CARLSBAD Becky Thompson says her legacy will be Becky's Drive-In on West Church Street, but others would point to a slightly wider sphere of fame.

In fact, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame will remember her as a member of the All American Red Heads and as a basketball pioneer in 1961-1962.

"There wasn't anything else for women then," Thompson said. "I was lucky that I had a junior high team to play on and in high school. But we were pioneers for women's basketball."

The Read Heads played from 1936-1986 and lived up to their promise to play anyone, anytime, any-where with 200 games that had them traveling 60,000 miles a year from small gyms to huge areanas while often by car.

"We practiced and played every day. If we played that night, we'd been practicing in the morning," Thompson said.

And what did they get for their efforts? "We made $300 a month and $10 for meals; we didn't play for a lot, but we loved the game."

The team barnstormed across the country and were one of the first women's teams to play by men's rules. At the time women often played a version of basketball that was six-on-six, with some of the players limited to one end of the floor. The Red Heads proved that women could do just fine with the men's rules. They faced off against men's team and proved that they were just as capable as handling a basketball all across the court.

"That's the way we looked at it, we knew we were

She may have been a pioneer, but she first had to play against her four sisters, who she said were also accomplished athletes. She also attributed her growth as a player to her coach at Arkansas High School, Hoarce Boom

"He helped build character in me. I was a bit of a rebel at the time, and we hooked horns a few times, but I credit him with my success," Thompson said.

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