Alice Ruth Bolton was born in Lucedale, Mississippi, and attended McLain High School in nearby McLain, Mississippi. Bolton would play basketball in high school on the same team as her older sister, Mae Ola. When the elder Bolton sister was recruited to play basketball at Auburn, Ruthie worked to join her sister on the Plains.

Bolton would earn a starting spot on the Auburn squad her freshman year. She helped lead Joe Ciampi’s Tigers to three SEC titles, four NCAA Tournament appearances, and two consecutive runner-up finishes in the postseason tournament. Bolton’s time on the Plains saw the Tigers accumulate a 199-13 record in four seasons.

After leaving Auburn, Bolton would play professionally overseas for eight years. In 1997, Bolton was selected #13 overall in the inaugural WNBA Draft by the Sacramento Monarchs. She would record the league’s second double-double in the Monarchs’ first franchise game.

Bolton would spend all eight seasons of her WNBA career with the Monarchs. She was named an All-Star twice and would make the All-WNBA First Team in the inaugural 1997 season. Bolton would retire following the 2004 Western Conference Finals after falling to the Seattle Storm. Bolton would discuss the retirement later, saying she felt like the Monarchs rejected and abandoned her and pushed her to retire.

In the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, Bolton helped lead Team USA to two gold medals. She securely held the #4 spot on the WNBA’s three-point scoring list at the time of her retirement. Her #5 jersey is the only number retired by the Monarchs.

While a student-athlete at Auburn, Bolton married Mark Holifield in 1991. Despite reaching the height of her playing career in the following years, Bolton kept secret that she was victim of Holifield’s domestic abuse. Bolton was routinely physically and mentally assaulted by her then-husband. It wasn’t until 2015 that Bolton publically shared her story in part of being an advocate to end domestic abuse.

Bolton’s story has been the premise of many stories, including a documentary entitled “The Truth Behind the Gold” and the SEC Storied feature “Mighty Ruthie.”

Bolton also served in the US Army Reserves as a second lieutenant during her time at Auburn. She would serve until 2000.