FLUSHING, N.Y. – On Saturday, June 14, Queens College women's basketball pioneer Lucille Kyvallos was officially inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame at the historic Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, Tennessee.

She was one of seven members of the Hall of Fame's Class of 2025, joining Alana Beard, Sue Bird, Mark Campbell, Danielle Donehew, Sylvia Fowles, and Cappie Pondexter.

During her induction, Coach Kyvallos reflected on her journey, sharing stories of perseverance, progress, and her lifelong dedication to advancing women's basketball.

Queens College President Frank H. Wu reflected on Coach Lucille Kyvallos's lasting impact, stating: "We take enormous pride in being the place where Coach Kyvallos forged her extraordinary career. Her unprecedented success transforming our women's basketball program blazed a path for the sport's overall advancement. Generations of women athletes owe her an enormous debt. We offer her our warmest congratulations on her induction into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame."

Coach Kyvallos, who began her journey at Queens College in Flushing in 1968, not only led the women's basketball program to success but also emerged as a key figure in the Title IX movement, helping to elevate women's basketball onto the national sports media stage.

In addition to coaching at Queens College, Kyvallos dedicated her weekends and summers to hosting basketball camps and clinics, helping to raise awareness of the sport among teenage girls and develop their skills.

For over 12 years at Queens College, Kyvallos turned the Knights women's basketball team into one of the top programs in the country. During her tenure, the team had a record of 239-77 and was ranked among the top ten nationwide from 1972 to 1978. In 1973, Queens College hosted the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) National Championship Tournament in front of a packed Fitzgerald Gymnasium, which would earn the sport the popularity it truly needed and spread the attention in New York City, including Madison Square Garden (MSG).

Two years later, on February 22, 1975, MSG invited Queens College and Immaculata to play the first-ever collegiate women's basketball game at the world's most famous arena, which was attended by nearly 12,000 fans who came out to witness the historic event.

In 1977, Kyvallos was selected as the head coach of the United States women's basketball team at the World University Games in Sofia, Bulgaria. She would lead Team USA to a silver medal, losing only to the Soviet Union in the gold medal game. Kyvallos also served on the United States Olympic Committee from 1969 to 1972 and from 1974 to 1976.

Kyvallos' 1972–73 QC squad was the first women's basketball team to be inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

A trailblazer for women's basketball, She would receive many honors over her career, including Lady Champion's "Coach of the Year" award, Women Sports's "The Coach You Would Want to Play For" title, recognition from the New York State Resolutions and New York City Proclamations for her role in women's basketball at the college level.

She was individually inducted into the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame, the Springfield College Hall of Fame, the West Chester College Hall of Fame, and the Queens College Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 2015, she was awarded the Joe Lapchick Character Award, which recognizes those who have demonstrated honorable character throughout their basketball careers.

On October 14, 2017, Queens College renamed its basketball court Lucille Kyvallos Court in her honor.