FRESNO, Calif. -- A former women's basketball coach who sued Fresno State for sex discrimination announced Thursday has been hired as the general manager of a minor league professional men's team -- and she's negotiating a movie deal.
Stacy Johnson-Klein will begin her new job with the Lawton Fort Sill Cavalry in Oklahoma -- the Continental Basketball Association's defending champions -- on Friday.
Johnson-Klein reached a $9 million settlement with Fresno State last month. A jury had originally awarded the coach a $19.1 million judgment following a theatrical, eight-week trial.
"I'm a very strong woman, and I've been hired by great owners to work in a solid city that I love," she said in an interview Thursday. "I'm going to do my best to break down any barriers that there could be and continue to build our sport."
The appointment makes her the 16-team league's second female general manager.
As general manager of the Cavalry, Johnson-Klein will oversee budgets, market the team, recruit and sign players, broker trades and even sell tickets.
Part of her contract also includes writing a book, and she said she expects to close a movie deal soon to tell the story of her life, beginning with her childhood in rural Oklahoma.
"She's a great businesswoman and a great coach," said Dennis Truax, the CBA's deputy commissioner. "She's also a woman, and a woman GM, and those things are unfortunately a rarity in all sports."
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