Basketball - 2026

Born and raised in the Fairfax area, Jane Cohen was a standout player at Fairfax High School and was a starter on their softball, volleyball and tennis teams. She was a kinesiology major and four-year starter for UCLA women’s college basketball from 1971-75 and was among the first female student-athletes to receive Title IX funding for athletics. Distance shooting was her strength before there was a three-point line and she made the winning basket in a major upset win by the Bruins over then-power Cal State Fullerton as well as a half-court shot at halftime. She helped UCLA to the AIAW post-season as a junior and senior and played in the WNIT championship game in 1975 where she was the Bruin leading scorer.

Jane earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State University, Long Beach and returned to UCLA for an MSN to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Throughout her career Jane spent her professional life where passions lay: healthcare, education, athletics, and children’s wellbeing. She has coached girls basketball and volleyball, and is teaching Physical Education and Teen Health class at Topeka Collegiate School. She has also worked in nursing at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Cedars-Sinai Hospital, and as a Nursing Professor at Washburn University School of Nursing. She has served numerous terms on the Boards of Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka, Kansas, including two as its President, and of Topeka Collegiate School. For nearly three decades, Jane has volunteered as a teacher of Green Circle, a program for third-grade students sponsored by the National Conference, helping young people learn about understanding, respect, and appreciation of diversity.

She spent years very active in amateur racquetball, winning the Kansas Women’s Open Racquetball Championship eleven times. She also continued to play competitive basketball through local leagues and tournament teams.

Jane has been married to Russ Greene since 1981 and has three children, two sons-in-law, and six grandchildren, all of whom she adores.