Jinks Coleman was the first head coach of the women's basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 team at Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

 (LSU) from 1975-1979. Coleman led the Lady Tigers (then the BenGals) to a 91-32 record before resigning 15 games into the 1978-1979 season.

Coleman coached both basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 and volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 at LSU from 1973 until 1977, when she was released from her duties as volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 coach (finishing with a record of 75-22) and allowed to concentrate solely on basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

. Throughout her tenure, however, she was required to teach five physical education classes in addition to her coaching duties. She was succeeded as head volleyball

Volleyball

Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

 coach by Gerry Owens.

Coleman led the Lady Tigers to a #11 final AP

Associated Press

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 ranking in the 1976-1977 season and to a #10 final AP

Associated Press

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 ranking in the 1977-1978 season. Her teams went to three Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Tournaments, won a state title in 1978, and earned a regional crown in 1977.

In the 1977 AIAW National Tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...

, Coleman’s LSU team defeated Western Michigan

Western Michigan University

Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....

 (91-53), Baylor

Baylor University

Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...

 (71-64), and Immaculata College

Immaculata University

Immaculata University is a Catholic University on King Road in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania.-History:Immaculata was founded as Villa Maria College, a women's college in 1920. It was the first Catholic college for women in the Philadelphia area...

 (74-68), before falling to Margaret Wade’s #1 ranked Delta State

Delta State University

Delta State University, also known as DSU, is a regional public university located in Cleveland, Mississippi, United States, in the heart of the Mississippi Delta...

 team in the national championship game by a score of 68-55. To date, the 1977 team is the only Lady Tiger basketball team to play in a national championship game.

Prior to becoming the first women’s basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 head coach at LSU, Coleman was the head girls’ basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 coach at Monterey High School in Monterey, Louisiana, where she led her team to the 1971 Class B Final Four.

Coleman died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...

 on October 20, 2000, from cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

. The LSU Lady Tigers’ team locker room is named after her.

LSU Head Coaching Record (Women's Basketball)

Season	Team	Record	Postseason
1975–1976	LSU	17-14	AIAW Regionals
1976–1977	LSU	29-8	AIAW National Runner-Up
1977–1978	LSU	37-3	AIAW Regionals
1978–1979	LSU	8-7	Resigned Prior to End of Season
TOTAL		91-32