Carol Blazejowski: The Story of a Montclair State Legend
“She’s a pioneer in women’s athletics.” In the words of Dr. Jean Ficke, the dean of the Graduate School, Carol Blazejowski is nothing short of a pioneer in the world of women’s basketball. Blazejowski, also known as Blaze, who began her playing career here at Montclair State so many years ago, has become one of the most talented players in the sport and she has since returned to her alma mater as the associate vice president for external relations and university advancement.
Blazejowski started off what would become a hall-of-fame career at Montclair State in 1974, before the true implementation of Title IX. With the talent that she possessed, going to a state college would be unheard of nowadays. However, back then there weren’t many options for the Blazejowskis. “Montclair State was my only choice,” the athlete said. “There were no scholarships and quite frankly, we were a middle class family and we had no money to go to a better school.”
However, that state school didn’t hold her back. She may have planted her roots at a small state school in Montclair, New Jersey, but she went on to make national headlines. She would play UCLA in the national championship game; not to mention, she led the nation in scoring in her 1976–77 season and points per game the following year.
But, what she is most notable for during her time as a Red Hawk was not at Montclair State at all. It happened during a game at Madison Square Garden, 40 years ago this March. Blaze set the record for either sex, putting up 52 points during a game against Queens College, during a time where there were no three point shots.
“I’ll never forget, it was a 10:30 a.m. game and I’m thinking to myself, ‘Who on earth is going to come to women’s basketball game at 10:30 in the morning?,” Blaze said. Turns out close to 12,000 people showed up. “I don’t ever remember how it all happened until after the game, quite frankly, when the crowd was standing and roaring and yelling.” That record still stands to this day.
Her incredible career didn’t end in the Panzer Gym — it was only the beginning. During her junior year of college she set her sights on making the 1976 Olympic team, but wasn’t successful. “That was a crushing blow for me, and at the time, I was going to hang up my sneakers,” Blaze said. Obviously, this was not the case.
“She won’t tell you this, but I’ll tell you this, by rights she should have been on the ’76 team,” Dr. Ficke said regarding the situation. Nonetheless, four years later, Blazejowski successfully landed a spot on the 1980 team, and snagging the title of captain as well. But, if anyone knows the story of the 1980 Olympics, Blazejowski never got to represent her country in Moscow that year. President Jimmy Carter had boycotted the summer games in 1980 as a result of shaky U.S.-Russian relations.
She recalled the decision by the president as yet another “crushing blow,” but said that ultimately her goal was to make an Olympic team and she did just that. “Whether we played or not it didn’t matter — now it doesn’t matter, then it did,” she joked. “I’ll always be an Olympian whether we competed or not.”
Those missed 1980 games were Blaze’s last run at a gold medal. Once she accepted any money for playing, she was considered a professional, deeming her ineligible for the Olympic team. “Now it’s just ironic that every athlete in the Olympics no matter what sport it is, they’re all professionals,” the ballplayer said. “But that’s the way it goes right?” The first Olympic games to feature professional athletes were just eight years later in 1988.
Blazejowski did put on that Team USA jersey and represent her country in another way, though, in competitions worldwide and in 1979, she participated in the Pan American Games and the Basketball World Championship for Women, the first appearance for the country since 1957. “Carrying USA on your back and hearing the national anthem, there’s no other feeling as great as that.” Blaze said. Her run on Team USA ended in 1980 and it was on to the next chapter.
Blazejowski quickly became the highest paid athlete in the Women’s Professional League when she signed a three-year contract with the New Jersey Gems. Unfortunately, she didn’t see those three years through because the league folded after her first season. This move would effectively end her playing career but not her life in the basketball world.
She would work her way up from the front office working for the WNBA’s New York Liberty, to eventually being named general manager and executive vice president. She said that her transition into the world of sports business was an easy one, that basketball gave her so many life skills that she could take with her in her new career.
“It taught you teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship and how to work well with others,” Blaze said, crediting her competitive drive as one of the most useful skills in the work world.
But, as Blazejowski said, all good things must come to an end and in 2010, her time at the Liberty had ran its course. Fortunately, her connections at Montclair State never faded, and she landed a job in College Hall, so close to the court she used to dominate.
In her latter years, she has not lost her basketball roots. She was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994 — and into the Montclair State Hall of Fame, and is teaching camps to younger children to pass along her knowledge.
Despite the common thought, Blaze never wanted to coach at her alma mater. She said she was never much of a coach, and that she expected too much from her players. Years later, she admits her relationship with the team could be better, but she always shows her support for the Red Hawks.
Dr. Ficke couldn’t help but share the lack of recognition that Blaze receives while at Montclair State. Blaming it partly on the fact that she is a woman and partly on the fact that Blaze doesn’t seek adoration, also putting partial blame on the simple fact of how much time has gone by.
“Not everyone is always focused on what happened in 1977,” Dr. Ficke said, “but I would like to see Montclair State be a little more cognizant and recognize the magnitude.” She then highlighted the banner hanging above Sprague Field for the late NFL player and Montclair State alumnus Sam Mills, comparing their accomplishments yet inconsistency in recognition.
Still, years later, the coach can’t stop speaking of her accomplishments. “She’s in the National Hall of Fame — you know the one where Michael Jordan is,” Dr. Ficke said. “Not the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the Hall of Fame, that’s a pretty big deal.”
Adapted from The Montclarion.
