Diane Dietz
Encyclopedia
Diane Dietz is a former All-American basketball
player. She played for the University of Michigan
from 1979–1982 and is the school's all-time scoring leader with 2,076 points. She also set the Big Ten Conference
single-game scoring record with 45 points in 1982. In 1996, Dietz became the first women's basketball player inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
. And in 2009, she was inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
. With teammates Katie McNamara and Lynn Yadach, Dietz led the Mercy Marlins to four straight state finals including an undefeated season and 1977 Class A Michigan state championship.
While attending Mercy, Dietz earned a 3.6 grade point average and won varsity letter
s in basketball, volleyball
and softball
all four years. As a senior, she earned all-state honors in all three sports. Dietz later recalled, "I had a lot of diverse interests in high school. Everybody remembers basketball, but I enjoyed tennis
and golf
. I loved music, the choir and the theater. I really remember liking school."
After graduating from Mercy, Dietz enrolled at the University of Michigan
where she played basketball from 1979 to 1982 and became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,076 career points. No other women's basketball player at Michigan has surpassed the 2,000 point mark in career points.
On February 27, 1982, Dietz set a Big Ten Conference
single-game scoring record with 45 points against the University of Illinois. That record stood for 22 years until Penn State guard Kelly Mazzante
scored 49 points in a game in 2004.
As a senior, Dietz was among the first women athletes to receive the Big Ten Medal of Honor, awarded to student athletes for outstanding academic and athletic achievement.
in Lansing, Michigan
. She began her professional career as a lawyer working for law firms Paskin, Nagi & Baxter P.C. in Troy, Michigan
, and Howard & Howard Attorneys, P.C., in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
.
After leaving the private practice of law, Dietz worked for many years in the cable television industry. She began in the business as Vice President of Corporate and Legal Affairs for Continental Cablevision's Midwest Region. She joined Comcast Corporation in 1996. At Comcast, she served as the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Midwest Division. In 2005, Dietz relocated to Philadelphia upon being promoted to a position as Comcast's Senior Director of Public Affairs and Vice President of The Comcast Foundation.
Dietz has also served as a board member for the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, United Way of Southeast Pennsylvania, Michigan Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the University of Michigan Alumni Association.
In October 2008, Dietz was named chief marketing officer for Cranbrook Educational Community
, a collection of private schools and educational instiutitions in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
. In her position at Cranbrook, Dietz oversees marketing and communication efforts, community outreach and government relations.
In March 2010, she was hired as the Big Ten Conference
Chief Communications Officer.
In 1996, she was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
. She was the first women's basketball player inducted into the Hall, joining the ranks of Fielding H. Yost, Tom Harmon
, Cazzie Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich
and Gerald R. Ford.
While at the University of Michigan, Dietz was a two-time recipient of CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1980 (second team) and 1981 (first team).
In May 2009, Dietz was one of five former NCAA student athletes inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame as part of the 2009 induction class. She was the second University of Michigan athlete inducted into the Hall, joining Richard Balzhiser (1952–1953). The Academic All-America Hall of Fame was established in 1988 to recognize student athletes who were recognized as Academic All-Americans as student athletes and who have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers and demonstrated commitment to philanthropic causes in their community. As of 2009, fewer than 100 individuals had been inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
In March 2010, Dietz was featured on CNBC's special documentary called "Boomer's" produced by [Tom Brokaw].
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player. She played for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1979–1982 and is the school's all-time scoring leader with 2,076 points. She also set the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
single-game scoring record with 45 points in 1982. In 1996, Dietz became the first women's basketball player inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
. And in 2009, she was inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
Basketball player
Diane Dietz began her basketball career at Farmington Hills Mercy High SchoolMercy High School (Farmington Hills, Michigan)
Mercy High School is a private, Roman Catholic, all-girls high school in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit and is recognized as a national Exemplary Private High School by the United States Department of Education.-Background:Mercy was...
. With teammates Katie McNamara and Lynn Yadach, Dietz led the Mercy Marlins to four straight state finals including an undefeated season and 1977 Class A Michigan state championship.
While attending Mercy, Dietz earned a 3.6 grade point average and won varsity letter
Varsity letter
A varsity letter is an award earned in the United States for excellence in school activities. A varsity letter signifies that its winner was a qualified varsity team member, awarded after a certain standard was met.- Description :...
s in basketball, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
all four years. As a senior, she earned all-state honors in all three sports. Dietz later recalled, "I had a lot of diverse interests in high school. Everybody remembers basketball, but I enjoyed tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. I loved music, the choir and the theater. I really remember liking school."
After graduating from Mercy, Dietz enrolled at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where she played basketball from 1979 to 1982 and became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,076 career points. No other women's basketball player at Michigan has surpassed the 2,000 point mark in career points.
On February 27, 1982, Dietz set a Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
single-game scoring record with 45 points against the University of Illinois. That record stood for 22 years until Penn State guard Kelly Mazzante
Kelly Mazzante
Kelly Anne Mazzante is a professional basketball player in the WNBA. She is the all-time leading scorer in Big Ten basketball history .-Early life and college career:...
scored 49 points in a game in 2004.
As a senior, Dietz was among the first women athletes to receive the Big Ten Medal of Honor, awarded to student athletes for outstanding academic and athletic achievement.
Business career
After graduating from Michigan, Dietz received a juris doctorate degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law SchoolThomas M. Cooley Law School
Thomas M. Cooley Law School is an American Bar Association accredited law school in the United States. Located in Michigan, its main campus is in Lansing, and its satellite campuses are in Ann Arbor, Auburn Hills, and Grand Rapids. Cooley plans on opening another satellite campus in Tampa Bay,...
in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
. She began her professional career as a lawyer working for law firms Paskin, Nagi & Baxter P.C. in Troy, Michigan
Troy, Michigan
Troy is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan, and is a suburb of Detroit. The population was 80,980 at the 2010 census, making it the 11th-largest city in Michigan by population, and the largest city in Oakland County...
, and Howard & Howard Attorneys, P.C., in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
.
After leaving the private practice of law, Dietz worked for many years in the cable television industry. She began in the business as Vice President of Corporate and Legal Affairs for Continental Cablevision's Midwest Region. She joined Comcast Corporation in 1996. At Comcast, she served as the Vice President of Corporate Affairs for the Midwest Division. In 2005, Dietz relocated to Philadelphia upon being promoted to a position as Comcast's Senior Director of Public Affairs and Vice President of The Comcast Foundation.
Dietz has also served as a board member for the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, United Way of Southeast Pennsylvania, Michigan Cable & Telecommunications Association, and the University of Michigan Alumni Association.
In October 2008, Dietz was named chief marketing officer for Cranbrook Educational Community
Cranbrook Educational Community
The Cranbrook Educational Community, a National Historic Landmark, in the US state of Michigan was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. Cranbrook campus is in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Hills consisting of Cranbrook Schools, Cranbrook Academy of Art,...
, a collection of private schools and educational instiutitions in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a city in Oakland County of the U.S. state of Michigan, northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,869...
. In her position at Cranbrook, Dietz oversees marketing and communication efforts, community outreach and government relations.
In March 2010, she was hired as the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
Chief Communications Officer.
Honors and awards
In 1995, Dietz was the recipient of the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford Scholar-Athlete Award. She was the fifth person to receive the awarded, granted to former Michigan athletes who have made extraordinary contributions in their post-collegiate careers.In 1996, she was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor
The University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor, founded in 1978, recognizes University of Michigan athletes, coaches, and administrators who have made significant contributions to the university's athletic programs...
. She was the first women's basketball player inducted into the Hall, joining the ranks of Fielding H. Yost, Tom Harmon
Tom Harmon
Thomas Dudley Harmon was a star player in American college football, a sports broadcaster, and patriarch of a family of American actors...
, Cazzie Russell, Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudolph Tomjanovich, Jr. , nicknamed Rudy T., is an American retired basketball player and coach who coached the Houston Rockets to two consecutive NBA championships. He is currently a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers.-Early life:...
and Gerald R. Ford.
While at the University of Michigan, Dietz was a two-time recipient of CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 1980 (second team) and 1981 (first team).
In May 2009, Dietz was one of five former NCAA student athletes inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame as part of the 2009 induction class. She was the second University of Michigan athlete inducted into the Hall, joining Richard Balzhiser (1952–1953). The Academic All-America Hall of Fame was established in 1988 to recognize student athletes who were recognized as Academic All-Americans as student athletes and who have achieved lifetime success in their professional careers and demonstrated commitment to philanthropic causes in their community. As of 2009, fewer than 100 individuals had been inducted into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
In March 2010, Dietz was featured on CNBC's special documentary called "Boomer's" produced by [Tom Brokaw].