Dorothy Gaters
John Marshall High School
Impact Statement
“If you’re not enjoying it, you shouldn’t do it, regardless of the occupation. But to do things like sending kids on to college is very gratifying.” -Dorothy Gaters
Biography
In 1974, 10 years after graduating from Marshall, Gaters was given a task nobody else wanted: starting a girls’ basketball program at the inner-city school. After 33 seasons, eight state championships and nearly two dozen state records, Gaters is a legend in her sport. As the school’s athletic director, she had to replace her school’s boys’ basketball coach just before the start of this season.
Her new hire won a state championship and so did she, leading the Lady Commandos to a 26-7 record and the state’s first Class 3A state title, her first since 1999. Gaters, whose career record of 881-121 places her seventh on the national victory list, holds every Illinois state tournament record. Besides her eight state titles, those records include: state title games (11), state tournament appearances (23), consecutive appearances (12), state trophies (17) and state tournament victories (record 57-16).
Although she was honored in 2008 she has not slowed down. Gaters is still at the helm of the Lady Commandos. She and her teams won two more state championships, in 2018 and 2019, bringing her up to ten state championships and three state runner-up finishes.
Gaters obtained her 1,000 win in November 18, 2014. She has now amassed over 1,100 wins over her tenure.
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