This past weekend at Alumni Gymnasium, the Clarkson University Athletic Department retired the jersey of Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame member Beth Bacon in an emotional ceremony during halftime of the women's basketball game.
With family, friends, and numerous former teammates on hand, the Golden Knights and Clarkson University unveiled a banner with Bacon's number-23 at the southwestern end of the gymnasium, marking the first time the removal of a female athlete's jersey from rotation.
Bacon played just three seasons at Clarkson but still ranks among the all-time leaders in scoring (810 points) and is the all-time leader for the Knights in assists with 421 through 79 games. In the 1988-89 campaign, Bacon was selected as a Kodak All-America and earned GTE Academic All-America honors, leading the Golden Knights to the NCAA Tournament, culminating with an appearance in the 1989 NCAA Final Four. She is one of only two women’s basketball players to earn the highest Clarkson Athletic honor when she was selected to the
Clarkson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
Beth Bacon-Williams succumbed to cancer last January, but the event was attended by her husband, Steve, daughter, Hallie, as well as other family members. Former teammates Staci Bakanowski, Kathy Congel, Kim Romocki, Mary Sliva and Melissa Smith also were in attendance.
Steve Bacon, Jim Bacon, Lt. Col. Don Bacon, Steve Williams, Hallie Williams, Vicky Crawford, Tony Collins, Steve Yianoukos, Andrea Preston, Don Bacon
