Hoops, Heart and History: Cassie Macias’ Legacy at UF

2025

by Shelby Hodel

Macias, UF’s first women’s basketball varsity team captain, recently reunited with the original team to celebrate 50 years of women’s basketball at the university.

From shooting hoops in driveways with neighborhood boys to breaking barriers as a trailblazer for UF’s women’s basketball, Cassandra “Cassie” Macias (BSPE ’75) has cemented her legacy as a true icon in women’s sports.

Driven by her passion for the game, Macias searched for opportunities to play from childhood through college. Although she played throughout junior high and high school, the program was treated more as a club than a competitive sport. When she came to UF in 1971 to study physical education in the UF College of Health & Human Performance, then known as the School of Physical Education, Health & Athletics, she was surprised to find that UF did not have a women’s basketball team. She initially approached the late Ruth Alexander, Ed. D., the founder of the university’s women’s intercollegiate athletic program and the chair of the Department of Physical Education for Women. At the time, the women’s intercollegiate athletic program only included golf, swimming, track, tennis and gymnastics. After speaking with Alexander, Macias was referred to the late Paul Varnes, Ed. D., the former chair of the college’s Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the director of intramurals and recreational sports, who advised her to ask again the following year. Determined for opportunities to play, she did just that.

“It was about giving opportunities for women here that maybe would not have happened if I had not just asked the question. I’ll ask any question,” Macias said. “I don’t care if it is going to be a ‘no’ answer, but I am going to at least ask and see what the answer will be. So, I’m glad I did that.”

The following year, the UF women’s basketball team emerged as a club sport, where players supplied their uniforms, equipment and transportation to games. During her senior year in 1974, it evolved into a varsity team, with Macias serving as the first varsity team captain and Paula Welch, Ed.D., professor emerita, as the first varsity team coach. However, the transition was not without its challenges. They faced competition with the men’s team for practice time in the Florida Gym—so much so that, at times, they would turn off the lights to get the guys to leave. They would also turn to practicing in a recreational sports room in Norman Hall, which was not built for basketball.

“It was a struggle. But back then, we really didn’t care. Everybody who wanted to participate and play just wanted to have fun, play basketball and represent UF,” Macias said. “So, we just did whatever we needed to have that opportunity. We went through a lot of adversity, that’s for sure.”

She saw herself as a leader and the “cheerleader of the team,” fostering a positive atmosphere and an unbreakable bond with the players.

“Yes, we were competitive. We wanted to win. But more than anything, we just wanted to enjoy the experience that we had, and I think we did,” Macias said.

After UF, Macias used her leadership, resilience and physical education skills to begin her coaching career. She began coaching high school women’s basketball, striving to give them the opportunities she once missed. She played a pivotal role in guiding Melbourne High School in Melbourne, Florida, to become state champions through her dedication and leadership. She then moved on to coach college sports for 11 years and, in 1998, became the first female athletic director at San Diego City College.

When Macias retired from San Diego City College in 2010, she returned to work as UF’s director of Living Well, an employee wellness program. She also returned to support the women’s basketball program. Seeing Macias’ passion for the team and her trailblazing journey, Amanda Butler, the former UF women’s basketball coach, selected Macias to represent UF as an SEC Great, a prestigious program that showcases extraordinary women who have played in the Southeastern Conference.

In addition to pioneering opportunities for women in sports, Macias takes the greatest pride in being a part of UF’s history. Macias, her teammates and Coach Welch recently reunited for their 50th-year reunion as they reflected on their shared memories, the adversity they faced and how far the sport has come.

“It was a different era back then. Girls didn’t have a lot of opportunities, and you had to make your own opportunities and just enjoy what you had,” Macias said. “That’s kind of what we did. It was a blast.”

Read more content from UF HHP’s Performance Magazine.