Wake Forest Athletics
Finch to be Inducted into 2025 North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Class
2/26/2025 2:48:00 PM | Field Hockey, General, Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball
Nora Lynn Finch was the first women’s basketball, field hockey, volleyball and tennis coach in Wake Forest history, leading the team during the inaugural seasons in 1971-72 and 1972-73.
RALEIGH, N.C. – Nora Lynn Finch, who was the first women's basketball, field hockey, volleyball and women's tennis coach in Wake Forest history, is set to be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame as a part of the 2025 class.
Finch was a trailblazer as the first female coach of any kind in Wake Forest history, helping lead all four teams through their first two seasons of competition in 1971-72 and 1972-73.
During her time at Wake Forest, she led the women's basketball team to its highest winning percentage in program history, posting a 12-4 record during the 1972-73 season and winning a pair of games in the NCAIAW Division II Tournament to end the season. During that season, the Deacs outscored opponents by better than 15 points per game and allowed opponents to score just 42.1 points per game.
As the first leader of the volleyball program, Finch led the team to double-digit wins, finishing with a 10-10 overall record in 1972. In their first season as the women's tennis coach in 1971-72, the Deacs went 5-3, including a 5-1 record at home. The team would go 4-4 the following season as Finch ended her tenure with a 9-7 overall record. In her two seasons establishing the field hockey program, Finch went 6-5-2, setting the groundwork for the program to later become a three-time National Champion.
Prior to her time at Wake Forest, Finch attended Western Carolina where she lettered in field hockey, volleyball, basketball and tennis. She received a BS in Education in 1970 and Masters of Education in 1971.
She was one of the first intercollegiate female athletes at WCU, even helping the women's basketball team to a national runner-up finish in 1969. Finch graduated from WCU with honors in 1970, and two days after she turned her tassel, she joined the faculty at Wake Forest University to coach.
She went on to serve as the Director of Athletics at William Peace College. Lynch was a stellar coach and athletic director at then Peace College from 1973 to 1977. As head coach, she led the 1976-77 women's basketball team to the finals of the AIAW National Junior College Tournament. Its runner-up finish and final No. 2 national ranking is the highest for any sport at William Peace.
While women's basketball coach at Wake Forest, Finch met Kay Yow who was coach of women's basketball at Elon College. Later, when Yow was asked to bring in another staff member at NC State, she insisted on hiring Finch. Finch became Coordinator of Women's Athletics and Yow became women's basketball coach.
After acting as Coordinator of Women's Athletics for two years at NC State, Finch became Assistant Director of Athletics, the first woman in North Carolina to hold the title. When Jim Valvano promoted her to Associate Director of Athletics, she became the first woman athletics director in the ACC to hold that title and the first at an ACC school to be the primary administrator for men's sports (soccer, track and field, and swimming). She would serve as the Senior Women's Administrator at NC State for over 30 years.
Finch also served as the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee from 1981-88. Finch negotiated the first women's basketball tournament television contract with CBS.
Also, while Finch was on the women's basketball rules committee, hall of fame coach Carol Eckman embraced her recommendation to have a slightly smaller and lighter basketball for women. With Eckman's help, the rule was passed, and years later, the international governing body for basketball, FIBA, adopted the NCAA size women's basketball.
She has represented the NCAA on the U.S. Collegiate Sports Council since 1988, serving as President from 1992 to 1996. In 1991, 1993 and 1995 she served as Chief of Mission for the United States World University Game delegations.
In 2008, Finch became Senior Associate Commissioner/Women's Basketball for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). She retired in 2019 after a historic career promoting women's sports.
Finch received awards and accolades for her impact on college athletics and her role in championing opportunities for women in sports. She was the recipient of the 2007 Billie Jean King Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Sports Foundation and was named to the 10th Anniversary Women's Basketball Team by the NCAA.
In North Carolina, Finch earned the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award in 2007. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is a prestigious award presented by the Governor of North Carolina to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state.
Finch was inducted into the National Women's Athletic Hall of Fame, National Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, twice into the Western Carolina University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Peace College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. The Orlando Sentinel ranked her the 12th Most Influential Woman in Sports in the 20th Century in their December, 1999 article about American sports.
Finch was a trailblazer as the first female coach of any kind in Wake Forest history, helping lead all four teams through their first two seasons of competition in 1971-72 and 1972-73.
During her time at Wake Forest, she led the women's basketball team to its highest winning percentage in program history, posting a 12-4 record during the 1972-73 season and winning a pair of games in the NCAIAW Division II Tournament to end the season. During that season, the Deacs outscored opponents by better than 15 points per game and allowed opponents to score just 42.1 points per game.
As the first leader of the volleyball program, Finch led the team to double-digit wins, finishing with a 10-10 overall record in 1972. In their first season as the women's tennis coach in 1971-72, the Deacs went 5-3, including a 5-1 record at home. The team would go 4-4 the following season as Finch ended her tenure with a 9-7 overall record. In her two seasons establishing the field hockey program, Finch went 6-5-2, setting the groundwork for the program to later become a three-time National Champion.
Prior to her time at Wake Forest, Finch attended Western Carolina where she lettered in field hockey, volleyball, basketball and tennis. She received a BS in Education in 1970 and Masters of Education in 1971.
She was one of the first intercollegiate female athletes at WCU, even helping the women's basketball team to a national runner-up finish in 1969. Finch graduated from WCU with honors in 1970, and two days after she turned her tassel, she joined the faculty at Wake Forest University to coach.
She went on to serve as the Director of Athletics at William Peace College. Lynch was a stellar coach and athletic director at then Peace College from 1973 to 1977. As head coach, she led the 1976-77 women's basketball team to the finals of the AIAW National Junior College Tournament. Its runner-up finish and final No. 2 national ranking is the highest for any sport at William Peace.
While women's basketball coach at Wake Forest, Finch met Kay Yow who was coach of women's basketball at Elon College. Later, when Yow was asked to bring in another staff member at NC State, she insisted on hiring Finch. Finch became Coordinator of Women's Athletics and Yow became women's basketball coach.
After acting as Coordinator of Women's Athletics for two years at NC State, Finch became Assistant Director of Athletics, the first woman in North Carolina to hold the title. When Jim Valvano promoted her to Associate Director of Athletics, she became the first woman athletics director in the ACC to hold that title and the first at an ACC school to be the primary administrator for men's sports (soccer, track and field, and swimming). She would serve as the Senior Women's Administrator at NC State for over 30 years.
Finch also served as the inaugural chair of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Committee from 1981-88. Finch negotiated the first women's basketball tournament television contract with CBS.
Also, while Finch was on the women's basketball rules committee, hall of fame coach Carol Eckman embraced her recommendation to have a slightly smaller and lighter basketball for women. With Eckman's help, the rule was passed, and years later, the international governing body for basketball, FIBA, adopted the NCAA size women's basketball.
She has represented the NCAA on the U.S. Collegiate Sports Council since 1988, serving as President from 1992 to 1996. In 1991, 1993 and 1995 she served as Chief of Mission for the United States World University Game delegations.
In 2008, Finch became Senior Associate Commissioner/Women's Basketball for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). She retired in 2019 after a historic career promoting women's sports.
Finch received awards and accolades for her impact on college athletics and her role in championing opportunities for women in sports. She was the recipient of the 2007 Billie Jean King Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women's Sports Foundation and was named to the 10th Anniversary Women's Basketball Team by the NCAA.
In North Carolina, Finch earned the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award in 2007. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is a prestigious award presented by the Governor of North Carolina to individuals who have shown extraordinary service to the state.
Finch was inducted into the National Women's Athletic Hall of Fame, National Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, twice into the Western Carolina University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Peace College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. The Orlando Sentinel ranked her the 12th Most Influential Woman in Sports in the 20th Century in their December, 1999 article about American sports.
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