Tulsa, OK, Firefighter Inducted into National American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame

Former University of Kansas women’s basketball point guard Angel Goodrich, the school’s all-time career and single-season assist leader, has been inducted into the National American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame.

Goodrich, who played at KU from 2009 to 2013, then three seasons in the WNBA (two years in Tulsa, one in Seattle), was recognized during the National American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 2 at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.

The 5-foot-4 Goodrich, who was born in Glendale, Arizona, and currently is a firefighter in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians.

Chief Jeff Wacoche, secretary Caleb Grimmett-Smith and district representatives Cliff Wofford and Janelle Adair of the United Keetoowah Band attended the event to celebrate and honor Goodrich on induction night.

“Angel Goodrich embodies the spirit of resilience and excellence that defines our people,” said Chief Wacoche. “Her achievements reflect her unwavering determination, and her legacy as a role model continues to uplift the next generation of Keetoowah and Native athletes. We are beyond proud of her induction into the National American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame. It is a momentous and well-deserved honor.”

The United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, where Goodrich attended high school, added in a news release: “The United Keetoowah Band celebrates Angel Goodrich’s enduring impact and congratulates her on this amazing recognition. She has brought great pride to the UKB and has paved the way for others to follow.”

Goodrich in a statement provided to The Star said of the honor: “Being inducted for anything is a special accomplishment and I am truly honored and grateful. But I didn’t do it on my own. God blessed me with a great family, friends, coaches and teammates that helped me throughout my journey. So I believe the credit should go to them.”

Goodrich was a 3-sport athlete

At Sequoyah High School in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Goodrich led her team to three state basketball championships. Goodrich also lettered in softball and track and field, earning all-state honors as a sprinter.

She became the school’s first NCAA Div. I athletic scholarship recipient, accepting a scholarship offer from KU in 2009.

“Elite. Elite of the elite,” current KU coach Brandon Schneider said of Goodrich in an interview with Kansas Alumni Magazine.

Goodrich shortly after arriving at KU emerged as one of the most inspirational players in KU history.

She tore the ACL in her left knee, forcing her to miss her entire freshman season (2008-09). She played in just 15 games her redshirt freshman campaign, tearing the ACL in her right knee. For the season she averaged 6.8 points and 7.1 assists per contest.

What followed was a sophomore season in which she averaged 7.5 points and 6.3 assists in 27 games.

Goodrich blossomed on court as junior, senior

As a junior in 2011-12, she averaged 14.0 points and 7.4 assists in 34 contests. As a senior in 2012-13, she averaged 14.1 points and 7.2 assists in 34 games.

During her senior year at KU, Goodrich was a finalist for the Naismith Award, Wade Trophy, Wooden Award, Nancy Lieberman Award and the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. She was a first-team all-Big 12 selection and was a member of the WBCA All-Region 5 Team.

She is KU’s career assist leader (771) ahead of runner-up Lisa Braddy, who dished 686 assists from 1986-90. Goodrich’s 250 assists in 2011-12 and 245 in 2012-13 rank No. 1 and 2 on the all-time KU list. She dished 16 assists, second most in a game in school history, against Texas in 2012. She had 15 assists against Iowa State in 2011 and 14 assists versus Oral Roberts and Texas in 2011.

She is ranked fourth in career minutes played (3,917), sixth in career steals (241) and ninth in career 3-pointers made (135) at KU.

Goodrich on her KU accomplishments

Of her longstanding KU career assist record, she told The Star: “I honestly cannot believe I still hold that record with such a prestigious school. But it truly is an honor and privilege. When it comes to assists, I wouldn’t have that record if it wasn’t for my teammates finishing the shot. Therefore, I hold this honor with them and couldn’t be any happier.”

Of Goodrich, former KU coach Bonnie Henrickson said back in 2012: “I thought she was special the first time I saw her. She has separated herself and made a name for herself as a phenomenal point guard.”

After scoring the 1,000th point of her career in January of 2013, Goodrich said to the Daily Kansan: “It is special to get it in Allen Fieldhouse. Coming here and being in front of our loyal fans and get it in front of them, it feels great. It’s very special because so much history has been made here anyway, and for me to get here, in front of our own fans, is a great feeling.”

Of topping the 1,000-point mark in overcoming her injury setbacks, Goodrich told Alumni Magazine: “A lot of people doubted me on coming back, because they thought I was going to go home. But that doubt pushed me more than anything. All my life, I’ve had this motto — prove ’em wrong, prove ’em wrong — so I kept that in the back of my head.”

She played in pros three seasons

Goodrich was the 29th overall pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft, the highest-drafted Native American player in league history.

Goodrich averaged 4.4 points and 2.9 assists in 31 games for Tulsa in 2013-14 and 1.0 points and 0.8 assists in 28 games in 2014-15. She averaged 3.0 points and 3.0 assists in 23 games for Seattle in 2015-16.

During the 2013–14 off-season, she played for Chevakata Vologda in the Russian Premier League.

In 2013, the Native American Basketball Invitational committee honored Goodrich with a leadership award named after the late Phil Homeratha, who coached the women’s basketball team at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence.

“Angel came out of the NABI tournament and she’s inspired a lot of Natives,” GinaMarie Scarpa, NABI co-founder and CEO, told cherokeephoenix.org. “She’s a positive role model for the Native American community.”

In 2012, Augusta Smith, a Sequoyah High School teacher who once taught Goodrich, told Cherokee.org she knew Goodrich would one day inspire others.

“You sense it when you are around her,” Smith told the website. “It’s the Native pride in her that tells you that she will succeed. She has already made her mark, and she will continue to do that very thing.”

Goodrich a role model

Goodrich said she wanted to “be the person they (teens at her old high school) look at and say how I didn’t let anything get to me, I just want them to see the fight I have and not give up no matter what happens.”

The 35-year-old Goodrich continues to give back, serving as a firefighter in Oklahoma. She’s also worked with local children as a tutor.

“I love my job,” Goodrich told Kansas Alumni Magazine. “I know you might hear people say they have the best job in the world, but I can honestly say, it’s the best job in the world. Basketball has been all about teamwork, so it all worked out, being part of a family and a team again.”

“I know a lot of young girls were looking up to me with basketball, so this is just another way to inspire them and let them know that there’s not just sports; there are other careers out there that are open to them.”

Goodrich also officiates youth basketball games in Tulsa. In June of 2017 she returned to Lawrence for a camp for Native American boys and girls high school prospects at Haskell Indian Nations University. Goodrich has worked with thousands of athletes at camps through the years, hoping to help them earn scholarships.

Goodrich put in ‘blood, sweat, tears’

In reflecting on her time at KU, Goodrich said, “I had no idea everything that went into being a college athlete until I actually got here.

“They make it seem like this nice smooth ride through college where it’s not hard at all,” Goodrich said, “but it’s tough. It’s literally blood, sweat and tears, the whole thing.”

Of her days in the WNBA, she told the Lawrence Journal-World: “It’s a tough league, hard to get in it and even harder to stay in it. I played three seasons in the league and it’s kind of cool to say you got to play in the league with and against great players for three years.”