Oct. 13, 2004
By JOHN WERNER
Long before Kim Mulkey-Robertson brought the Baylor women's basketball program to prominence, a group of Lady Bears made their mark on the national scene.
Led by the incomparable Suzie Snider Eppers, Baylor reached the AIAW national tournament under Olga Fallen in 1976 and 1977. While Eppers was clearly the star of the team, the Lady Bears couldn't have reached such lofty heights without a great supporting cast.
One of those players was Lynnell Pyron Pilgrim, who will be inducted into this year's class of the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame.
Pilgrim was a 5-7 forward who ranks fifth on Baylor's all-time scoring list with 1,709 points from 1973-77. She was a versatile player with a deadly outside shot and enough strength to drive inside.
"Without a doubt, Lynnell played a key role for us to get to those national tournaments," Eppers said. "She was a gutsy, tough player and a strong rebounder for her size. When we got to Baylor, she was the strongest player on the team.
"But what I remember most about Lynnell was that she could really shoot outside," Eppers said. "Most girls back then used the set shot. But Lynnell had a very good jump shot and she could shoot off the dribble."
Since her graduation from Baylor in 1977, Pilgrim has lived in the San Antonio area. She's an ultrasound technician and has two grown sons.
But she fondly remembers her days at Baylor when she was a three-sport athlete competing in basketball, softball and track. In an era when most women didn't receive athletic scholarships, Pilgrim played for the love of competition.
"My grades probably suffered some because I played so many sports, but it was a very good experience," Pilgrim said. "I basically paid my own way to Baylor. They paid money for books my junior and senior years, but I always paid for my tuition. But even if I hadn't played sports, I would have come to Baylor anyway."
Pilgrim grew up in Somerset, a small town just south of San Antonio. She was an all-state basketball player who also starred in track.
"Our 880-yard relay team held the state record at that time," Pilgrim said. "I also made the state meet in the 220. I threw the discus, high jumped and ran the 440-yard relay. I competed in every sport the school offered. Sometimes, it was hard to juggle all those sports, but it was fun."
With Pilgrim leading the way, the Somerset basketball team reached the state tournament during her junior year. She was recruited mostly by junior colleges before Fallen saw her play in an all-star game following her senior season.
"She already knew I was coming to Baylor," Pilgrim said. "She talked to me about playing there. Coming from a small town, I really didn't know what to expect, but I thought I'd give it a try."
Pilgrim was fortunate to join a talented group of players at Baylor. Eppers is believed to be the highest scoring player in women's college basketball history with 3,861 points.
But she had plenty of skilled players around her like Karen Aulenbacher-Heinz, Carol Reeves Brandenburg, Babette Metcalf and Cathy Hart. Pilgrim was talented enough to start four years for Baylor.
"It was a hard adjustment going to college basketball," Pilgrim said. "In high school, we played half-court basketball with three players on each side of the court. I had to learn to play defense in college because I was an offensive player in high school. But I liked the full-court game better because it was faster and more fun."
Baylor quickly became a basketball power. After finishing 30-11 in 1974-75, Baylor went 31-6 in 1975-76 and made its first trip to the AIAW national tournament in State College, Pa.
The Lady Bears earned the national tournament berth by finishing second in the AIAW regional tournament in Magnolia, Ark. Pilgrim helped Baylor pull off a key 100-91 win over LSU by scoring 23 points.
"I wish they would have had the three-point line back then," said Pilgrim, who averaged 14 points as a junior. "My favorite spot to shoot was the corner of the free-throw line, but I would also shoot farther outside and near the baseline."
Pilgrim helped Baylor pull off a 76-72 win over Southern Connecticut by scoring 12 points in the opening game of the national tournament. However, Baylor dropped its next two games to powerful Delta State and Tennessee Tech.
"It was always exciting to go to the national tournament," Pilgrim said. "I loved traveling to different places and getting the chance to play against a lot of good teams. We had a lot of balance on our team. Even though Suzie (Eppers) was a dominating player for us, she was very unselfish. We had a lot of plays for Suzie, but everybody else got their share."
With the nucleus of the squad returning, Baylor finished fifth on a return trip to the national tournament in Minneapolis in 1977.
After a tournament-opening 85-75 win over St. Joseph's, Baylor dropped to the consolation bracket with a 71-64 loss to LSU.
With Pilgrim scoring 19 points, Baylor rebounded with an 85-74 win over Missouri. On the same day, the Lady Bears pulled off a 77-52 win over Utah as Pilgrim hit 14 points.
Trailing by 14 points in the second half, it appeared that Baylor would lose the fifth place game to Southern Connecticut. But the Lady Bears pieced together a furious rally.
Though Pilgrim scored just five points in her final college game, she hit a basket and a free throw for a three-point play with 44 seconds remaining to cut Southern Connecticut's lead to 69-68.
Fouled with 32 seconds left, Eppers hit a pair of free throws to give Baylor the lead. Sarah Davis added another free throw to seal Baylor's 71-69 comeback win.
"That game was very emotional because a lot of us knew we were playing together for the last time," Pilgrim said.
Eppers is glad to see her old teammate's induction into Baylor's Athletics Hall of Fame.
"I haven't seen Lynnell since I left Baylor, but I'm tickled for her," Eppers said. "We were such a close team. That was such a magical time for women's basketball at Baylor."
