When Duke University captured the Atlantic Coast Conference women's tournament title this year, it marked the 25th anniversary of the event. In fact, the women on the court during the Blue Devils' 87-80 win over the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, have never lived in a time when there was no ACC tournament for women. But it's an accomplishment that was almost unthinkable 25 years ago.

In 1978, when the ACC began its women's basketball tournament, there were no NCAA championships for women. Female student-athletes instead participated in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) championships. And though the women's programs wouldn't technically have been part of the NCAA in 1978, the ACC tourney is believed to be one of the oldest conference tournaments for women in what's now become NCAA Division I.

To celebrate this silver anniversary, the ACC has produced a documentary, "Passion and Purpose: A Celebration of the Women's ACC Basketball Tournament," and also established a traveling pictorial exhibit.

"Passion and Purpose," a 30-minute documentary narrated by ESPN and ABC Sports broadcaster Robin Roberts, chronicles the 25-year history of that competition and also highlights some of the pivital moments that have made the tournament memorable.

The documentary features interviews with some of the most compelling figures women's basketball, including Val Ackerman, a 1978 tournament participant and current president of the WNBA; two-time Olympian Dawn Staley; Gene Corrigan, a past membership president of the NCAA; Barbara Kelley, former director of women's sports at the University of Virginia; Kay Yow, coach of North Carolina State University; and current ACC women's basketball coaches.

The documentary showcases the talent, wisdom and longevity of three coaches who have graced the sidelines of every ACC women's tournament: Yow, Debbie Ryan of Virginia and Chris Weller of the University of Maryland, College Park. ACC Commissioner John Swofford also is featured.

For more information on the video, which was featured on FOX Sports Net South in February, contact Amy Yakola at 336/851-6062.

The celebratory pictorial exhibit made its debut December 12 at Prime Outlets in Morrisville, North Carolina.

Built by graphic designer Scott Schetrompf of Point Concepts Design in Raleigh, North Carolina, the display includes more that 250 photos from the previous 24 years of the tournament, including life-size cutout photos of players and coaches.

Spearheading this project was ACC Associate Commissioner Bernadette McGlade.

"This pictorial exhibit is the compilation of the first 24 years of the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament," she said. "It is a tremendous example of how the tournament was started and has prospered over the years.

"This league is exceptionally rich in its history and tradition of women's basketball, which is evident in this larger-than-life pictorial."

The display also has "the players' wall," which lists all 940 student-athlete participants in the tournament.

The display will be at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina, from March 23 to March 25 during the East regional of the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.

The following players, all former ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player selections, make up the Silver Anniversary Team:

1978 -- Tara Heiss, Maryland

1979 -- Kris Kirchner, Maryland

1980 -- Genia Beasley, North Carolina State

1981 -- Barbara Kennedy, Clemson

1982 -- Marcia Richardson, Maryland, and Barbara Kennedy, Clemson

1983 -- Linda Page, North Carolina State, and Jasmina Perazic, Maryland

1984 -- Tresa Brown, North Carolina

1985 -- Dawn Royster, North Carolina

1986 -- Deanna Tate, Maryland

1987 -- Donna Holt, Virginia

1988 -- Deanna Tate, Maryland

1989 -- Vicky Bullett, Maryland

1990 -- Andrea Stinson, North Carolina State

1991 -- Sharon Manning, North Carolina State

1992 -- Dawn Staley, Virginia

1993 -- Dena Evans, Virginia

1994 -- Charlotte Smith, North Carolina

1995 -- Charlotte Smith, North Carolina

1996 -- Laura Cottrell, Clemson

1997 -- Marion Jones, North Carolina

1998 -- Tracy Reid, North Carolina

1999 -- Itoro Umoh, Clemson

2000 -- Nikki Teasley, North Carolina

2001 -- Georgia Schweitzer, Duke

2002 -- Monique Currie, Duk