Welcome to the ODU Unfiltered Throwback Thursday Series!
As we push through the postseason and stare down the long wait of the offseason, we’re keeping the Monarch spirit alive. Every Thursday until football season kicks off, we’re opening the vault.
We’re talking about the upsets, the milestones, and the unbelievable, unforgettable moments that define Old Dominion basketball and football. Whether you were in the stands losing your voice, pacing around your living room, or you’re a newer fan catching up on the history, this series is for you.
Forty-one years ago, Tracy Claxton and Medina Dixon walked into Texas and put on a rebounding masterclass, physically breaking Georgia to secure Old Dominion's third national championship.
Let’s set the scene: March 31, 1985. The Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
When we talk about the gold standard of Old Dominion athletics, all roads eventually lead back to the 1980s Lady Monarchs. Long before the modern era of super-teams and massive television deals, ODU wasn't just a participant in women’s college basketball—they were a blue blood.
Head coach Marianne Stanley had already built a powerhouse in Norfolk, but her 1984-85 squad took it to another level. They were deep, they were relentless, and they played with a physical, bruising edge that made opposing teams miserable. After navigating a brutal tournament bracket, they carried a 30-3 record into the national title game.
Waiting for them was the University of Georgia.
The Lady Bulldogs weren't a Cinderella story. They were a juggernaut featuring two future Hall of Famers in Teresa Edwards and Katrina McClain. Walking onto the floor in Austin, the tension was elite. This wasn’t going to be a track meet. It was going to be a street fight.
Blood, Sweat, and Boards
If you want to understand how ODU actually won this championship, you don't need to look at shooting percentages. You just need to look at the glass.
From the moment the ball was tipped, the paint turned into a war zone. Georgia had the size and the athleticism, but ODU had something much more dangerous: absolute, unyielding desperation.
Every missed shot was a brawl. Every loose ball ended up in a pile of bodies. At the center of that storm was senior forward Tracy Claxton.
Claxton put together one of the most superhuman performances in the history of the NCAA Tournament. She didn't just grab rebounds; she hunted them. She was a magnet to the basketball, fighting through double-teams and box-outs to pull down an astonishing 20 rebounds—11 of those coming on the offensive end. Add 17 points to that line, and you have a player who essentially willed her team’s offense to stay alive through sheer force. Whenever ODU needed a bailout, Claxton was there to rip the ball out of the air and put it right back up.
The Two-Headed Monster
But Claxton wasn’t fighting alone. On the other side of the paint, junior forward Medina Dixon was slicing through Georgia's defense like a surgeon.
Dixon matched Claxton’s fiery intensity step for step. She poured in a team-high 18 points and snatched 15 rebounds of her own. Take a second to process that:
Claxton & Dixon Rebounds: 35
Entire Georgia Roster Rebounds: 44
The Lady Monarchs completely neutralized Georgia's frontcourt by refusing to give them second chances.
Despite ODU absolutely bullying the Bulldogs inside, Georgia's elite talent refused to fold. The Lady Monarchs clung to a narrow 30-27 lead as both teams headed into the locker room, beaten and exhausted.
Holding the Line
The second half was a masterclass in holding your nerve. Every single time Old Dominion threatened to pull away and put the game on ice, Georgia’s Teresa Edwards (who finished with 11 points) would engineer a desperate run to close the gap. The Erwin Center grew louder with every possession. The pressure was immense.
With the clock melting down into the final minutes, the game hanging precariously in the balance, ODU’s championship pedigree took over.
Point guard Marie Christian was the steadying force the team needed. As Georgia cranked up a frantic, desperate press to force turnovers, Christian didn't flinch. She navigated the traps, protected the basketball, and ensured ODU ate up the clock and got high-percentage looks.
When the final buzzer pierced the air in Austin, the scoreboard glowed with the final verdict: ODU 70, Georgia 65.
The bench cleared. The celebration in Texas was electric. Tracy Claxton was rightfully crowned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and the Lady Monarchs lifted their third overall national championship trophy.
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