You Let Some Girl Beat You? : The Story of Ann Meyers Drysdale

"Annie was one of the best players ever. I didn't say male or female; I said ever."—Bill Russell, former Boston Celtics player Ann Meyers Drysdale is one of the greatest stars in the history of basketball. But her rise wasn't without controversy. Her 1979 NBA bid to play with the Indiana Pacers brought a barrage of criticism. But Ann simply wanted to play among the best. She had always competed with the guys, and she never let anyone keep her down. In __You Let Some Girl Beat You?__ she shares her inspirational story for the first time. A female first in many categories, Meyers Drysdale was the first woman ever signed to a four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA, where she remains the only four-time Bruin basketball All American, male or female. Ann was also the only woman ever asked to compete in ABC Sports' __Superstars__, pitting her against elite athletes like Mark Spitz, Joe Frazier, O.J. Simpson, and Mark Gastineau. After her athletic career **Ann Meyers Drysdale** went on to do color commentary on all the national stations. She also married Don Drysdale, legendary pitcher and announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, making them the first ever married couple enshrined in their respective sport's Hall of Fame. Today Ann continues to break through barriers. She is the only female vice president in the NBA (she is vice president of the Phoenix Suns), and is also the general manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, which has won two WNBA championships since she took over four years ago. __The New York Times__ featured her prominently in a piece in August 2011 called "Pioneers Continue to Shepherd Women's Basketball." __Time__ magazine recently named her one of the ten greatest female athletes of all time.

"Annie was one of the best players ever. I didn't say male or female; I said ever."—Bill Russell, former Boston Celtics player

Ann Meyers Drysdale is one of the greatest stars in the history of basketball. But her rise wasn't without controversy. Her 1979 NBA bid to play with the Indiana Pacers brought a barrage of criticism. But Ann simply wanted to play among the best. She had always competed with the guys, and she never let anyone keep her down. In You Let Some Girl Beat You? she shares her inspirational story for the first time.

A female first in many categories, Meyers Drysdale was the first woman ever signed to a four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA, where she remains the only four-time Bruin basketball All American, male or female. Ann was also the only woman ever asked to compete in ABC Sports' Superstars, pitting her against elite athletes like Mark Spitz, Joe Frazier, O.J. Simpson, and Mark Gastineau.

After her athletic career Ann Meyers Drysdale went on to do color commentary on all the national stations. She also married Don Drysdale, legendary pitcher and announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, making them the first ever married couple enshrined in their respective sport's Hall of Fame. Today Ann continues to break through barriers. She is the only female vice president in the NBA (she is vice president of the Phoenix Suns), and is also the general manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, which has won two WNBA championships since she took over four years ago. The New York Times featured her prominently in a piece in August 2011 called "Pioneers Continue to Shepherd Women's Basketball." Time magazine recently named her one of the ten greatest female athletes of all time.

"Ann Meyers Drysdale has been one of the greatest stars in the history of basketball. But her rise wasn't without controversy. Her 1979 NBA bid to play with the Indiana Pacers brought a barrage of criticism. But Ann simply wanted to play among the best. She had always competed with the guys, and she never let anyone keep her down. A female first in many categories, Meyers Drysdale was the first woman ever signed to a four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA, where she remains the only four-time Bruin basketball All American, male or female. Ann competed in five ABC Sports' Superstars, winning three in a row for the women. She became the only woman to be asked to compete in the Men's Superstars. After her athletic career Ann did color commentary for national stations, and the 1984 Olympic games with ABC. She covered the 2000, 2004, and 2008, 2012 Olympics for NBC. Ann has worked for ESPN for over 25 years, broadcasting men's and women's basketball and Championship games, and has also worked the Men's NCAA Tournament games on CBS. She continues to do work with FOX Sports and others. She and her husband Don Drysdale, legendary pitcher & announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, became the first married couple enshrined in their respective sports' Halls of Fame. Ann is the only female Vice President in the NBA (Phoenix Suns) and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, which has won two WNBA Championships since she took over four years ago. The New York Times featured her prominently in a piece in August called "Pioneers Continue to Shepherd Women's Basketball." Time Magazine recently named her one of the ten greatest female athletes of all time"-- Provided by publisher Table of Contents......Page 8 Foreword by Julius Erving......Page 10 1. A Woman in a Man's World......Page 16 2. Chasing What I Loved......Page 31 3. The Man Who Was Not Intimidated......Page 39 4. Let the Race Begin......Page 46 5. You Let Some GIRL Beat You?......Page 53 6. Learning to Harness the Fire Within......Page 62 7. UCLA & THat Old Nemesis: Change......Page 73 8. The Olympics- A Dream Come True......Page 81 9. "Precious Medals"......Page 93 10. The Championship, At Last......Page 101 11. A League Of Our Own......Page 109 12. The Right Strategy Equals Success......Page 129 13. Burning Up the Courts Like Lava......Page 135 14. Waiting It Out......Page 144 15. Gal's Got Game......Page 158 16. My Big Broadcasting Break......Page 168 17. Goodwill Toward All......Page 175 18. Juggling It All - Life With Don and Our Children......Page 182 19. That Four Letter Word I Hated More Than Any Other: Loss......Page 193 20. Fly Me to the Moon......Page 204 21. Moving On......Page 211 22. A Single Mother......Page 223 23. The Road to the Boardroom Is Through the Locker Room......Page 232 24. Where We Go From Here......Page 243 Halls of Fame and Awards/Honors......Page 247 Acknowledgments......Page 249