Jerry McCarty took over the women’s basketball program at Cloud County in 1977 and promptly turned the Lady Thunderbirds into a powerhouse. In six seasons at Cloud County his record was 143-28 (83.6%). The Lady Thunderbirds won the Region VI Championship in 1979, 1980 and 1983 under McCarty’s direction and advanced to the NJCAA National Championship game in 1980, falling to Truett-McConnell, GA. 63-61. Jerry was named one of four “Coaches of the Century” in women’s junior college basketball and in 1996 was inducted into the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.