50 Years of Title IX: Sheila Ford Duncan – A Bulldog Basketball great

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – On June 13, 1972, Title IX, also referred to as the Equal Opportunity in Education Act was signed into law, stating, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

As we celebrate the 50th year of Title IX, Bulldog Athletics will look to honor and acknowledge the lasting impact it has had on education and athletics. Our fourth installment of the series features Bulldog basketball great Sheila Ford Duncan. Sheila is the program’s all-time leader in (2,442 points) and rebounds (2,200), leading Asheville to the 1984 NAIA National Title.

Hailing from Clarkton, North Carolina, Ford Duncan began playing basketball at six years old in her backyard.

On Picking up the Game Young
“My dad had erected a 10-foot regulation size goal with a dirt court. All the neighborhood kids were always at our house playing. My most notable moment during my elementary school years was when our 4th-grade girls’ team beat the 7th-grade girls’ team in basketball and they wanted to beat us up. It was intramurals then and we were the best girls team in the school!”

Ford Duncan enjoyed sports to the fullest, always eager to compete in anything she could.

On Female Sports when she was Growing Up
“To my knowledge, I was always able to participate in sports. Whatever sport I was interested in, I got to play it. I played a lot of softball in the summer months and my high school biology teacher started the girls’ tennis team my sophomore year at Clarkton High…I think if there was a volleyball team or a soccer team at my high school, I probably would have played those sports as well.”

If anyone knows the Ford family, Ford Duncan’s passion for sports should come as no surprise. In addition to her older sister Michele being a four-year starter (basketball) in high school, Sheila’s younger brother, Sherman, would go on to play baseball at N.C. A&T while her older brother Leon helped teach her the game.

On her Biggest Influences Growing Up
““My parents (Harold and Lendora Ford) and my brothers and sister also encouraged me by attending my basketball games and supporting me...my parents were the most positive role models in my life. Also, I learned the game from two of the best players that have ever played the game of basketball: my oldest brother, Leon Ford, and from watching NBA-great Wes Unseld of the then Washington Bullets. They were the best rebounders that I have ever seen play the game of basketball and I wanted to play just like them. My brother, (Leon) would always choose me for his team for pickup games. I would be the only girl on the court usually and no one wanted to take a chance on me. I became really good at rebounding because I had to block out older guys and get really physical with them. That helped me out a lot.”

Getting a Chance to Play
“Outside of playing intramurals in Elementary School, my first organized basketball team sport with a coach was not until I got to 9th grade at Clarkton High School. We did not have a middle school team or anything like that. It was the fall of 1976 and boy was I ready to shine and show my skills on the court. I played softball and tennis, but basketball was my only four-year sport. I was a four-year starter my entire high school career with All-East honors and won almost every award there was to be handed out for the sport.”

While Ford Duncan had various tryouts and even letters of intent, it was her campus visit to Asheville that sealed the deal.

Outside of playing intramurals in Elementary School, my first organized basketball team sport with a coach was not until I got to 9th grade at Clarkton High School. We did not have a middle school team or anything like that. It was the fall of 1976 and boy was I ready to shine and show my skills on the court.

Becoming a Bulldog
“UNC Asheville stole my heart. I fell in love with the mountains and the campus. I was actually on a dual scholarship for basketball and tennis. After my freshman year, Beth Krivda and I had actually thought about transferring. However, after meeting Helen Carroll on her campus visit as the new head coach, we decided to stay. Life at UNC-Asheville was grand! Walking to class was one of my favorite things to do on campus…Also, the Justice Center was the prettiest and nicest gym that I had ever played in and I loved it. There were no strangers on campus. On my first day, I met a young co-ed student named Johnella Williams. She and I are still friends until this day. Life-long friendships are a result of attending UNC Asheville.

While there wasn’t much winning early on, Ford Duncan dug her heels in and stayed committed, with her efforts culminating in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Player of the Year honors and a Bulldog National Championship in 1984.

Her takeaways from being a Student-Athlete.
“The Road to the Final Four in 1984 was amazing! I have pictures of the entire trip and a video of the triumphant victory at the end! After winning the national championship in 1984, I came away with the feeling that I could do and accomplish anything. Winning a championship will do that for you. Also, it transitions into becoming winners and champions in life. Those life-long lessons never go away and returning to campus has always been a pleasure no matter where I have resided. Since leaving UNC-Asheville, I have applied the championship mentality into every career choice and into my family as well.”

The 1984 National Championship team

Ford Duncan would go on to play professionally after her time at UNC Asheville, and although she is grateful to have played, she wishes some of the opportunities that are around today would have been available then.

Achieving the Dream(s)
“Since I was six years old, I wanted to play professional basketball. I am happy to say I was able to achieve that dream by playing in Vigo Spain…At the time, I saw that women were playing professional basketball here in the United States, however, those leagues would easily fold due to lack of support and funding. I just wished the WNBA was an active league when I came out of high school and college. I believe that I would have been drafted due to my stats and work ethic. I also think that I would have been a great analyst of the game if given the opportunity. There are way more opportunities to excel in sports in other capacities today.”

Ford Duncan in Spain

After winning the national championship in 1984, I came away with the feeling that I could do and accomplish anything. Winning a championship will do that for you. Also, it transitions into becoming winners and champions in life. Those life-long lessons never go away and returning to campus has always been a pleasure no matter where I have resided.

Despite Ford Duncan’s parents being teachers, she wasn’t interested in joining the family profession after basketball, working in apparel before (ironically) being asked to join the Western Kentucky staff to serve as a teacher in the Textiles & Apparel Merchandising program. Even though she moved on from hoops professionally, Sheila can’t let go of the game she loves.

Teaching the Game
“I have coached both my daughter and son in their basketball careers sharing with them the knowledge of boxing out, rebounding and positioning themselves for putbacks. Basically, the post player or playing the center position. It has been a joy to share the knowledge. I have also coached girls teams at Boys & Girls Clubs in Greensboro, NC, during my graduate program.”

Today, Duncan resides with her family in Bowling Green, Kentucky, where she teaches grades 5-12 for Warren County Public Schools (Kentucky).