by Kathy Tretter
A large crowd gathered in front of Midway Grade School on Monday, July 22, primed and ready to honor a native daughter who made her mark on the history of women’s sports.
Linda Yearby is a tiny lady — 5’2” at most and probably closer to five feet in her shoes — but she was a giant when it came to the sport of basketball, long considered a tall man’s game.
Everyone was gathered to witness the unveiling of a new sign changing CR 425 to Linda Yearby Road in recognition of her accomplishments and contributions to women’s sports.
Just three days earlier Linda was inducted in the Greater Evansville Hall of Fame and last August she had been inducted in the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame.
The name change of the road in front of the school Linda attended over 70 years ago was yet another feather in her cap, though not one she had sought. The renaming came from the efforts of Spencer County Commissioner Heather Gries, with encouragement from Faith Fairhope, whose family owns the former school.
The story of how all this came about was reported in the Leader back in January of 2023.
Linda Yearby was born in 1935 to Ferman and Nanny Yearby, who owned and operated the General Store in Bloomfield. From little on, Linda dearly loved sports. According to Spencer County Historical Society President Steve Sisley, who heard it from Linda’s childhood neighbor Joan (Gentry) Tinker, Linda was so athletic she dug out an old mattress and set up her own pole vault, practicing diligently. She was always outside playing ball even though there were no female sports teams at the time, which is hard to fathom in the day and age of Caitlin Clark.
Walter Parker coached the Midway boys basketball team. Linda’s dream in seventh grade was to play for the Midway team — but she was too shy to seek permission from Coach Parker. Eventually she got up the nerve to plead her case.
He conferred with the school principal and then asked team captain Leon Weber if he had any objections.
Leon was present last Monday and explained he had no objection and told Coach Parker, “Linda will be the second best player on the team.” When Leon called her to congratulate her on being inducted in the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame “she reminded me I was the second best player on the team.”
Leon remembers that some of the county teams wouldn’t agree to play the Midway Panthers since they allowed a girl to play. “So Warrick County invited us. We won! She shot a hook shot from the sidelines. She always shot (alluding to the fact she was unwilling to pass the ball). She was a fun teammate.”
Leon gave her a pet moniker back then, “Hot Shot Yearby.”
Linda’s height may have been an advantage in the Midway gym. Another friend recalled if your shoe size was larger than an 8 you’d be out of bounds on the sidelines. The ceiling was so low you could bounce the ball off it into the hoop.
Linda served on the 1949-1950 boys basketball team when she was in eighth grade, but then she was benched for the next four years as Chrisney High School did not let her play.
After high school, at the age of 18, Linda found her niche when she tried out for and joined Dempsey Hovland’s World Famous Texas Cowgirls basketball team. She had heard the Cowgirls would be playing in Mt. Vernon so she went there and showed her talent and skills. They wanted her to join them immediately and travel to Kentucky the next night.
“My Dad said okay but my Mom said no,” Linda recalled.
The next night Linda Yearby of Bloomfield, found herself playing the sport she loved in Kentucky and she never looked back.
The Cowgirls played more than 5,000 games all over the United States as well as far-flung locales such as Spain and Morocco. For many years, they were the opening act for the Globetrotters. In 1957 and 1958, the Cowgirls opened for the Gobetrotters when their most notable attraction was Wilt Chamberlain.
It was Marques Haynes, however, who taught Linda how to dribble for show. A member of the Globetrotters, Haynes was known for his ability to dribble the ball and keep it away from defenders. She also considered Meadowlark Lemon a good friend.
After she left the Cowgirls in 1964, she went on to even greater glory with other teams and capped her career as a coach.
Faith (Ferber) Fairhope learned of Linda by giving permission for Brian Hanson of Boonville to use his metal detector at the school. There he found a time capsule from Linda’s class, found out her history and believed hers was a story that needed to be told and preserved. This led to Linda’s inductions in both Halls of Fame and her return from her Tampa, Florida home on this sunny July morning to unveil the new road sign.
Linda said it all began when as an eight-year-old she would head outside to shoot hoops. “I tried every morning [and missed]. Then one day it finally went in and I was ready to roll.”
Ready to roll she was, and after finishing her chores she would practice shooting and lay-ups, honing her skills to perfection.
As a Texas Cowgirl Linda says she played every night and twice on Sunday. While lodging was paid for she had to cover all other costs, including food, from her $5 per day salary.
She truly was a trail blazing barnstormer, continuing her career as both a player, coach, team manager and even driver, later for the Shooting Stars then the Arkansas Lassies. She also coached the New York Harlem Chicks basketball team — the first all female African-American basketball team in the USA, a female version of the Harlem Globetrotters.
After the sign was unveiled the crowd shifted to Gwaltney Park to continue reminiscing. With Faith she had written a speech for the occasion and because she was a bit hoarse, Faith read Linda’s speech and others shared stories until well into the afternoon.
Linda thanked Commissioner Heather Gries, Spencer County Historical Society President Steve Sisley, Faith Fairhope, Tim Turpin, executive director of the Greater Evansville Ball Halls of Fame and “everyone else involved in making this day possible,” but it’s to Linda that many owe their thanks, especially little girls who dream of becoming a world class athlete. For them she helped pave the way.
Featured Image: Linda Yearby stands proudly next to the newly unveiled “Linda Yearby Road” sign. The road sign, previously CR 425, was renamed in honor of Yearby’s lifetime achievements
Family, Friends, and other attendees pose for a special group shot with Linda Yearby (center of photo) at the unveiling
A gallery showing photos from the road sign unveiling, as well as photos from Linda Yearby’s induction ceremony for the Indiana Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023
