LARAMIE – Lori Kline Waddell was in a Walmart parking lot when the news arrived.
 
Dale Ann Meeker, the first women's basketball player to receive a scholarship offer at Wyoming, called to let her former teammate know that she will be inducted into the UW Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame as part of the 2025 class.
 
Four decades after her remarkable career with the Cowgirls concluded, Waddell still owns the program record for blocked shots (322). She is also fourth on UW's all-time rebounding list (947) and 11^th in career scoring (1,521 points).
 
"I was overwhelmed with the whole thing. Wow," Waddell said of Meeker's breaking news. "Wyoming changed my life. I mean, it gave me opportunities that I never would have dreamed of having. So, I'm feeling full of gratitude."
 
Waddell, who grew up in Calumet City, Ill., didn't know anything about Cowgirl basketball or Laramie until being contacted by Margie McDonald. Her high school coach sent some game film to the program's legendary head coach.
 
UW was the only school that offered the 6-foot-4 Waddell, who didn't start playing basketball until high school, an opportunity to play at the Division I level.
 
"Margie looked at a tape and sent me an invite, and so my mom and I flew to Laramie and visited," Waddell said. "I liked it, but I was also the only girl and the baby of the family. I was little homesick thinking about coming out west, because I'd never been west of the Mississippi, so a little leery at first."
 
The camaraderie on the 1978-79 team during her true freshman season made Waddell feel at home with her new basketball family. The Cowgirls, led by all-conference first team selection Linda Gilpin and Meeker, finished 25-7 overall and earned a postseason berth in the AIAW Regional in Tucson, Ariz.
 
Waddell played in 30 games, averaging 8.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
 
"We all came together," Waddell said. "I thought, 'Oh, there's no way I'm going to play that first year,' and I did it. It was a great feeling."
 
On Jan. 2, 1980, the late Dr. David A. Kieffer – Waddell still remembers the date and the surgeon – repaired her torn ACL. She tore her other ACL playing volleyball and spent the 1979-80 season recovering while redshirting.
 
"Back then, it was like, you've got to come back or you're going to lose your scholarship and you're going to go home," Waddell said. "I worked my butt off to get back in the on the court, and I was proud of that success because I don't know how many female athletes came back from torn ACLs back then."
 
Waddell returned as a dominant defensive player, finishing with nine blocks in a game three different times and posting an eight-block game against BYU. After recording 64 blocks as a freshman, she posted 80, 85 and a school record 93 blocks over her final three seasons.
 
To put her swatting skills in perspective, UW's second all-time shot blocker is Hillary Carlson (212 from 2007-11) and recently graduated Mountain West player of the year Allyson Fertig ranks third (210 from 2021-25).
 
Waddell's 322 career blocks may never be topped.
 
"Blocking shots without fouling was the key," Waddell said. "I worked so hard to get in front of that player and not let her put that ball up. I also worked hard on being able to get off the floor and jump – using my height as an advantage, but also the strength of my legs and taking defensive flops. I was pretty good at that, getting my feet planted and getting in front of that drive and taking (the contact)."
 
Waddell met her husband, Cowboy football letterman Tim Waddell (1977-79), at the Buckhorn. Their son, Adam Waddell, grew up in Cody hearing tales of his parents' UW days and followed in their athletic footsteps as a standout forward for the Pokes from 2007-11.
 
"I remember stories from family friends that they would play coed basketball with her, and everyone would want her on their team," Adam said of Lori. "It wasn't one of those things that she really even talked about, being as good as she was back in the day, but it's something where she got the respect from others. That's kind of when I realized, OK, she really walked the walk back in the day."
 
When Adam was working for the Cowboy Joe Club after his playing career ended, he did some research on Lori and felt like her statistics and accomplishments warranted a place in the hall of fame. He also learned that his mom made the first field goal in Arena-Auditorium history.
 
"Her blocked shot record is something that I think is going to stand for a long time," Adam said. "I kind of found that newfound respect for her when I got older. It's just so cool to be able to see her get her due. The University of Wyoming will always be something that ties me and my mom and my dad together, and it's something we truly bleed. It's just really cool to be able to see her going to the hall, and it's going to be really cool to celebrate."
 
On Feb. 20, 1982, Waddell made the first field goal in the Cowgirls' 81-60 victory over Air Force in the opening game of a doubleheader to officially raise the curtain on the "Dome of Doom." The Cowboys defeated the Falcons 59-29 in the nightcap in front of a crowd of 15,004.
 
"I remember that game because Margie said, 'Lori, you're in charge of the music.' So, I had to run up the stadium steps with my cassette (player), and I played Loverboy, 'Turn Me Loose,'" Waddell said. "It was such an honor. We came from (playing in) the Fieldhouse, where they had to build the floor up on the rodeo surface, to playing in this fantastic arena. What a facility, and how Wyoming has grown hugely over the years. I'm proud of the school, I'm proud of being an alumni, and I'm certainly proud of being a student athlete."
 
Waddell will be inducted with Josh Allen (football, 2015-17), Casey Bramlet (football, 2000-2003), Curt Jimerson (men's basketball, 1961-63), Hugh Lowham (wrestling, 1962-64), Mike Mulvaney (baseball, 1985-88) and John Wendling (football, 2003-06).
 
(Editor's note: This is the second in a seven-part series profiling the 2025 UW Intercollegiate Hall of Fame class. Tickets to the induction banquet on Sept. 6 in the Gateway Center can be purchased here: https://one.bidpal.net/wyohalloffame2025/welcome)
 
If you are interested in learning more about NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) or would like to support our student-athletes, please visit 1wyo.org. 1WYO was created out of Wyoming's culture of neighbor helping neighbor. The mission is to promote and strengthen local charitable organizations and develop Wyoming student athletes. 
 
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