Luellen Named 2014 Inductee to Women's Golf Coaches Hall of Fame

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -- Melissa McNamara Luellen, now in her 14th season as Arizona State’s head women’s golf coach, will be inducted into the Women's Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame on December 9, the WGCA announced Wednesday.  

Luellen joins her mother Dale McNamara, who was inducted into the hall of fame in 1988.  Luellen and McNamara are the first mother-daughter inductees into the WGCA Hall of Fame. Luellen also joins long-time ASU head coach Linda Vollstedt, who was inducted exactly 20 years prior in 1994.

During her tenure with the Arizona State women’s golf program, Melissa McNamara Luellen has achieved the pinnacle of success in every facet of the sport. In 2009, Luellen guided Arizona State to its seventh National Championship, the most titles won by an NCAA program.  After the Sun Devils’ NCAA Championship run, Luellen was named SkyCaddie NGCA Coach of the year.  While at ASU, Luellen has earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors three times (2006, 2007, 2009) and West Regional Coach of the Year honors four times (2005, 2006, 2007, 2009).  

At the helm of the winningest women’s golf program in the nation, Luellen has led the Sun Devils to 12-straight NCAA postseason appearances, two Pac-10 titles, and 23 tournament team titles.  Under her tutelage, the program has also produced an NCAA Individual Champion (Azahara Munoz, 2008), three Pac-10 Golfers of the Year, three NGCA Freshmen of the Year, and 12 golfers named to a total of 20 All-American teams. 

Luellen came to ASU after spending two seasons as the head women's golf coach at her alma mater, the University of Tulsa (2001-02). Luellen, a four-time All-American for the Golden Hurricanes, succeeded her mother, Dale McNamara, who retired in 2000 following a 26-year career that included four national championships.

In her two seasons as Tulsa's head coach, Luellen led her team to seven tournament titles including back-to-back Western Athletic Conference and NCAA Central Regional championships in each year. The 2001-02 season saw her team win five tournaments, including the 2002 PING/ASU Championship at Karsten Golf Course, earn a No. 3 national ranking for most of the season, and finish 12th at the 2002 NCAA Championships. Luellen was named the Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in each of her two seasons and was the 2002 Central Regional Coach of the Year.

Not only has Luellen proven herself as a top-tier coach, she was a successful golfer as well. Luellen was a four-time All-American at the University of Tulsa. She won medalist honors at four tournaments and recorded 22 top-10 finishes in 41 career events. She capped off a stellar collegiate career by capturing a two-stroke individual victory at the 1988 NCAA Championship and leading the Golden Hurricanes to the national team title.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Tulsa in 1988, Luellen competed on the Futures and Ladies European Tours in 1988 and 1989 before qualifying for the LPGA Tour in October of 1989. She spent 11 years on the LPGA Tour, winning the 1991 Stratton Mountain LPGA Classic and teaming with Mike Springer to win the 1993 JC Penney Classic. She was also elected to the LPGA Executive Committee in her final two years on the tour.     

The Hall of Fame Ceremony will take place at Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Luellen becomes the 47th member of the WGCA Coaches Hall of Fame.