Dec. 23, 2008

Yolanda "Yogi" Hightower-Boothe was a vital part of Old Dominion University's rise as a national power in women's field hockey. In the Dec. 23rd issue of the Virginian Pilot she has been chosen as one of the 50 greatest Athletes of South Hampton Roads.

In 1982, she helped lead the Lady Monarchs to their first NCAA national championship.

During her four seasons at ODU, Hightower earned All-American honors twice and was a two-time member of the NCAA All-Tournament squad. In 1980, the Lady Monarchs placed fifth in the AIAW nationals. As a junior, she helped lead ODU to third place in the NCAA Championships. That year, she led the team with 20 assists and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament squad. As a senior in 1982, the Lady Monarchs compiled a 20-1 record and she led the team in assists with 19 and was third in scoring with 25 points. Hightower repeated as both an All-American and NCAA All-Tournament team selection.

The Virginia Beach, VA, native completed her career with 62 career points, which ranks her fifth on the all-time scoring list at ODU. She had 48 career assists which places her third on the ODU all-time list. Yogi was ODU's Most Valuable Player in 1982.

Hightower's field hockey career didn't stop after her ODU playing days were over. Since graduating from ODU, Yogi has been a member of the United States national field hockey team. She competed in the 1987 Pan American Games, was an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team and was one of seven former Lady Monarchs to represent ODU in the 1988 summer games.

She was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. She is also a member of the Virginia Sports Halls of Fame.

Hightower earned her degree in health and physical education and has served as an assistant coach at ODU for field hockey and lacrosse. Hightower-Boothe was also a very successful high school coach. One of her former players, Mimi Smith helped ODU win a National Championship and became the second African American to win the coveted Honda Award for Field Hockeyin 1999. Smith was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in April of 2008.

Must be something in the water.

For decades, that's been the offhand explanation for the profusion of athletic talent that has emerged from our corner of Southeastern Virginia. Over the years, South Hampton Roads has produced Olympic medalists, all-stars in nearly every major league sport, college and pro hall of famers and high school and NCAA All-Americans and national players of the year.

We are a hotbed, if we must say so ourselves. Rather than grapple with the why, we have decided to look at the what, and do what any self-respecting sports fans would: compile a list.

The Virginian-Pilot has come up with the 50 greatest athletes from South Hampton Roads. After rating them 11-50, we asked a panel of experts - all longtime observers of the local sports scene - to rank the top 10.

Our rating criteria was simple: achievement at the highest level of a particular sport. Being a prep phenom alone was not enough. This is not a list of the greatest high school athletes, but of those who made their mark in the larger sports world.

To be considered, an athlete must have grown up in one of the five Southside cities (Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk). Those who passed through in college were not eligible, which is why local legends such as Nancy Lieberman (Old Dominion) and Bobby Dandridge (Norfolk State) are not on the list. Coaches were also not included.

When we were done, our list included athletes from 13 different sports, reaching as far back as the late 19th century. Football players dominated, grabbing 19 spots.

We'll roll out the list over the next five days. Hope you enjoy it.