Skip To Main Content
Standing Among Greats, Sylvia Spicer Competes Only Against Herself
Sylvia Spicer of Principia College inducted into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

 

You're talking about someone truly special if, when you place them alongside legends like Larry Bird, John Wooden, Oscar Robertson, and Tamika Catchings, you can still say, "Wait, there's more!"

In April 2025, College alumna Sylvia Spicer (C’77) will be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame, sharing the honor with all-time greats. The basketball standout from Greencastle, Indiana led her high school team in points, rebounds, steals, and assists, going undefeated for three straight seasons. Spicer then starred on the Principia College women’s team, before going on to graduate school and competing among professional ranks. 

But wait, there’s more! The story of Sylvia Spicer is hardly “just” a basketball story. Even in her earliest memories, athletics and intellectual inquiry went hand-in-hand. “Basketball has always been in my blood,” says Spicer. “I loved the game since my dad tossed me a ball when I was very small. I grabbed it and smiled very big, and he said, ‘I think she likes it!’”  

Her recollections continue, “when my father was doing his dissertation and teaching classes at Indiana University, I would sit outside his classroom and listen to him teach Chaucer and Blake. On the drive home, I would ask him, ‘how was Blake today, Daddy?’” 

Spicer credits her boundless curiosity and unique point of view with laying the groundwork for her multifaceted success. “Perspective is everything,” she says. “I didn’t compete against other people; I was always competing against my own possibilities. Always trying to be the best possible me.”  

The multi-sport standout with a passion for the old English masters grew into a trailblazing multi-hyphenate. Spicer became a teacher, coach, author, filmmaker, and philanthropist, who not only played basketball at the professional level but also competed on the U.S. Women’s National Field Hockey Team, narrowly missing the Olympics because of the 1980 boycott. 

After teaching, coaching, and studying for her PhD in biomechanics in Minnesota, playing on two professional basketball teams in Wisconsin, and competing for the U.S. Women’s Field Hockey Team, Spicer penned four books and founded Spicer Video Productions. 

Today, Sylvia has turned her attention to philanthropy with her Aftersmile Fund. “Always multi-tasking,” adds Spicer, with a wry laugh that suggests, if you think that’s the end of the story, just wait, there’s more.