Betty Jaynes (basketball)

Betty Faith Jaynes (September 1, 1945 – February 10, 2014) was an American basketball coach. Born in Covington, Georgia, Jaynes attended Newton County High School and lettered in basketball for four years, while becoming a two-time All-State selection. She helped lead her team to a berth in the 1963 Class AA state championship game in Atlanta her senior year.

Jaynes earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1967 from the Women's College of Georgia, now known as Georgia College & State University, in the school's last graduating class before it became coeducational that fall. She went on to earn a Master of Science in the same field from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 1968. She went on to coach at James Madison University between 1970 and 1982, become the first executive director of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, and be voted a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2008, Jaynes was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. She died at age 68 at a hospice in Athens, Georgia, following a brief illness.

Jaynes played for four years as a stationary guard Newton County High School. The position of stationary guard dates to the existence of six-on-six basketball. She earned all-state player honors in her junior and senior years. As a senior, she helped her team to a 33–1 record and a place in the Class AA state championship game in 1963.

Jaynes became the head coach of the women's basketball team at Madison College (now James Madison University) in 1970. She continued in that position until 1982, with her teams amassing a record of 142–114.

1981 was a key year in the history of women's basketball. The AIAW had been conducting post-season tournaments for years, but the NCAA decided to offer a women's basketball tournament starting in 1982. While some coaches preferred the AIAW and some preferred the NCAA, there was no organization of coaches to express the position of the coaching community on this or any other issue. While there was an existing organization of basketball coaches, the NABC, it was an association of men's team coaches, and the organization was not prepared to expand their remit to women's team coaches. With no other suitable alternatives, some of the leading coaches met in 1981 to consider forming an association. Later in the year, a formal organizational meeting convened, and Betty Jaynes was selected as the interim executive director. The organization quickly dropped the "interim" modifier, and Jaynes would go on to serve as Executive Director for 15 years, then "retire" and continue as a consultant.

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