Golfer who was a college standout at age 61 earns Barry’s Wall of Fame honor

World Series champion Yan Gomes will be the biggest name.

But when Barry University inducts its 10^th Wall of Fame class on Jan. 25, the most compelling story likely belongs to Judy Eller Street, 83.

Street was already a Miami Hurricanes Hall of Fame golfer when she enrolled at Barry in 2001 … at age 61. She had one season of college-golf eligibility remaining, but she was also quite rusty.

“I hadn’t played golf for 25 to 30 years,” Street said. “I was always a good putter. But when I started back, I got nervous on my putts. I got the ‘yips’, and it was all in my head.

“(Then Barry coach) Roger White helped me get through it. He was a wonderful coach. I had never known about course management until I got to Barry.”

Born in Tennessee into a family full of golfers, Street arrived at Miami in the fall of 1958. Her dad and two brothers were all golf pros, and Street – at age 13 – won the Nashville Women’s City Amateur tournament.

By June of 1959, she became the first Hurricanes All-American in women’s golf, winning the U.S. Southern Amateur Championship. She repeated that title in 1960.

She did all of this before Miami even sponsored women’s golf as a varsity sport. In fact, the NCAA women’s golf national championships didn’t start until 1982.

In 1960, Street was named to the American Curtis Cup team, teaming up with JoAnne “Big Mama” Carner, who went on to become a World Golf Hall of Famer. The Americans won the ’60 Curtis Cup, held in England.

As for Street, she left Miami midway through her junior year as she got engaged and then married.

After that, she took up tennis and played USTA events for nearly three decades.

While that was happening, Street got divorced and discovered that she was a lesbian. From there, Street – who has four children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren -- met and fell in love with former Barry women’s basketball coach Janice Allen.

Street then moved to Fort Lauderdale. Meanwhile, Allen talked to White about recruiting Street.

White followed through, and Street was on his 2001-2002 squad, playing with and against young women four decades her junior.

“The girls were so nice and accepting of me,” Street said. “I’m known for my banana bread, and I made that for my teammates for our first road trip of the season.”

While there were no issues with her teammates, Street remembers walking into the clubhouse at Doral Country Club.

“One guy saw me and said: ‘Good luck, Coach!’” Street said.

At the 2002 NCAA Division II national finals in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Street finished sixth and led Barry to a second-place showing, which at that time was the best performance in Bucs history.

Judy Street … Two schools, two Halls/Walls of Fame and four-plus-decades of separation between impressive golf feats.

“I’m proud of my both of my honors, Miami and Barry,” said Street, who lives with Allen in West Virginia. “But this honor at Barry is extra special because I’m going in at age 83.”

THIS AND THAT

▪ Gomes is the first Brazilian-born player in Major League Baseball history. He was also a key player in the Washington Nationals’ 2019 World Series title.

▪ Besides Street and Gomes, the other athletes inducted into Barry’s 10^th Wall of Famer are seven-time tennis All-American Ildiko Csordas, soccer pitcher Amber Jack and soccer goalies Johnny Rodrigues and Johanna Jattan. The inductees also include men’s and women’s tennis coach Dr. George Samuel, who led the Bucs to 24 league championships and five national titles; and Dr. Eileen McDonough, who served for 40 years as a faculty athletics representative.