OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Johnson County Community College family mourns the loss of former coach and physical education instructor Barbara Gill. She was 88.

A reception to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, November 11 from 4-7 p.m., at the Barbara Gill Lifetime Fitness Center in GYM Building at Johnson County Community College. She will also be recognized at halftime of the JCCC women's basketball game on the same day. 

Gill was not only an icon at Johnson County but also a pioneer in women's athletics and physical education. A native of Waco, Texas, Gill earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education in 1957 and a Master of Science in 1958 at Baylor University.

Gill was an accomplished athlete in seven sports in college, however, women were not allowed to participate in NCAA sports at the time so she could only play on club teams. She became an advocate for women in sports and dedicated her life to this mission. She broke into the "men's club of aviation" in 1968 by earning her FAA private pilot license and encouraged other women to follow. Throughout her career, she taught, coached, encouraged, and inspired girls at two junior high schools, six high schools and three colleges in 10 different cities and six different states.

Gill spent the last of her 20 years of her career at Johnson County Community College. From 1977 to 1997, she taught physical education, first aid and CPR and coached women's basketball, volleyball, and softball. Gill led the women's basketball team to its first conference championship and in softball she guided the program to one conference title, four Region 6 titles and a fourth-place finish at the 1979 National Tournament, JCCC's inaugural season. 

In 1987, she developed the Lifetime Fitness Center program and credit classes for which enrollment quickly grew to 900 students per semester. The JCCC Lifetime Fitness Center is named in her honor. 

During her tenure at JCCC, Gill served as a board member on the ABA/USA Women's Basketball Games Committee for the United States Olympic Committee for eight years, four of those years as Chairman.  She also served as President of the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Association and as a board member for the United States Women's Basketball Coaches Association.  Gill was a member of the USA Women's Basketball coaching staff for the 1981 Olympic Festival, 1982 Taiwan Games, 1984 Canada World University Games, 1986 Goodwill Games and World Championships in Moscow and the 1988 U.S. National Women's Basketball team that captured the Gold Medal at the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. 

In 1997, Gill was honored by Gaylans Sports for her devotion to lifetime fitness and advancement of women's sports. In 2001, Gill was inducted into the NJCAA Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and in 2004 she was inducted into the JCCC Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2019, she was recognized by Baylor University at halftime of the Women's Big 12 Championship basketball game at the Ferrell Center in Waco for her lifetime achievement in advancing girls and women's sports.