Luckie's athleticism best ever, some say

More than 25 years after Elizabeth "Bippy" Luckie left Jefferson Community College, longtime JCC coach Mal Biedekapp still can't believe his luck.

In an era when coaches didn't actively recruit girls to play collegiate sports, Biedekapp found an athlete in JCC's own backyard who is still considered by many the greatest female athlete to play for the college. Luckie then went on to build a legacy at Sacred Heart University that continues to grow.

"She was the greatest basketball player, softball player, anything you could name. She was the greatest," said Biedekapp last week. Biedekapp, who retired in 1994, coached Luckie in basketball.

Luckie grew up in an athletic family of four boys and two girls in Ogdensburg and excelled in softball, basketball and volleyball at Ogdensburg Free Academy. Her athletic talent won national attention in 1978 when she made it all the way to the national final in the Pepsi Hot Shot basketball competition for girls ages 13-15. Luckie lost in the final, played at halftime of the third game of the NBA finals between the Seattle SuperSonics and host Washington Bullets.

At JCC, Luckie played point guard and made her mark with her scoring, passing ability and toughness. Luckie was quick, a superb ball handler and knew the game. Biedekapp couldn't believe a player of such talent was competing for the Cannoneers.

"Recruiting for girls back then was not that great," he said. "It was a nice plus for us. I was happy to get her."

Luckie played for JCC from 1980-82. The Cannoneers went 14-3 and 10-8 in those two years. She averaged 15.3 points per game for her career, and her 33 points against Mohawk Valley Community College on Feb. 22, 1982 remains the ninth best JCC total of all time. She was an All-American in basketball and softball for the Cannoneers.

Armed with her JCC résumé, Luckie took her talent to Sacred Heart, a national Division II softball power. She became an All-American shortstop and helped lead Sacred Heart to three straight NCAA Division II semifinal appearances from 1983-85. Named New England Collegiate Conference player of the year in 1985, Luckie finished her Sacred Heart career with a .357 batting average and still holds the university single-season records for hits in a season (71) and total bases (110).

In basketball, Luckie led the NECC in scoring as a Sacred Heart junior, averaging 19.9 points per game. Her 42 points against Rhode Island College on Feb. 21, 1983 remains the single-game mark for the Pioneers.

Luckie was so successful at Sacred Heart that she was inducted into the Connecticut Scholastic and Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame on March 2, 1997. Last September, Sacred Heart retired her No. 10.

Luckie has parlayed her athletic ability into a long and successful coaching career at Sacred Heart. After 20 years as the Pioneers' softball coach, she is 372-404-4 and holds the school record for career wins. She has been a part of eight NCAA appearances by Sacred Heart, now a Division I team. She is a four-time NECC coach of the year.

Luckie, whose brother, Jamie, is an Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East Conference basketball referee, lives in the Fairfield, Conn., area and serves as Divisional Budget Director and Athletics Business Manager at Sacred Heart.

To read about previous selections to the Times' list of The North Country's Greatest 100 Athletes of All Time, log on to www.watertowndailytimes.com