ST. LOUIS, Mo. — NFCA Hall of Famer and former Association president Linda Wells was inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Hilton Frontenac Hotel. Other inductees included- Lee Smith and Jason Isringhausen of the Cardinals; Mike Liut of the Blues, boxer Michael Spinks; Conrad Dobler of the Football Cardinals; as well as Nancy Fahey, Washington U basketball and Lori Chalupny, Olympic Soccer, and others.
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Named to the USA coaching staff in 1985, Wells was part of the first all-woman staff to coach USA Softball and led them to gold at the South Pacific Classic in Melbourne, Australia. The USA repeated the gold medal feat at the 1987 Pan American Games in Indianapolis. In addition, Wells also guide the USA to other international medals at the European Championships, the World Championships, and the Olympic Trial Event, bringing her medal count is six.
As head coach, Wells directed the Greek Olympic softball team during the 2004 Athens Games and also lived in The Netherlands and was on the coaching staff for the Dutch in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Wells served the International Softball Federation with clinic work throughout the world. She is also retired President of the Wells Sports Corporation.
This will be the 10th induction for the Pacific, Missouri native. In addition, Wells has been honored with numerous awards, trophies, and recognitions as a player and a coach.
A three sport athlete at Pacific High School, Wells is the only female to have her number retired, and the City of Pacific has named a field in her honor.
As a collegiate athlete at Southeast Missouri, Wells competed in five sports and participated 17 National Championships. Awarded the Distinguished Alum Award, she was inducted into Southeast Missouri’s Hall of Fame and is on the softball program’s Wall of Honor. She earned numerous all-tournament and Most Valuable Player accolades. Additionally, Wells garnered All-American honors.
Playing competitively from 1956-1993, Wells was a professional player for the Chicago Ravens and a player/coach for the St. Louis Hummers, guiding the Hummers to World Series playoff contention each year in the Women’s International Professional Softball League.
During this same time, Wells was a multi-sport head coach at the University of Minnesota, guiding each of her Gopher teams to National Championship appearances. The Gophers won multiple Big 10 Championships and was recognized for her efforts with numerous coach of the year honors. Her 18 years of service garnered her entry into the softball, volleyball, and U of M halls. Wells was honored with the Distinguished Alum Award by Minnesota. She is also an inductee into the State of Minnesota Hall of Fame.
In 1989, Wells became the Head Softball Coach at Arizona State University. She has been inducted into the Arizona Softball Hall of Fame and received the ASU Sparky Award for her outstanding achievements at Arizona State. Wells retired in the top 10 of all-time winningest NCAA coaches in 2005 and completed her softball coaching career in 2008 at the Beijing Olympics.