Sad news to report today, as we just learned that 49er great Monica Havelka, who starred for the Long Beach State women’s basketball team from 1974-78, recently passed away at the age of 53.  Havelka, who was the first of three players in program history to record over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career, was inducted into the Long Beach State Hall of Fame in 1987.

In her four years at The Beach, Havelka compiled 1,222 points and 1,086 rebounds, and is still the school’s all-time leader in rebounding with a career average of 11.7 boards per game. Havelka earned numerous All-America and regional honors. She also played on four national championship AAU teams, was a member of the U.S. squad that won a silver medal at the World University Games in 1977 and played basketball internationally.

Following her career on the court, Havelka turned to rowing where she won a gold medal in the double sculls at the 1983 Pan American Games. She went on to compete for the United States in the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.   

From LBSU reports