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They were the first to ever claim a conference championship and they set a tone for future generations of University of Calgary sports teams.

After struggling through their first three seasons in the Western Canada Intercollegiate Athletic Association (WCIAA), the University of Alberta in Calgary (UAC) Dinnettes women’s basketball team became history makers in 1965-1966 by turning things completely around.

Led by a new coach, Dr. Jean Leiper, PhD, the team found itself winning more games, setting the stage for a history-making championship weekend in February 1966.

When the final buzzer went on their final game, the Dinnettes, as they were called years before becoming the Dinosaurs and then the Dinos, mobbed each other as champions.

“This was the epitome of what a ‘team’ is,” recalls Theresa Maxwell, BEd’66, who competed with UAC under the name Theresa Sakura. “We played hard, respected each other, and had a great time.”

Almost 60 years to the day they became champions, the Dinnettes were honoured again as part of the Dinos Hall of Fame Class of 2026 on Feb. 5.

New coach brings new approach

Maxwell remembers being part of the previous three UAC teams who hadn’t performed well.

She says each year brought a new coach who might have been committed but wasn’t really a “basketball person,” so the players were essentially coaching themselves.

Combine that with a new school with a relatively small population base, and the team didn’t win a game during any of their first three conference championship weekends.

Heading into the 1965-1966 season, Leiper was named head coach, and the veterans noticed a difference right away in that she played to the team’s strengths and allowed the athletes’ skills to stand out.

“We had more experience playing the game and were blessed with having players with highly developed skill levels,” says team captain Shirley Murphy, BPE’66, who competed with UAC under the name Shirley Zmurchyk. “We were athletic, we played hard and definitely hated to lose.”

A season to remember

The Dinnettes didn’t really have a standard regular season as they played other women’s teams in Calgary and then in invitational tournaments leading up to the WCIAA championship in Edmonton.

Having performed well in those games leading up to the final weekend, Maxwell says they felt confident about their chances.

That belief in themselves grew exponentially when they opened up the tournament with a 46-40 victory over the defending-champion University of Saskatchewan Huskiettes.

“That was our big game,” Leiper told the Calgary Herald after the tournament in 1966. “Although we had defeated them once before in Lethbridge, that win seemed to give us the big lift.”

The Dinnettes then beat the University of Alberta Pandas 44-30 and clobbered the University of Manitoba Bisonettes 69-28 to guarantee themselves the best record and the championship.

While losing their final game to the University of British Columbia Thunderettes had no impact on the standings, the team still put in their best effort in what turned out to be their only loss of the event.

“What a joy when that final buzzer sounded,” Maxwell says. “I don’t remember the score as all I remember is being extremely exhausted because Coach Lieper didn’t substitute me off even though I requested one.”

Maxwell and Murphy were among the tournament’s leading scorers, while Lieper made a point of singling out every player for their efforts during the championship.

Their legacy lives on

It had been a while since the team had been together when they gathered again for the Dinos Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Many memories were shared while tributes were paid to those who couldn’t be there.

Carol Leiper says her sister, who passed away in 2019, was always wanting credit to go to the players, who were able to detect strengths and weaknesses in opponents quickly.

“Although she had coached basketball for high school teams, the playing skill of this group exceeded her ability as a coach,” she says. “She said they all solved problems on the court during timeouts while she just facilitated the problem solving.”

Teammate Wendy Carson, BPE’68, BEd’73, says they were a close-knit team, both on and off the court.

“I remember a lot of laughter and pushing each other to be the best that we could be while respecting each other’s talents,” she says. “We just loved this great game of basketball.”

Maxwell, who was named the Dinosaurs Female Athlete of the Year in 1966, calls it an honour to go into the Hall of Fame with a special group of athletes who celebrated everything together, on and off the court.

“I am extremely proud to have been a part of this exceptional group of athletes who achieved an extraordinary accomplishment against much larger, established institutions,” she says. “We were the first conference champions at this institution, and I believe we set a high bar.”

The Dinos women’s basketball team has won seven conference championships and one national title since the WCIAA became Canada West in 1972.