Mel Greenberg

Class of 2007

Staff writer at the Philadelphia Inquirer for 37 years
First writer to be inducted into Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame
Created the first weekly national collegiate women’s basketball poll in 1976; two years later it began worldwide transmission as the Associated Press women’s rankings
Best known for national and local coverage of women’s basketball at the collegiate and professional levels
Covered every national finals dating back to the era of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)
Known as “The Guru,” “Mr. Women’s Basketball,” “The Godfather”
Received Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s first media award in 1991; award was re-named the “Mel Greenberg Award” and given each year to someone whose work in the media helps foster the growth of women’s basketball
Received the Big East’s Media Award in 2004
Received the Jake Wade Award in 2005, given by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to a member of the news media who has made a major impact on collegiate athletics
Received the ECAC-SIDA, an offshoot of the national organization, media award in 2006
Inducted into the Philadelphia Big Five Hall of Fame (1992), the United States Basketball Writers Association Hall of Fame (2002) and the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2005).
Has covered the WNBA extensively every summer since the pro league’s beginning in 1997, as well as the former American Basketball League during its brief existence from 1996-98
During his collegiate days at Temple University , he served as basketball manager for Hall-of-Fame coach Harry Litwack’s men’s team