TPM #311: Olga Hrycak Successfully Coached Men Long Before The Current Trend.
Olga Hrycak coached boys/men basketball at the high school, collegiate & university levels for 48 years in Montreal. Her journey is remarkable & we all stand to be better for knowing her story.
Every Sunday I publish and deliver an email on leadership and human performance called The Physical Movement. While the intent was to create a resource for coaches, athletes and parents, it has generated interest from all walks of life. Thank you.
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Welcome to edition #311 of The Physical Movement.
This week we jump into the archives for an interview and story we published in 2021. We re-publish it because it is well worth sharing. We are stronger for knowing the paths of those whom came before us, and influenced youth sport in various ways.
In 2024, Jessica Campbell became the first woman coach in the National Hockey League.
In 2020, Becky Hammon became the first woman coach to assume head coaching duties in the National Basketball Association.
In 2022, Alyssa Nakken made baseball coaching history in becoming the first female to coach on the field in a Major League Baseball game.
This season there are 5 women coaches in the NBA. There were 15 fulltime female coaches in the National Football League during the 2024-25 season. MLB had 0 female coaches in 2011 and had an incredible 43 in the 2023 season.
The prominence of women coaches in men’s sport is not a recent news item however.
Long before the above there was Olga Hrycak.
In 1979, the thought of having a woman coach a men’s/boys sport was not the norm. Yet, the young coach commanded instant respect has she entered the gym at Bishop’s University in July to coach a lesson on individual defensive skills and proper footwork to an eager group of young basketball players. Olga Hrycak commanded respect, communicated well, made it very clear what needed to be done and guided the young aspiring teenage athletes through their paces. The respect and the presence when Coach Hrycak walked in the gym was unforgettable.
I know because I remember it, I was on the floor that day.
This was a few years into Coach Hrycak’s 48 year career as she went one to have the one of the most decorated coaching careers in Canadian sports. In 2017, she was inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame.
In addition to many achievements, Coach Hrycak is in the unique position to provide some insight into the evolving world of women coaches, and women coaching men.
In 2021, I had a discussion with Coach Hrycak and we covered a number of topics about her career, the connections she made, the contributions provided and the evolution of the women’s coach.
Olga’s coaching career started in 1967, with the opportunity to coach a boys high school team in Montreal. She thanks long time Quebec university coach Eddie Pomykala for opening that door to launching a boys basketball program in a newly co-educational school. Her time coaching high school was quite successful with multiple provincial championships in a short time. This opened the door to a job at Champlain College on the South Shore of Montreal in 1979, a tremendous risk for the college at the time, to hire a woman to coach the men. The Champlain opportunity brought success with a provincial championship. The success at Champlain opened the door to an opportunity with the Canadian National Men’s Team in 1984 with legendary Canadian Coach Jack Donoghue. The apprenticeship with Coach Donoghue provided experiences second to none, with players involved in the program such as Jay Triano and Bill Wennington, to name two that went on to make their own major impact in basketball. Olga’s commitment in joining the Canadian team meant that she had to leave Champlain College, a position she very much enjoyed. Returning from that apprenticeship coincided with a spot being open at Dawson College in 1989.
At Dawson, Olga had a fantastic string of success, winning 9 provincial championships in 15 years at Dawson, along with 3 x national silver medals and a bronze medal.
This is where our paths crossed again. In 1994-95, I was finishing my time at Dawson College with a 1 year assignment as intercollegiate coordinator. The role entailed working with the varsity teams in and their coaches, coordinating budgets, schedules and administration of the programs. Seeing how Olga ran the men’s basketball program, interacted with the players and other coaches and the discipline they had in their games and practices was truly awe inspiring. Her passion for the game and coaching, was matched only by her commitment to her players, and their wellbeing.
Coach Hrycak’s last stop was in at University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), where she launched men’s varsity basketball in 2003, and won 2 provincial championships in her time there. Olga was the only woman in North America coaching a men’s basketball team at the university level until the fall of 2013.
Observation of Coach’s Hrycak’s successes, yielded some patterns:
· Built programs, not just good teams. Success came via connection with her athletes combined with her teaching skills and passion & knowledge of the game.
· Embracing opportunities for advancement and ongoing learning.
· Others speaking on Coach Hrycak’s behalf. When former players and colleagues speak on one’s behalf as a reference is very telling as to the contributions made.
With this kind of trailblazing, the question asked of Coach was around the challenging experiences as a woman coaching men. What were some of the difficult experiences?
Olga clearly remembers a game in the USA where her team won, and after the game could overhear the opposing coach ranting and raving about losing to a team coached by a woman. Very often when the referees would approach the coach prior to each game, as is the custom, they would go straight to Coach Hrycak’s assistant coach, who was always a male. While with the Canadian National Team in the 80’s in Uruguay, she remembers opposing coaches and referees could not understand the role of a woman on a men’s team. And while these experiences were outside of Canada, Coach Hrycak also mentions difficult moments in Canada at events where other coaches, both men and women would not speak to her.
Coach Hrycak is the first to admit that she developed broad shoulders thick skin to see past these experiences and stay focused on what her main priority was, focusing on what she did best: caring, guiding and coaching her athletes to be the best they can.
In fact, the biggest theme of Coach Hrycak’s success is a universal one we have discussed before in The Physical Movement, and that is connecting with the athletes.
Caring for others is not something that can be faked or done to get ahead by focusing only on outcome. It comes from the heart, it comes from passion for making a contribution and having a purpose greater than wins and losses.
Coach Hrycak made it a point to have her athletes assist with the donation of Christmas baskets every year. Many of her athletes over the years came from difficult situations. Basketball and school were opportunities to build a foundation for being good people.
To this day, Coach Hrycak keeps in touch with many of her former players. Many have gone to play and coach professionally or somehow staying involved in the game. An example is Prosper Kavangwa, who is now the Vice President of Player Personnel with the Philadelphia 76ers.
One of the pieces of advice Kavangwa credits for his success in his career is quoted here: “One piece of advice a coach gave me when I was 18 years old: Treat everyone the way you want to be treated, because anyone you meet, at any given time, can have a role in your success or your failures.”17-19 years old is the age for most of Dawson College athletes. We can connect the dots where that advice came from!
When asked about what advice she could give young aspiring female coaches, her response was clear:
· Don’t be afraid of opportunity. Having confidence is key to taking the next step. Over the course of Coach Hrycak’s career she blazed a trail where no one has gone. Stepping up is a skill that comes from confidence.
· Learn how to teach. Communication is a skill. Teaching degrees in university are not as prevalent as they once were but there are other ways to develop this skill.
· If you care, people will know. Basketball is her passion, but really a tool to make a contribution to the athletes she served.
· Learn as much as you can about your craft. In today’s day and age there is no excuse to not being prepared, as the resources for access to information are a plenty.
· There are no shortcuts. Coach Hrycak’s work ethic was legendary. I saw that first hand at Dawson. She mentioned that she still has practice plans from 1972 documented.
Editor’s note: Coach Hrycak does not dwell much on the role of thick skin is pursuing her passion, but I can simply say that her treatment over the years because she was a woman would have been challenging for sure. This all the more reason to share her story and why the recognition she has received should be documented and acknowledged.
Coach Hrycak’s Career Highlights:
2020, awarded the Women in Distinction Award in the Sports, Health and Wellness category from the Women's Y Foundation
2017, Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. She was the first Quebec head coach to be inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame. Hrycak was named the CCAA Men's Basketball Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1997.
2018, Canadian College Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
First women’s coach of men in university setting, and the only one in North America from 2003-2013.
Builder of a program at University of Montreal in 2003, with 2 provincial championships over her 12 year career there.
9 provincial championships in 15 years at Dawson College and 1 while at Champlain College- St. Lambert.
While we observe tremendous progress with Women coaching in sport, we can thank people like Olga Hrycak and those that opened doors for her during her career for blazing a trail so others can follow.
Unlike 1967 or 1979 or 2003, today, a young aspiring young woman coach can now look to someone who has done it before!
Olga Hrycak, A November 2020 presentation in acceptance of the YWCA Woman Of Distinction Award
Coach Olga Hrycak Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association Hall of Fame Acceptance Speech:
Additional information and articles on Coach Hrycak:
https://usports.ca/en/awards/news/2017/06/2025203656/olga-hrycak
Additional articles on women coaches & leadership:
Perspective: Progress is slow but more women coaching teams.
Basketball Player Pau Gasol Article on Coach Becky Hammon.
*Why Women’s teams are coached by Men, a Forbes article.
The Dynamics of women coaching men and gender stereotypes.
4 women currently coaching in the NFL
11 women currently coaching in the NBA
Women in position of sports leadership affect participation?