Podcast Episode 103 – Carolyn Peck, Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs Reflect on 25th Anniversary of NCAA National Championship

SUMMARY 

This Is Purdue, the official podcast for Purdue University, highlights stories about Boilermakers from across all disciplines, who through research, innovation and determination, have persistently pursued their next giant leap. 

Hosted by Purdue University alum, Brian Lamb School of Communication graduate, and Indiana native Kate Young, “This Is Purdue” aims to examine all of the incredible accomplishments of Boilermakers and their contributions to the world. 

Below, you’ll find helpful information, stories, and social media content regarding this episode of “This Is Purdue.” 

STRATEGY  

In this episode of “This Is Purdue,” we’re talking to former head coach Carolyn Peck and co-captains Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs as they reflect on the Purdue women’s basketball team’s 1999 NCAA National Championship.  

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of this legendary win and listen as Coach Peck, Stephanie and Ukari share more about this historic season and the real story behind what happened when they arrived in San Jose for the Final Four of March Madness. 

From starting the season beating No. 1-ranked Tennessee and selling out Mackey Arena for the first time ever to finally hoisting the championship trophy and cutting down the net after beating Duke in that championship game, you’ll hear behind-the-scenes stories from these three women who experienced it all. And you certainly don’t want to miss Ukari’s story about taking a mechanical engineering exam during the Final Four. 

Plus, Stephanie, head coach of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, and Ukari, a mechanical engineer at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, discuss balancing Purdue’s academics while fighting for a national championship. They also share how Purdue helped set them up for success within the WNBA and, later, their careers outside of playing professional basketball. 

The friendship, commitment, determination and, of course, Boilermaker spirit that led this legendary women’s team to a national championship will forever be celebrated in the Purdue community.  

Relive all the heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping and emotional moments in this special episode of “This Is Purdue.” 

RESOURCES INCLUDE: 

  • Links to the podcast 
  • Social graphics 
  • Suggested social post copy 

LINKS and UTM PARAMETERS 

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UTM campaign: this_is_purdue_wbb_1999_national_champions 

UTM medium: Social (or email) 

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Link to the podcast: https://stories.purdue.edu/podcast/1999-womens-basketball-national-champions  

General podcast page: https://stories.purdue.edu/podcast/ 

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-purdue/id1496040232 

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1npQBIaTzFnCvDlzeiNV7j?si=h0K1NkdwTMeu-MlzckGaHw 

AVAILABLE ASSETS 

The following assets are available for download and use. Social assets include files for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Instagram Stories. 

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDANCE POSTING TIPS 

Digital engagement is a powerful platform to share Purdue stories and posts with past, present and future Boilermakers. Here are some tips to help your posts shine: 

  • Keep posts short and direct 
  • Link all posts back to our landing page 
  • Include photos, videos or GIFs 
  • Use short URLs 

SUGGESTED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS 

LinkedIn + Facebook  

  1. Do you want to know the REAL story behind our @PurdueWBB 1999 national championship-winning team? 🏀 Just in time for @NCAA1906 #MarchMadness, tune in to #ThisIsPurdue to hear from former head coach Carolyn Peck and co-captains Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs as they join the official university #podcast and share behind-the-scenes stories about this iconic team and its historic season. Listen today: <link> 
  1. The 1998-99 @PurdueWBB team started the season by beating the No. 1-ranked team at Mackey Arena. How did they finish the season? Twenty-five years ago on March 28, 1999, it beat Duke and became the first and only @BigTenConference women’s team to win an @NCAA championship. Former head coach Carolyn Peck and co-captains Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs join #ThisIsPurdue to share all the highs and lows from this historic season. You don’t want to miss this one: <link> 
  1. #Purdue students ➡️ 1999 @NCAA women’s basketball national champions ➡️ @WNBA players ➡️ WNBA head coach and @Toyota engineer Stephanie White and Ukari Figgs have had incredible careers since winning a national title in college and playing professional basketball. Stephanie, a @PurdueCollegeofLiberalArts alumna, is now the head coach of the WNBA’s @ConnecticutSun and was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year. Ukari, a @purdueME alumna, is using her @PurdueEngineering degree as an engineer at Toyota Motor Manufacturing in her hometown of Georgetown, Kentucky. Listen to #ThisIsPurdue to hear about their journeys since cutting down the net back in 1999: <link> 

Instagram 

  1. Do you want to know the REAL story behind our @PurdueWBB 1999 national championship-winning team? 👀🏀 Just in time for @NCAA #MarchMadness, tune in to #ThisIsPurdue to hear from former head coach @CarolynPeckYeah and co-captains @s_whitej2 and Ukari Figgs as they join the official university #podcast and share behind-the-scenes stories about this iconic team and its historic season. 🔗 in bio <link> 
  1. @NCAA national champions 🏆 #Boilermaker basketball legends 🏀 Lifelong friends 🚂 In our latest #ThisIsPurdue episode, former @PurdueWBB head coach @CarolynPeckYeah and co-captains @s_whitej2 and Ukari Figgs share the emotional stories behind this close-knit team and the relationships and memories that remain special to them today — 25 years later. Listen today at the 🔗 in bio. <link> 
  1. #Purdue students ➡️ 1999 @NCAA women’s basketball national champions ➡️ @WNBA players ➡️ WNBA head coach and @Toyota engineer Today, @s_whitej2 is the head coach of the WNBA’s @ConnecticutSun and was named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year.  Ukari Figgs is using her @purdue.me degree as an engineer at Toyota Motor Manufacturing. Listen to #ThisIsPurdue to hear more about their career journeys since cutting down the net back in 1999. 🔗 in bio 
  1. Hear more from @CarolynPeckYeah, @s_whitej2 and Ukari Figgs on the #ThisIsPurdue podcast as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the @PurdueWBB team cutting down the net after becoming @NCAA national champions. 🔗 in bio 

Twitter 

  1. Listen to #ThisIsPurdue and relive the 1999 @PurdueWBB @NCAA National Championship. 🏀 Former coach @CAROLYNPECK and co-captains @StephanieWhite and Ukari Figgs share behind-the-scenes stories about this historic season. You don’t want to miss it! <link> 
  1. Do you want to know the REAL story behind our @PurdueWBB 1999 national championship-winning team? 👀🏀 @CAROLYNPECK, @StephanieWhite and Ukari Figgs join #ThisIsPurdue and share behind-the-scenes stories from this historic season. <link> 
  1. .@NCAA national champions 🏆 #Boilermaker basketball legends 🏀 Lifelong friends 🚂  Listen to #ThisIsPurdue as former @PurdueWBB head coach @CAROLYNPECK and co-captains @StephanieWhite & Ukari Figgs share the emotional stories behind this close-knit team. <link> 
  1. #Purdue students ➡️ 1999 @NCAA women’s basketball national champions ➡️ @WNBA players ➡️ WNBA head coach and @Toyota engineer. Listen to #ThisIsPurdue to hear about @StephanieWhite’s and Ukari Figgs’ journeys since cutting down the net back in 1999. <link> 
  1. “@StephanieWhite and I came to #Purdue to win a national championship. We knew @PurdueWBB had what it took.” Hear more from the 1999 @NCAA Final Four MVP Ukari Figgs on #ThisIsPurdue. #MarchMadness <link> 
  1. “That @PurdueWBB team taught me that you don’t have to be older to teach lessons; you can learn from young people.” Hear more from @carolynpeck, the former head coach who took #Purdue to its first @NCAA National Championship title 25 years ago, on #ThisIsPurdue. <link> 
  1. “The older we get, the more we all realize that it was about the journey, the memories. It’s all very fresh because we are still family.” Hear more about the 1998-99 @PurdueWBB team from @ConnecticutSun head coach and @PurdueLibArts alumna @StephanieWhite on #ThisIsPurdue. <link> 

TAGGING RECOMMENDATIONS 

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Other tagging options include: 

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@Purdue.ME (IG) 

@PurdueEngineers (TW, IG) 

@PurdueCollegeofLiberalArts (FB) 

@PurdueLibArts (TW) 

@ConnecticutSun (TW) 

@StephanieWhite (TW) 

@s_whitej2 (IG) 

@carolynpeck (TW) 

@CarolynPeckYeah (IG) 

@WNBA  

@Toyota 

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EMOJIS 
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