Dawn Staley Honored By Peers As 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Flag Bearer

August 12, 2004  •  Athens, Greece

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Dawn Staley is flanked by U.S. Olympic Committee officials (L-R): Dale Neuburger, Jim Scherr, Herman Frazier, Peter Ueberroth and Mary McCagg prior to the press conference announcing her as the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team flag bearer.

The U.S. Olympic Committee announced today that three-time Olympian Dawn Staley (Charlotte Sting) was elected by the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team captains to represent the United States of America as the USA's flag bearer for the 2004 Olympic Games. Staley, the first U.S. basketball player to earn this honor, will carry the United States flag and lead the U.S. Olympic delegation into Opening Ceremonies on Friday night.

"I'm not an emotional person, but this makes me emotional," said Staley. "I'm invisible most of the time, I'm not even a conversation starter. I usually do all my talking on the court, so it's an honor that so many others see me in a different light."

A staple of USA Basketball teams since 1989, Staley was a member of the historic 1995-96 USA Basketball Women's National Team that rolled up a 60-0 record, captured the 1996 Olympic gold medal, and was named the 1996 USA Basketball and U.S. Olympic Committee Team of the Year. She returned to the Olympic stage in Sydney to help the U.S. earn a second consecutive gold, while compiling a perfect 8-0 record.

Staley is a two-time World Championship gold medalist (1998, 2002). In 1998, after winning the World Championship with a perfect 9-0 record, the USA squad was named the 1998 USA Basketball Team of the Year. The 2002 USA World Championship Team not only mirrored the 9-0 record and gold medal, it was also named the 2002 USA Basketball Team of the Year. Further, she was named the 1994 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year and earned 1994 Goodwill Games MVP honors after leading the U.S. to a gold in that event.

A five-year WNBA Charlotte Sting guard, Staley is a three-time WNBA All-Star.

A native of North Central Philadelphia, she credits her passion to the poverty stricken neighborhood where she was raised. "I was the youngest of five and my family didn't have money, but that taught me to have a lot of heart. The boys in my neighborhood were always playing games and I had to play. If I had a ball and they wanted to use it, I was going to play. Most people would never say that the projects had ever produced something great, but all my life they've been my base."

A torch bearer during the ‘96 Olympic Torch Relay, following the Games Staley transformed that base into a foundation, creating the Dawn Staley Foundation dedicated to building a future of hope for at-risk youth by providing opportunities to help them realize their dreams.

The recipient of the 1998 American Red Cross Spectrum Award, which celebrates women who have made outstanding contributions to their communities, Staley has been honored on numerous occasions for her work with inner-city Philadelphia children through her foundation, including the 1999 WNBA Entrepreneurial Spirit Award.

"If the team captains picked their flag bearer because of what each athlete did in sport, every Olympian should carry the flag. Sport is just the vehicle to allow you to do other things outside of it," said Staley, who has been the head women's basketball coach at Temple University (Pa.) since the 2000-01 season.

As Temple's head coach, Staley advanced the Owls to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in four years. The 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year and 2002 Philadelphia Big Five Coach of the Year, Staley currently boasts a 74-47 (.612) record in her first three seasons at Temple's helm after finishing the 2003-04 season with a 21-10 mark.

Media Blitz In addition to the press conference officially announcing Dawn as the flag bearer, she was a guest on Today and made appearances on several NBC stations around the country

With vehicles like the Dawn Staley After School Project, basketball league, clinics and the ‘Day in the Park,' she has reached tens of thousands of youth in the North Central Philadelphia area with her community outreach.

"Carrying the Olympic flame in 1996 was an honor, but carrying the flag is going to be a ray of hope," said Staley. "A little girl from the housing projects of north Philly is leading the U.S. team into the Olympic Games - it's bigger than any basketball game I've ever played."

Houston Comets head coach Van Chancellor is heading up the 2004 USA coaching staff and is being assisted on the sidelines in Athens by Anne Donovan (Seattle Storm), Gail Goestenkors (Duke University) and C. Vivian Stringer (Rutgers University). Staley's 2004 U.S. Women's Olympic Basketball teammates include Sue Bird (Seattle Storm), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock), Tamika Catchings (Indiana Fever), Yolanda Griffith (Sacramento Monarchs), Shannon Johnson (San Antonio Silver Stars), Lisa Leslie (Los Angeles Sparks), Ruth Riley (Detroit Shock), Katie Smith (Minnesota Lynx), Sheryl Swoopes (Houston Comets), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury) and Tina Thompson (Houston Comets).

The USA owns a 34-3 overall record (.919 winning percentage) in Olympic competition and has won a record four golds, one silver and one bronze medal in the six previous Olympic basketball competitions in which the U.S. competed. The United States, which earned the silver medal at the inaugural Olympic women's basketball tournament in 1976, earned its first gold at the ‘84 Games in Los Angeles, collected gold again in Seoul in ‘88, and captured back-to-back golds with unblemished 8-0 records in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

With the exception of host Greece and the United States, which earned its Olympic qualifying berth by virtue of its 2002 World Championship gold medal finish, teams were required to qualify through zone qualifying tournaments for the 2004 Olympics. Earning the 10 remaining spots among Athens competitors were: Australia (Oceania #1), Brazil (Americas #1), China (Asia #1), Czech Republic (Europe #2), Japan (Asia #2), New Zealand (Oceania #2), Nigeria (Africa #1), Russia (Europe #1), South Korea (Asia #3) and Spain (Europe #3).

The United States, placed in Group B, will open preliminary round play against New Zealand on Aug. 14, face the Czechs on Aug. 16, South Korea on Aug. 18, Spain on Aug. 20 and will close out preliminary round play versus China on Aug. 22. The top four teams from each preliminary round group will advance to the Aug. 25 quarterfinals, with the winners playing in the semifinals on Aug. 27 and the medal games will be contested Aug. 28. Group A consists of Australia, Brazil, Greece, Japan, Nigeria and Russia.