Barb Robertson, a stellar “Thunderette” and inductee in the Basketball B.C. Hall of Fame, entered UBC in 1959 after growing up as a well-known athlete in Ocean Falls, B.C. She has also been referred to as one who broke down barriers and “opened a lot of doors for those who followed.”
Her first year at UBC was significant in that she along with Diane Beach, Barb Whidden and Marilyn Peterson led the Mearnie Summers – coached “Thunderettes” to their first Western Canadian university basketball championship. This was the same year Robertson was credited with introducing the jump shot to women’s basketball at UBC, dispelling the theory that women weren’t capable of executing this particular shot. It was also this year that Barb, at 18 years of age, began her coaching career while still an Education student, taking the reigns of the UBC Junior Varsity team and coaching it for the next 10 years. At the same time she was largely responsible for organizing the women’s Thunderette Basketball Tournament which was hosted by UBC.
Barb continued to star for UBC through 1964, leading the team in 1961 to a second successive Western Canadian title which was as far as a team could go at that time. Barb had national experiences as well as during the mid-1960s she was selected to play for B.C.’s team at the Canadian women’s basketball championships, a title B.C. won frequently.
In 1965, the year following her graduation, Barb was one of the inaugural selections to the newly formed National Team for women’s basketball. She would play for the National team, coached by UBC’s Ruth Wilson, for four years, a highlight being a bronze medal performance at the 1967 Pan Am Games in Winnipeg.
In 1967 Barb returned to UBC to complete her Bachelors degree in Counselling and found she had a year of eligibility remaining. With this, she embarked upon a new sport for her, field hockey, and played one season under coach “Bim” Schrodt, a highlight that season being the team’s trip to Mexico. Robertson credits Hall of Famer Schrodt with providing guidance and instilling the confidence required to pursue coaching as a career. It was with this confidence that Barb in 1972 applied for and was selected coach of the Simon Fraser University women’s basketball team, a position she held for 11 years. While at SFU she was also instrumental in the initiative to allow female athletes full scholarships as to this point they were eligible for only half scholarships.
Following her retirement from coaching, Barb continued as an undergraduate advisor at SFU and as Associate Registrar at Capilano College.
Acknowledged as an outstanding player and coach, particularly by several UBC alumni including Terri McGovern and Debbie Phelan, it is in part thanks to Barb Robertson female athletes are no longer being held back by those who tell them “Girls can’t or shouldn’t do that.” “She was a wonderful mentor and a wonderful ambassador for UBC” recalls former player McGovern.
Researched and written by Fred Hume, UBC Athletics Historian
