Jackie Stiles
Missouri State University, Class of 2001
Basketball
Her relentless dominance on the court rewrote the NCAA record books. Her unyielding spirit off the court is continuing to inspire change.
From 1997-2001, Jackie Stiles established and secured her unforgettable legacy as one of the most prolific scorers in the history of college basketball. At Southwest Missouri State, now known as Missouri State, Stiles secured the NCAA career scoring record – a record of 3,393 points that she held for 16 years. She became the first ever NCAA Division I women’s player to score 1,000 points in a season while leading her team to the 2001 Final Four.
Throughout her career, she received numerous accolades, including the 2001 Wade Trophy as the nation’s top female basketball player, the 2001 Honda Awards Player of the Year, and selection to All-America teams three times.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sports and fitness promotion, Stiles was selected as the fourth pick in the 2001 WNBA Draft and immediately made an impact, winning WNBA Rookie of the Year honors. Stiles would retire from her playing career in 2006 due to injuries, but the impact of her legacy would continue.
Following her retirement, Stiles was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. At their 100th anniversary celebration, the Missouri Valley Conference named her the MVC Women’s Basketball Player of the Century and honored her further by renaming their player of the year award the “Jackie Stiles Award.”
Following her illustrious playing career, Stiles continued to be active in the basketball community, moving into the coaching profession with stints at Loyola Marymount, Missouri State, and Oklahoma.
Then, following ten years in collegiate coaching roles, she started her business career. Through NextGen Fitness, Stiles created a personal training studio through which she can give more personalized lessons while hosting camps and clinics for a new generation of athletes. Stiles also seeks to change lives through motivational speaking, coining the “Stiles Staples” as a set of values that athletes can apply to grow both as a player and as a person. Today, she is owner of J Stiles Total Training, is a partner in the Mental Game Academy, and continues to inspire, teach and train young students and aspiring athletes.