As Caitlin Clark breaks records, we must always honor the legends that preceded her success.
SOUTH CAROLINA – When a young woman at a South Carolina Women’s Basketball game held up her phone with the text “What about Pearl Moore?” – it sent shockwaves through sports media as Caitlin Clark climbed the records to become the all-time leading women’s basketball NCAA scorer, passing Kelsey Plum.
Pearl Moore had largely been excluded from major sports media despite holding the very record that has been attributed to Caitlin Clark. In fact, Clark is not the all-time leading scorer for women’s basketball – that distinction goes to Pearl Moore.
Moore is often overlooked in this achievement as she earned her record in the now defunct AIAW which has been replaced by the NCAA. That being said, Moore’s historic contributions to women’s hoops cannot be overlooked.
Pearl Moore is a legend in South Carolina who currently holds the AIAW record for the most points scored in a college career. She accomplished this historic achievement before the 3-point line was invented, leading her to rack up a shocking 4,061 points.
Since she created the record, few athletes have come close to reaching her historic achievement, and over the past year, there has been much debate as to whether Caitlin Clark holds this achievement or Pearl Moore.
South Carolina Coach Dawn Staley put it perfectly, “Anybody that has contributed to our game in any era needs to be highlighted… we want to highlight her [Moore] and we don’t want to dampen the contributions of Caitlin Clark.”
When we asked Pearl Moore about the iconic sign that was held up at the South Carolina game, she told us that she was shocked that it was real. In fact, it took several mentions of the sign from friends for the reality of the virality to truly set in.
“There are so many trailblazers that you will never know of if it doesn’t get out,” said Moore regarding the recent attention around the women’s scoring record.
When Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA record, Moore acknowledged that many sports media outlets and broadcasters were neglecting to mention her and Lynnette Woodard’s accomplishments in the AIAW.
Moore credits Carol Stiff with helping ESPN change their coverage to include the all-time record holders. Finally, many in sports media are beginning to recognize her historic successes and give her the credit that she deserves.
This clip and article are a preview of our interview with Pearl Moore which will be released later this week. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE and turn on alerts to be the first to watch the full interview.
