Cairo native named to Olympic Hall of Fame
Published 3:42 pm Friday, July 3, 2009
Former Cairo High School Syrupmaid and University of Georgia Lady Bulldog standout basketball player Teresa Edwards was named to the U.S .Olympic Hall of Fame’s 2009 class.
The U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) and Allstate Insurance Company, the organization’s presenting sponsor, named Edwards on Wednesday in Colorado Springs, Colo.
A two-time All-American at Georgia, Edwards went on to become the most decorated Olympic basketball player in the world—male or female—with four gold medals and one bronze medal in five Olympic games.
She is the only five-time Olympic basketball player ever for the United States and one of only three five-time Olympic basketball players—male or female—in the world.
The Cairo native is also one of only three U.S. Olympians to win gold medals in four different Olympic games, joining former teammate Lisa Leslie and sprinter Carl Lewis. Only five other non-U.S. athletes have accomplished the feat.
Edwards called being named to the USOC Hall of Fame the highest of highs.
“I’ve always looked at Olympics as being the best that you could possibly get for women’s basketball,” Edwards said. “For me, it’s the most important honor ever. To be in the company of Muhammad Ali and Wilma Rudolph, that’s huge. It’s kind of like, pinch me, because I still can’t believe it.”