HOF CLASS OF 2026: Side by side – The Janet Huff story
July 09, 2026 | General News, Women's Basketball, Andy Baggot
Janet Huff was once compelled to talk her homesick older sister out of quitting the Wisconsin women's basketball team.
Theresa Huff went on to become the most decorated player in program history, a resume that includes induction into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame and being the first woman in any Badgers sport to have her uniform number (No. 21) formally retired.
Now Janet is experiencing a measure of karmic payback. She's being inducted into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2026 and, in the process, forming the first set of sisters to be so honored.
"It's definitely not something I ever expected," Janet said. "That's pretty amazing."
There's one terribly sad problem.
Theresa died suddenly in February of natural causes, according to her sister. She was 64.
"She wasn't ill," Janet said. "She was living a very healthy lifestyle and enjoying her retirement, traveling and spending time with her kids and grandkids. It was a total shock to all of us."
Theresa played for the Badgers from 1979 to '83, closing out her career with school records for points, rebounds, field goals made and games played.
Janet, one year younger, walked on as a freshman and wound up becoming the first UW player to be named to the All-Big Ten Conference first team in 1984. She was a second-team selection in 1983 and was designated co-Most Valuable Player of the Badgers as a senior.
Theresa once said her proudest achievement was helping guide UW to the national quarterfinals in 1981-82, but her fondest memories revolved around playing alongside her younger sister going back to their time at Riverside High School in Milwaukee. That includes a day in 1980 when Theresa stood inside an old campus bus terminal with a ticket home.
"I was leaving," she said. "Janet called the coaches and told them I was at the bus station. They came down and got me. If she hadn't made that phone call, I would have been out of there."
And one of the best stories about family, achievement and perseverance would have been jeopardized.
"Sometimes people get homesick or frustrated with things," Janet said. "They want to go where they're most comfortable and that might have been the case."
Theresa went home the following week and realized she wasn't missing out on anything.
"I realized I had to grow up basically," she said.
In January 2023, Theresa joined Michael Finley (No. 24), Frank Kaminsky (No. 44) and Albert "Ab" Nicholas (No. 8) as the only UW basketball players to have their jersey numbers retired.
Now Janet shares a spot of honor with her eldest sister in the new UW Hall of Fame display area outside the Kohl Center.
"Really, I look at it as part of my sister's legacy because she wanted so badly for me to do well," Janet said.
The sisters helped Wisconsin become a historic force. They were members of the first team to qualify for the national tournament and the first to win 20 games. Wisconsin went 21-13 and reached the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women quarterfinals in 1981-82. The AIAW was eventually folded into the NCAA.
"She's always been amazing and she's always looked out for me and vice versa," Janet said. "So, we were very close."
Mary (Chrnelich) Nellen played two seasons with Janet at UW before playing professionally with Theresa. She described the sisters as opposites in terms of personality – Janet was the extrovert, while Theresa was quiet and kept to herself – but their skill sets were similarly intense.
"Terry did a lot of work inside. Janet was very much 100 percent a shooting guard long before the three-point line came to be."
Nellen said Janet was everything you'd want in a teammate.
"Janet was something else," Nellen said. "She was just so good, such a strong player, a great leader.
"Janet was a bulldog. She'd just bully her way into the play."
Megan Scott, the rare three-sport student-athlete at UW, played only one season with Janet, but came away from the experience impressed.
"She pushed hard every game," Scott said. "She was a tireless player. She played hard the minute she stepped foot on the court."
Once again, the Huff sisters make history.
"That's the coolest part of this for me, knowing that I'll be joining her (in the Hall of Fame)," Janet said.
"Terry would be so thrilled," Nellen said. "They were tight as could be. And they're both wonderful people."
Best of Three
1: Janet was one of the school's first Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients in 1984, right after Hall of Famers Ann French (badminton) and Rose Thomson (track and cross country). First introduced on the men's side in 1915, it's one of the most prestigious athletic and academic awards in the country.
"Coming from a school in the inner city, I was nervous about going to college," Janet said. "To be able to go and get my bachelor's and master's degree, I'm super proud of that."
2: Does Janet Huff believe she earned a spot in the UW Athletic Hall of Fame? Only one voice is relevant. "Oh, listen," Janet said. "(Theresa) would be so happy for me. She would be so proud. She would definitely say that I earned it."
3: What's the most important lesson Janet learned at UW? "This sounds cliché, but hard work really does pay off," she said.
