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Feature Athlete: Nancy Hogan

“Nancy epitomizes the high standards of conduct and sportsmanship we look for in our Ridgewood students” is what her Hall of Fame nominator stated in January of 1993. At this time the Ridgewood High School Hall of Fame did not even exist and wouldn’t for another 11 years. More than 20 years later in 2014, Nancy Hogan was finally inducted Hall of Fame.

When one sees all that Nancy was able to accomplish as both a student athlete and a coach, it is extremely clear as to why the above statement was made.

Nancy Hogan is a trailblazer in the world of women’s athletics, being one of the first of many generations of women to benefit from the passing of Title lX legislation by the Nixon administration on June 23, 1972. This federal law prohibited gender discrimination in any federally funded educational program or activity.

While at RHS from 1971 through 1974, Nancy played five different sports at the varsity level. Her sports were field hockey, volleyball, basketball, softball and track. She earned eleven varsity letters in those sports, started every game for each team in each sport she played her junior and senior seasons, and was named captain of the field hockey and basketball teams her senior year.

In June of her senior year at RHS, Nancy was named the first female recipient of the “Ridgewood High School Award for Excellence in Athletics”. This award is the highest the RHS athletic department can give to an individual student; the award had been presented annually to each classes’ outstanding male athlete since 1914. 60 years later Nancy finally broke the gender barrier.

Upon graduation from RHS in 1974, Nancy continued her education at Montclair State through 1976 and then transferred to Rutgers University in the fall of 76. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Administration in 1978 and would go on to earn a Master of Education from Boston University in 1981.

While at Montclair, Nancy was a member of the college’s field hockey, basketball and softball teams. Upon transferring to Rutgers, she continued her collegiate athletic career concentrating on her best game, basketball, as a member of the Scarlet Knights varsity team her junior and senior years (1976-78). Nancy played for the first full time female collegiate basketball coach in the country, Theresa Grentz, an All-American herself from Immaculata. While at Rutgers, Nancy coined the nickname “Century Hogan” having scored the one hundredth point all five times the basketball team broke the 100 mark during her two varsity seasons there.

After graduating from Rutgers, Nancy continued her passion for the game, taking positions as the women’s basketball assistant coach at Boston University, Harvard University, UMass Amherst, and Tufts University. She served as the head coach at Regis College for four years and was head coach for the Bay State Games North East Region women’s collegiate team in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.

Nancy Hogan is a champion and leader in the development of women’s athletics not only at Ridgewood High School, but nationally. Her passion and accomplishments as an athlete and coach certainly speaks to her nominator’s original statement in 1993. She does completely exemplify the best that Ridgewood has to offer.


Claire Sullivan
staff writer

Graphics: Maraea Garcia

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