Texas Women’s Basketball Legend Evwella Munn Inducted into Hall of Honor

Courtesy of Texas Athletics

For former Texas women’s basketball player Evwella Munn, UT has never been just a place she played basketball at.

It was the place where a career that began in El Paso took shape, where she helped build one of the sport’s emerging programs and where, nearly five decades later, she returned to remind another generation of Longhorns what it means to wear burnt orange.

Munn’s path to Austin began before she ever played a game for Texas. After averaging 40 points per game at Jefferson High School in El Paso and scoring 79 in one game, she was invited to try out for the 1976 U.S. Women’s Olympic Basketball team. She went on to play at Temple Junior College, now Temple College, where she became a two-time All-American.

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Then came Nov. 29, 1977.

Temple was Texas’ opponent in the inaugural women’s basketball game at the newly opened Frank Erwin Center. Munn scored the arena’s first official basket in a game that Texas would go on to win.

“I didn’t know the significance of it until way after that,” Munn said. “That’s probably my most memorable (game).”

Her performance helped catch the attention of then-Texas head coach, now National Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Jody Conradt. Munn and Temple teammate Hattie Browning joined the Longhorns the following season, with Munn becoming the first player from El Paso to play for Texas women’s basketball.

“She was as talented as any player I’ve ever coached,” Conradt said. “But she had not been recognized for that superior talent because there was not much publicity or not much opportunity for people to know what was going on in girl’s basketball.”

Munn spent two seasons on the Forty Acres, helping Texas compile a 70–8 record and finish No. 4 and No. 7 nationally in consecutive seasons. She finished her career with 708 points, 169 steals and 301 assists, setting the school’s career record in that final category at the time in such a small number of games.

But her connection to Texas did not end when her playing career did. After earning her degree in 1983, Munn was offered a professional contract, but instead returned to Austin as a student assistant coach under Conradt, joining the program in a new role.

“Evwella and her teammate Retha Swindell … they were the foundation of building the program at the University of Texas,” Conradt said. “Their contribution can never be downplayed because without their commitment, their passion and their extraordinary skill, we would not have been able to build a successful program.”

Decades later, Munn’s recognition in that foundation became official. On Friday, she was inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor as part of the 2026 class. One day later, she stood in front of the current Texas women’s basketball team to give them advice.

“This is the place that you want to be, and not everyone gets to be here,” Munn said. “Y’all cherish being here; you form bonds (and) life-long friendships.”

Munn has now occupied nearly every role Texas could give her: player, coach, alumni and Hall of Honor member.

When asked about how it felt to reach this achievement, the former all-time assists leader passed the credit to others.

“The whole Longhorn nation helped me get here and be a success here,” Munn said.