Brenda Jane Jordan

S.I.'s first high school female to score 1,000 points in basketball; Staten Island Sports Hall of Famer, lifelong Stapleton resident

Brenda Jane Jordan, 77, a native Staten Islander, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2020, from complications related to Alzheimer's Disease.

A lifelong Stapleton resident, Brenda was a popular figure all over Staten Island. It was nearly impossible to go anywhere with her and not be approached by someone who knew her, either through her long and renowned history in Staten Island sports or through her many years serving children as a school safety agent at I.S. 49 and P.S. 13 from where she retired in 2006.

Her biggest passion in life was for sports. She was a sandlot baseball star in the boy's leagues in the mid-1950s before reaching her greatest achievement as a high school basketball star with St. Joseph Hill Academy. As a Hilltopper, she played all four years on the varsity team and was team captain her senior year in 1960. As one of her closest friends and teammate remembered, "Brenda always had the drive to win and playing in a basketball game was the only time when you saw her being completely serious. She was also so good at the game that the boys would come just to watch her play." Described as a "one woman wrecking crew" in 46 games overall, she averaged 26 points per game becoming the Island's first woman to score 1,000 points. Because this was before the S.I. Advance began keeping records, this recognition came much later in life and only after Brenda's devoted group of friends and teammates campaigned for the paper to have the record corrected.

Brenda continued to be involved in women's sports after high school, playing softball, and then acting as an assistant softball coach and longtime basketball statistician for St. Peter's Girls H.S.

In her later years, Brenda remained an avid fan of women's basketball, and her time was happily spent watching college and WNBA games on TV. The greatest honor of her life came at the age of 75 when she was inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame, class of 2017. She was so happy and overwhelmed to be included and so humbled to be described by Advance sports writers in terms such as "pioneer" and "groundbreaking athlete."

Always the life of every party, Brenda loved to make people laugh and was an expert at it with numerous jokes and stories for every occasion. She will forever be remembered for her sense of humor, kindness, and the love she had for her family, friends and neighbors. She had a particular love for animals and cared for many pets throughout her life. She was generous too and contributed to many animal and children centered charities.

Brenda is survived by her brother, Peter Jordan; her nieces, Kathleen Rosano, Eileen Occhiuto (Philip), and Maureen Guerin, and two grandnieces. She was predeceased by her mother and best friend, Olga, father, Leo, and sister, Maureen.

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Published in Staten Island Advance on Apr. 18, 2020.