Mercury & Suns' Ann Meyers Drysdale to Host Book Signing

Phoenix Mercury and Suns Vice President Ann Meyers Drysdale will host a pre-game and halftime book signing of her autobiography You Let Some Girl Beat You? - at the Mercury - Seattle Storm game at US Airways Center on Friday, July 13. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Fans will have an opportunity to purchase the book for $16.95 and have it signed by Meyers Drysdale from 5:30 - 7 p.m. in the Casino Arizona Pavilion at US Airways Center and during the halftime in main concourse outside sections 119/120.

"You Let Some Girl Beat You - is a must-read for any basketball fan as it recounts her one-of-a-kind experiences that led her to becoming the Hall of Fame basketball player and broadcaster she is today. Meyers Drysdale opens up about the struggle to play sports in school, receiving the first full athletic scholarship awarded to a female by a Division I university and becoming the only woman to sign a contract with an NBA team. Plus, she shares intimate memories of falling in love with baseball great Don Drysdale and the heartache of being widowed with three children under the age of five.

The autobiography was released nationally on June 15 in time for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Title IX passing into law.

"The book is about hopes and dreams. I've been blessed to be part of so many incredible experiences and I thought it was time to tell my story," said Meyers Drysdale. "I hope that the book serves as a reminder to people that anything can be accomplished if you set your mind to it. Plus, releasing the book in conjunction with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Title IX is a perfect reminder of how far female athletics has come and to honor that I'll be donating a portion of the book proceeds to Phoenix Mercury Charities."

The book also features a forward by Julius Erving as well as photos from Meyers Drysdale's life.
The Mercury hosts the Seattle Storm on Friday, July 13 at 7 p.m. Tickets are still available by calling 602-252-WNBA or visiting phoenixmercury.com.

Ann Meyers Drysdale signs new book at US Airways Center

You Let Some Girl Beat You? (Behler Publications, $15.95, 231 pages)


Ann Meyers Drysdale’s resume must be running out of space for there isn’t much she hasn’t conquered on or off the court in her 57 years. 
 
The basketball pioneer, college superstar, UCLA legend, Olympian, sports crusader, broadcaster and NBA and WNBA executive, has now added “author” to her long list of accomplishments. Meyers Drysdale recently penned You Let Some Girl Beat You? (Behler Publications, $15.95), her long-awaited autobiography. The 231-page book details her adversity, triumphs and ultimate acceptance in the sports and broadcasting world, and is timed for publication as the 40th anniversary of Title IX is being celebrated.

“When I was in the fourth grade I read a book on Babe Didrikson Zaharis, and it gave me my dream to be an Olympian,” Meyers Drysdale said. “So I’m hoping that my book will open up doors for other young girls and give them the dreams that they want.” 

Meyers Drysdale will sign her book 5:30 p.m. on Friday, July 13, 2012, at the US Airways Center, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. She will sign books preceding the Phoenix Mercury game against the Seattle Storm, and again at halftime in section 119-120 on the main concourse.    

Named by Time magazine as one of the Top 10 Female Sports Pioneers of all time, Meyers Drysdale is the only woman ever to play for an NBA team (the Indiana Pacers in 1979) and the only woman to sign a no-cut contract with the NBA. She was also the first woman ever to do color commentary of an NBA game, as well as the first woman to announce an NBA game on network television.

Meyers Drysdale was the first woman ever signed to a four-year athletic scholarship to UCLA, where she led the Women’s basketball team to their only National Championship in 1978. She was also a National Champion in Track & Field (both the pentathlon & high jump). To this day, she is the only four-time Bruin basketball All American, male or female. 

A key figure in challenging many of the stereotypes that had long limited women’s opportunities in sport, Meyers Drysdale defied convention upon graduating from UCLA when she accepted a $150,000 free agent contract with the NBA’s Indiana Pacers. While the contract did not lead to a roster spot for Meyers Drysdale and was itself controversial at the time, she helped lay the foundation for women to play professional basketball in the United States.

After her athletic career she married Don Drysdale, legendary pitcher and announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, making them the first ever married couple enshrined in their respective sports’ Halls of Fame. In her role as WNBA General Manager of the Phoenix Mercury and the Vice President of the Phoenix Suns, she assembled championship basketball squads in 2007 and 2009. 

Today Meyers Drysdale continues to break barriers in her role as a broadcaster. She covered the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics for NBC and will be covering the 2012 Olympics in London this August. She also has an ongoing relationship with Fox, having just broadcast the Stanford vs. Cal Pac 10 men’s basketball finals in 2012.

If you go:
What: Ann Meyers Drysdale book signing, You Let Some Girl Beat You?
Where: US Airways Center, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix
When: 5:30 p.m. Friday, July 13, 2012
Information: www.annmeyersdrysdale.com