Francis Marion University athletic officials have announced thatformer women's softball Academic All-American CindyAlford and a former two-sport standout (women's basketballand volleyball) on some of the school's first women's athleticteams, LaRue Fields, will be inducted into the FMUAthletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Feb. 15, 1997.
Fields, a native of Effingham and a graduate ofSouthside High School, was a member of the first three Lady Patriotbasketball and volleyball teams (1973-1976). She earned theB.A. degree in sociology in 1976 and currently resides inMinneapolis, Minn., where she is an advocacy administrator with theMinneapolis Urban League. In this senior management position,she is responsible for the general administration and management ofthe Policy Advocacy and Community Education Division of the localorganization.
On the basketball court at Francis Marion, she amassed 1,158career points and 1,186 rebounds, while the Lady Patriots compileda three-year record of 50-24. She is one of only four Patriotcagers to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She stillholds the FMU (male or female) single-game record for rebounds with32. As a senior, she helped lead Francis Marion to asixth-place finish at the AIAW Small College National Tournament inAshland, Ohio.
On the volleyball court, she helped the Lady Patriots to athree-year mark of 45-37. While earning SCAIAW TournamentAll-Tournament honors in 1974, she helped Francis Marion gain aberth in the AIAW Region II Tournament. She was also a memberof the 1976 Francis Marion women's track and field club team.
Following graduation, Fields served as a graduate assistantbasketball coach for two years at Salisbury StateCollege. After earning the M.Ed. degree from SalisburyState, she was named the head women's basketball coach at MorganState University in Baltimore, Md. In seven seasons, sherecorded a 123-61 mark and guided the Lady Bears to three 20-winseasons, five regional tournaments, and two nationaltournaments. Following a 24-4 season in 1980-81, she wasnamed the AIAW Division II national "Coach of the Year."
In 1986, she took the position of assistant coach at theUniversity of Minnesota and became head coach a year later. Prior to leaving the university in 1990 to pursue new careeropportunities outside of coaching, she compiled a 24-59 record inthree seasons. In 10 seasons as a college head coach, sheamassed a 147-120 record.
Beginning in 1990, Fields worked for four years with theMinneapolis YWCA as director of youth services and the Ruth HawkinsProgram Center. She joined the staff of the Urban League in1994 as director of the Police Community Training Project and theMinneapolis Curfew/Truancy Center, before taking her currentposition in 1996.
She is a member of several Minneapolis area committees and is aboard member for The Bridge for Runaway Youth, the MinneapolisMunicipal Athletic Association, the Minneapolis Police AthleticLeague, and the Leadership for Black Women. Fields has alsodone some motivational speaking engagements, in addition tonumerous electronic and print media interviews.
