CLARKSON
ATHLETIC HALL of FAME
BETH BACON '89
Class of 2004 Inductee
The catalyst for the Clarkson University Women’s Basketball program’s great success in the late 1980s, Beth Bacon provided the Golden Knights with outstanding leadership, which lifted the Green and Gold to their best seasons ever over a three-year stretch. With Bacon running the Knights’ offense in the late 1980s, Clarkson emerged as one of the top Division III teams in New York State and reached the pinnacle of success in her senior campaign.
A native of Illinois, Bacon arrived at the University in the fall of 1986 after transferring from the University of Illinois and immediately helped to establish Clarkson as one of the top women’s basketball programs in the region. Clarkson averaged over 22 wins a season during Bacon’s career in Potsdam and participated each year in postseason play. As a junior in 1987-88, Bacon led the Knights to their first 20-win campaign, at 23-3, which concluded with the championship title of the ECAC Upstate New York Tournament.
Her senior season was the best ever for Clarkson. The Golden Knights finished with a 26-7 overall record, claimed the Independent College Athletic Conference (ICAC) title with a 10-2 league mark, earned the prestigious New York State Tournament Championship trophy and won the NCAA East Regional at Alumni Gym to advance to the 1989 NCAA Final Four in Centerville, KY.
Bacon was the premier point guard in Upstate New York during her three-career with the Knights, under head coach Brian Chafin. She graduated as Clarkson’s all-time leading 
playmaker with 421 assists through 79 games and also ranks among the Green and Gold’s top12 all-time scoring leaders with 810 points from 1986-89.
An all-around athlete, Bacon also played two years of lacrosse at Clarkson, in her junior and senior years. She recorded 17 career points, including 14 goals, through just 11 games, and led the Knights in the spring of 1989 with eight goals through four contests.
Arguably the most highly honored player in the Clarkson’s women’s basketball program’s history, Bacon earned numerous accolades both on and off the court. Along with earning All-ECAC and All-NYS recognition, she became the first Golden Knight to be named a Kodak All-America and ICAC Player of the Year. Bacon capped off her collegiate career when she was recognized as a GTE Academic All-America while holding a double major in electrical engineering and industrial distribution.
Beth Bacon accepts her Athletic Hall of Fame plaque from Clarkson AD Sean T. Frazier
Golden Knights Retire Beth Bacon Jersey In Moving Ceremony
- February 13, 2007
