Pat Dobratz

Updated: 10/29/2009 03:25:23 (ET)
By SDSU Sports Info

Graduated: 1974
Inducted: 1995
The first South Dakota State University player to score 1,000 or more career points in women’s basketball became the 32nd member of the Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies at the 1995 Hobo Day game.

Sioux Falls native Pat Dobratz was a multi-talented standout for the Jacks, competing in tennis, volleyball and basketball. She led SDSU to four straight state AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) championships in basketball (1971-74) and to three regional playoff appearances in volleyball. Dobratz scored 1,334 points during her Jackrabbit career which spanned 71 games. She still holds the SDSU record for highest single-season scoring average, 22.1 points per game, in 1972, and for highest career scoring average, 18.8 points per game. She was the 1974 South Dakota Female Athlete of the Year.

After graduating from SDSU, Dobratz coached three years at Watertown High School, guiding the Arrows to a 51-4 record and a state Class A championship in girls basketball, becoming the first female coach to win a State Class A championship in girls basketball. Dobratz earned a master’s degree at Kansas State in 1978, then was assistant coach at the University of Washington where she was also interim head coach for one year. From there, she moved to the University of Idaho, where she guided the team to four straight postseason playoff appearances. In 1984, Dobratz was presented the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence by SDSU.