A new plaza honoring former University of Colorado women’s basketball coach Ceal Barry was dedicated outside the CU Events Center on Sunday. The event brought together fans, alumni, staff, and local dignitaries as part of the university’s 150th anniversary celebrations.
The ceremony took place before the Buffaloes women’s basketball game against Oklahoma State. Kris Livingston, a longtime CU Athletics administrator, led the proceedings. Among those speaking were Congressman Joe Neguse, Chancellor Justin Schwartz, and Director of Athletics Fernando Lovo, who announced the official dedication of Ceal Barry Plaza.
With the unveiling of a wall featuring Barry’s name and title as Hall of Fame Women’s Basketball Coach, the plaza became a permanent tribute to her legacy at CU.
“At the end of every single practice, we’d come together, huddle up and say ‘Buffs are one,'” said Barry after the plaza had been unveiled. “It wasn’t Buffs are number one, it was Buffs are one. And what that meant was we’re a unit. We’re a team. We are an organization that functions together. We celebrate together. We suffer together. We win together. We lose together. We don’t all fall apart when we get beat. We stay together.
“My name is going to be on here, but I didn’t get one rebound, I didn’t get one free throw, all I did was give everybody a job and tell them what the mission was. But Buffs are one meant so much to us. So I want you all (players, assistant coaches, trainers, and staff), to always think about that when you bring your kids here, and you’re walking through and know that you were a part of that. That your name is up there, I’m just representing.”
During halftime of Colorado’s 79-65 victory over Oklahoma State, Barry received a replica plaque commemorating the plaza along with flowers from current head coach JR Payne.
Barry coached CU from 1983 to 2005 and remains the program’s winningest coach with 427 victories. Her teams won four regular season Big 8 titles and five conference tournament championships while reaching three NCAA Sweet 16s and three Elite Eights during her tenure. She has been inducted into several halls of fame including those for CU Athletics, Colorado Sports and National Women’s Basketball. After coaching she served more than 15 years as Senior Woman Administrator for CU Athletics until retiring in 2020.
