Rush was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on April 7, 1947 to John and Alice Cowan. She grew up in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, a township with over 40,000 residents in 2010, but approximately 5,000 when she was in elementary school. Her elementary school consisted of two rooms, with a single teacher for each room. One room housed the first through third grades, while the other room was for the fourth through sixth grades.

The USA Basketball team had had success in the Pan American games with gold medals in 1955,1959, and 1963, but had come in second place in both 1967 and 1971. In 1975, the team was determined to win the gold, and Cathy Rush was named head coach. One of the leading players on the Pan American team was Lusia Harris, whose Delta State team had beaten Immaculata in the 1975 Championship game, and would do so again in 1976. There were other notable players on the team, such as Pat Head (Summitt), Ann Meyers and others, as well as a 17-year-old high school player, Nancy Lieberman.  The games were originally planned for Chile, then Brazil when Chile withdrew the offer to host, and then Mexico City, where they were eventually held in October. The team roster and coaches were identical to the US National team that placed eighth in the World Championships, held a few weeks earlier. That team finished with a disappointing 4-3 record, but lost the three games by a total of nine points.  The USA's team first opponent was Mexico, a team that finished ahead of the USA at the World Championships, and would end up the silver medal winning in this competition. The USA team beat them 99-65, setting a tone for the event. The USA next beat Canada 75-56. They followed that game with a convincing 116-28 victory over El Salvador. Their following game against Cuba was the only close game, with the USA winning by six points 70-64. The USA team then went on to defeat the Dominican Republic 99-50, and Columbia 74-48. This set up the final with Brazil.  The team from Brazil had beaten the USA team in the prior three Pan American competitions, and had won the gold medal in two of them. This time, the USA team won easily 74-55, earning the gold medal for the first time in twelve years.

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