled a phenomenal career record of 505-321 during her 28 years as a head women’s basketball coach. Among her numerous honors and awards are induction into the Grambling Alumni Sports Hall of Fame (2008), the YWCA Empowerment Award (2008), the Grambling Legends Hall of Fame (2010), the SWAC Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2010), the SWAC Hall of Fame (2019) and the MEAC Hall of Fame (2025). She was the first head coach in HBCU history to win two games in a national postseason tournament.
The Association’s Legends Awards and Roast annually honors former student-athletes as well as former or current coaches, athletics administrators or staff members who have had positive impacts on the historic conference. Proceeds from the Legends Awards and Roast benefit the SWAC Alumni Association’s Degree Completion Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support to student-athletes in the conference whose eligibility has expired and who are within 30 hours of graduating.
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
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